This, she learned, was not uncommon.
The truth is that even within families, perspectives can be very different.
She was curious to explore Cuban food, yes, but more importantly, Cuban culture in South Florida.
Photo: Passion Ward
A matador waving a red hat.
I thought it would make a good conversation-starter," he told Leon.
At the other end, Tio Cha Cha sat quietly.
Passion Ward
And between them, a whole roasted pig.
The family disagreed on everything from U.S. immigration policy to taxes.
But they spoke openly in a way they knew they never could in Cuba.
Passion Ward
Decades-old stories came pouring out.
An aunt sobbed through the tale of rafting to America with her two toddlers.
Yet that night, amid gregarious laughter and tears, those different Cuban narratives lived side by side.
But around the table, they exchanged those stories with tears in their eyes."
During that time, the U.S. ran twice-daily humanitarian Freedom Flights from Varadero to Miami.
Each group brought their own food traditions and world views.
After that boisterous dinner, Lakshmi went to visit Ana Sofia Pelaez, author ofThe Cuban Table.
The party affiliations that split America also caused tension within Cuban families here.
An older generation of mostly Republican voters still takes a hard line against rapprochement with Cuba.
And younger Cuban Americans, more of whom are voting Democrat, want to see more progressive policies.
But there is still one issue that brings them together: “Libertad for Cuba!”
Recent protests on the island sparked demonstrations in Miami that unified Cubans and Cuban Americans regardless of political leanings.
And that’s the messy, complex story that Lakshmi found sitting around Miami’s Cuban table.
For the recipes that go with this story, pick up a copy of the October 2021 issue ofEatingWellMagazine.
Carlos Frias is the James Beard Award-winning food editor of theMiami Herald.
He’s also the author ofTake Me with You: A Secret Search for Family in a Forbidden Cuba.
