“To Market to market”
he said
But to a far away market
she led
Fresh produce was
lost
Bad timing the cost
So he settled for canned
goods instead.
Ok, not his best, but ya had to have been there… Frustration
is a polite description of his mood.
We rejoin “EM” {“Expedition
Montalvo”} as they are standing around outside Tia’s house gathering their
wits, cameras, water etc…
By now, hunger pangs are growing, but everyone’s arms are
safe as Jake isn’t around, while they try to decide in which direction they should
head off to find a place to graze.
Prima is suggesting a place all the way back by Casa Maria
la China ,
Avenida 23 between L and M but Chuck y wants to stay close to the Cemetery which is
close to the Farmers Market on Aveneda B and 19 as he needs to get staples for
tonight’s Spaghetti Dinner. {Spaghett?!?
Folks… You're in Cuba...Cheeesssh!! }
Cruising down Aveneda 23 they spy a nice spot near Calle G
Editor’s note: DO NOT… REPEAT… DO NOT order Cuban Sandwiches
anywhere other than Calle Ocho in Miami or somewhere
in Hialeah . In La Habana, while the bread is a nice
crunchy Baguette, the Jamon portion is really thin slices of Mortadella,
the Cheese, while a bogus Manchego, is not bad… but the Pork part is not moist and
thinly sliced as it should be, rather, it was a thick slab of dry, already roasted pork, thrown
on a grill and cooked to the consistency of shoe leather topped with a couple slices of tiny Gherkins instead of pickles. Fortunately, a couple of the crowd ordered
salads, not realizing their side salads were enough for a meal as they were all having
a hard time with the sandwiches. We
asked that the 2 sandwiches ordered to go for the boys have the Pork put on the
side…never happened. Any attempt to explain the issue with the soup or the
sandwiches fell on shrugged shoulders so we paid and left. Prima was the only one to escape the meal as
she had eaten before Chuck y had
picked her up.
It was now 4PM and time for 
After a circuitous route
that took them the wrong way twice, they arrived at the Super Mercado on the 2nd
floor of an office building [forgot to take a pic of that prize spot] which had… No Produce, limited meats and wine more
expensive than the shop around the corner from 55 Linea. Not finding decent sausage of any kind,
Now the race was on to get back to the Fresh Market at B and
19 [Maria La China swore it was the best] and from his mouth to God's ear as they pulled
up at 5:15 PM they found… the market closed save one lone stall open with meager offerings of
onions, tiny green peppers, limes so small you could shove them in a Corona
with out slicing and garlic so small… well ask the Cuban Lady to describe her
ordeal trying to peal them when they got back to the house. And… Herbs or spice… Fughedaboudit! Not a Happy Little Italian Man.
While headed back to 55 Linea, fuming all the way, he spots
the market that La China had said was closer and “OK” but not as good as B &
19, slams on the breaks, jumps out and yes…they are closed too.
Editor’s Note: Fresh Markets in La Habana close at 5PM, and
start shutting down at 4.
Sooooo…. an unhappy Sicilian and a very quite Cuban Lady are now headed to Trocadero to drop off a well meaning but oblivious Prima so that they can race back to 55 Linea and start the
meal as it is now after Sundown.
On the way upstairs to the tiny and scantly outfitted kitchenette he stops in La China's kitchen to borrow a decent knife and utensils to cook with and then sets about to finish defrosting the already bloody Carne del Res, chopping, slicing, dicing and sauteing while Cuban Chick fought with the Lilliputian garlic. The Chorizo was fair and he was able to shred
the Pork slabs from the boys sandwiches as he tried to concoct a 4 hour Tuesday
Gravy [Not Sunday… the Italian cuisine aficionados in the crowd will get that
one] in 1 ½ hours without the proper meats or spices. Fortunately, La China
has a fairly so- so
stocked kitchen [he spent half the time on the stairs] where he was able to get some ground oregano, basil and parsley along
with sea salt and pepper for the gravy and Aspirin for his throbbing head. After
trying to get a pot of water to boil on the balky stove, he gave up and
mustered help to move the production down to La China ’s 8 burner modern stove so
they could eat before 9PM.
“Are we gonna have to carry it all back upstairs to eat?”
was the question. No… Chuck y had already petitioned La China do use
her dining room table that would seat all of them rather than half of them eat
in their laps upstairs. Of course, not
before one of the “EM” walks into the kitchen with a stack of
plates declaring “We’re eating in here... where are we gonna sit?” Chuck y
assured her that the big table in the other room would suffice and was rewarded
with a weak smile and all was good again in her world.
After toasting what was left of a bag of burger sized buns
on La China’s plancha, and setting out olive oil - butter was at a premium here, water boiled, Pasta
cooked, plates heaped, wine poured and a collective sigh was heard as “Expedition Montalvo” settled down to a hearty Spaghetti Bolognese estilo Cubano.
La China offered to clean up, [she wanted them out of her
kitchen] and not a moment too soon as more family arrived in the form of Odalys [of the cemetery] who is the daughter of Prima's sister Belkys [who lives in Miami] along with her Husband Osvaldo, Daughter Llana, Brother Rey and his Daughter Claudia. [Rey's wife was
studying English in India]
They brought Cappuccino cake, we served wine, chit chat and pics were had, and the night wore on till
1:00AM when they headed for home and the crowd at 55 Linea headed to Zzzzzz land.
Wednesday will be another day of adventure [or so they hope]. Stay tuned for unplanned side trips
to Miramar ,
another visit to the Roof of La Habana [La Torre] accidental dinners below and
Jazz in a Cellar…
Hey… what could possibly go wrong… go wrong…. go wrong…
HASTA LUEGO,
Uncle Chuck & The
Eyes drooping ready to Crash
Cuban Lady
Sippin’ Wine from Rioja 'n' searchin’ for a Mini-Garlic Peeler
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