The pale “V” still cuts across the top of my feet, but now it’s joined by another white line, one that runs across the base of my ankle. It’s the beautiful combination of a flip-flop tan and a yuma shoe tan. In the beginning of our trip I was shamed by some Cuban friends into […]
Reintegrating
“Just think in two weeks from today you’ll be waking up in your own comfortable bed to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes—no waffles, chocolate chip waffles—and Sandy will wake you up by sitting on you and you might be annoyed because the baby kept you up all night, but then your mom will bring […]
Los Amigos
Anthony Bourdain, a world renowned chef and food critic—and as far as I know a happily married man—took me on a date to Los Amigos, a paladar that offers comida típica on the corner of M and 19th street. It was a breezy Friday night, and yet the paladar was hardly half-full. I was […]
How’s Cuba?
My brother’s pixelated figure shifted as he waited for my response. I glanced around Hotel Presidente’s lobby, knowing full well I wouldn’t find my answer there. “It’s… um, you know it’s… Cuban.” He raised his eyebrows and I shrugged, fully willing to admit to the lameness of my answer. Thankfully my mother saved me from […]
Researching in Havana: Persistence, Sweat, and Serendipity
The entire surface area of my skin is damp with sweat, collecting on my upper lip and lethargically dripping down from the nape of my neck. In a singular motion I wipe it away with the back of my hand and return my attention to the wooden drawer filled with index cards before me. I’ve […]