CUTE UGLY
REMINDER TO THE DONALD
CUBA
Dear Mr. Trump,
It is an ancient wisdom and is also a Biblical lesson, "Reap what you sow." Or if you prefer consider Newton's law or the law of Karma-for every action there is a reaction.
Or closer to your own idiom, don't say stupid things or people may begin to think you are an egotistical idiot. That would be more people may begin to think that.
If you like to travel I hope you'll get to Cuba now that we have begun to normalize relations. As a toast of celebration here's a post from June 2011. Enjoy your Daiquiri. A further exploration of the extraordinary island follows below.
THE DAIQUIRI-
AND THEN,
AND THEN,
THE PAPA DOBLE
Popular history affixes the creation of the daiquiri to a group of American
mining engineers who were working near Santiago Cuba.
The Daiquiri beach is near Santiago. A bartender at the Venus bar in
Santiago is credited with making the first of the rum drinks and giving it the name of the beach.
But then the Daiquiri moved to Havana
and the Floridita Bar.
Popular history affixes the creation of the daiquiri to a group of American
mining engineers who were working near Santiago Cuba.
The Daiquiri beach is near Santiago. A bartender at the Venus bar in
Santiago is credited with making the first of the rum drinks and giving it the name of the beach.
But then the Daiquiri moved to Havana
and the Floridita Bar.
It was here where the Daiquiri met Ernest Hemingway and
where the story gets interesting. And where the Daiquiri grows up.
But first a little back story.
The paintings below hang near my kitchen.
The top painting, if it looks familiar, is a study of a Monet painting in London,
painted by my eldest daughter Kristin.
She is a superb artist and created the piece as a student. We like it, hung it
and often explain it to people who think it looks "familiar."
The painting below is a watercolor that I purchased from a street artist
in Havana.
where the story gets interesting. And where the Daiquiri grows up.
But first a little back story.
The paintings below hang near my kitchen.
The top painting, if it looks familiar, is a study of a Monet painting in London,
painted by my eldest daughter Kristin.
She is a superb artist and created the piece as a student. We like it, hung it
and often explain it to people who think it looks "familiar."
The painting below is a watercolor that I purchased from a street artist
in Havana.
This is the Havana corner as it is
and this is the water color.
The Floridita was a Hemingway favorite. It was here
the bartenders followed the writer's directions and created
what some call the Hemingway Daiquiri.
At the Floridita they call it the
Popa Doble
2 1/2 jiggers of white rum
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1/2 grapefruit
6 drops of Maraschino cherry liquer
NO sugar
served frozen.
These descendants of Hemingway's bar tender friends can still build a
great Popa Doble. According to legend, Popa or Poppa would pop
quite a few in one sitting.
quite a few in one sitting.
The writer spent a lot of time at the Floridita.
His original bar stool, a the end of the bar, near a wall, has been
preserved and chained off.
Hanging above the stool is a bust and an Oswaldo Salas photograph of
Hemingway and Fidel Castro the day Hemingway left Cuba for the last
time. One of my prized possessions is a copy of the photograph
signed by Oswaldo Salas.
Getting the photo and getting it out of Cuba is the story
for another post.
Cheers!
for another post.
Cheers!
If you are interested in Cuba, here are links to previous posts from that amazing Island nation.
The Cuba File Archive
Many of the old American cars you saw in Cuba were exported by a friend of my dad from Miami. When I was a grade schooler I flew to Havana with my dad and his friend in Cessna twin. Spent three days there and then we flew on to Haiti where he was selling used American farm trucks. In both places I was treated like a little American Prince. Not that I deserved it.
ReplyDeleteI assume when you say "reap what you sew" you're referring to his neckties. Or did you mean "sow". :^)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the catch--though you make a good point too.
DeleteI'd like to visit Cuba before it becomes too westernized by Ametican tourists. Love all the old cars.
ReplyDeleteI channeled my old grammar teacher, Miss Thistle, and must chime in. The verb sew always relates to stitching and other tasks involving needles. As a verb, sow means to scatter seed and only refers to a female pig as a noun. Does our new posture toward Cuba mean I can get really good cigars?
ReplyDelete