Just to give all of you an idea of what our island in the kitchen looks like. A little something like this :) My mom is convinced the food she prepares tastes so much better because it comes from her origins. I mean, come on she IS making it in the island of Cuba, right?

You know your family is too Cuban when....

A few months ago, my parents had gone out to dinner and my brother was home with my grandfather. My brother, Robert, decided that he wanted to make dinner and did just that. Everything was fine until he went upstairs and forgot to turn off the stove. In just minutes, our kitchen was in FLAMES. I received a very angry phone call from my dad when I was hanging out with my friends. It was something along the lines of "get your ass home right now." I knew something had happened. I get home and our entire kitchen was burned down. My brother was crying, my mother was also crying and my grandpa basically had a heart attack. Very frustrated, my mother cried out, "this fucking bullshit would happen on our anniversary!" Everyone was yelling at each other in spanish. "Que mierda." "Como no sabias que no apagastes la estufa?" I felt my world coming down on me. SO much anger and sadness in one place. All around me, I felt discomfort. Plus, I couldn't get the smell of burnt wood out of my nostrils. Contractors came over the next week. Obviously my mom took this as an opportunity to unite the family and plan out an entire new kitchen. It was a fun experience planning everything out together. Our plan was to have an island in the middle of the kitchen with stools. Well, this was not going to be an ordinary island, we were shaping the island in the middle of the kitchen to look like our favorite little island: Cuba. Although we had to pay a lot of extra money for this because it's pretty awkwardly shaped, it was so worth it! It looks beautiful! We hung professional pictures taken in Cuba of different landmarks, posters of beautiful beaches and scenery in Cuba, and our island is now in the shape of Cuba. I must say it is pretty freaking awesome!

One hell of an experience

Sometimes, we think we know everything. From the time we are little, we are taught that gossiping is bad and we should never judge a book by its cover. Within our own cultures, we know what boundaries we can cross and which ones we cannot. Apparently, I thought we all knew this, but I was proven wrong. See, the funny thing about being a lighter skinned Cuban is that most people think you are caucasian or at least mixed with something else. This was also the case a couple of days ago. I was at the supermarket and someone was talking badly about my friends and I. Clearly, they were not aware that I too, spoke Spanish. These people were totally bashing on my friends making fun of them and how we appeared to be "a group of wreck less kids." Not sure how they came to that conclusion just from being in the supermarket with us but okay, whatever. I let them talk and talk, while my friends had absolutely no idea what was going on. We were being totally judged and gossiped about. The two things we are taught not to do, especially about people we don't even know personally! Finally, I was fed up with this and decided to say something. I unleashed the Cuban inside of me! After I gave them a piece of my mind, they were in complete shock and apologized. Every body was in shock! Even the cashier. Oh well, that should teach them a lesson, and a lesson to all people! Never judge someone based on how they look because you never know what secrets they are hiding! :)

Family First

Hey guys! Yesterday my mom made one of my favorite dishes for dinner. I know we are all going through finals and my mom can sense exactly how stressed I am. She asked me to come home and I didn't want anything more than that. When I arrived, my mom had dinner already served. Everybody knew how much of a break I needed and were there to support me and talk me through this week. When I looked on the table, mom had made white rice, black beans, fried ribs, avocado salad with vinegar, and fried plantains. These plantains were a bit different. Instead of being flat and fried, they were deep fried and made to hold something in the middle. These plantains were round with a dip in the middle. The dip was full of shrimp and lobster cocktail with this delicious sauce. What an amazing dinner. I was so stuffed but that did not stop us from having dessert. My mom served guava and cheese pieces with syrup. I was so happy to go home. I can't wait to get back and have some more home cooked meals because I am so tired of food that is not home cooked! Here is a picture of dinner- although my mom was still cooking the plantains so those are not included in this photo. Enjoy!

One of the many gingerbread house creations!

Hey guys! This is one of our gingerbread houses my family made. As you can see, it has many different components to it! I hope you enjoy looking at it!

Gingerbread houses in a Cuban household

One of my favorite family/holiday traditions is making gingerbread houses together. Our family has done this for many years. We buy the kits from the store, bring them home and make an entire day and night out of it. Our family likes to do many things together and this happens to be one of them. See, here's the thing. We don't build ordinary gingerbread houses. We add our own Cuban touch to them. Food coloring is added to the frosting in order to make it red, white, and blue (the colors of the cuban flag). We have a collection of toothpicks with the Cuban flag on them to put on food or in this case, our own gingerbread creations. Sometimes, we like to make a village out of gingerbread houses if we have enough time and enough people. When my mom decides to get very creative, she makes little people out of clay and we bake them. They too, of course are wearing traditional Cuban outfits such as top hats, traditional cuban tops such as "guayaberas", and dresses. These houses were full of standing palm trees, and snow (even though I'm not exactly sure how that can be realistic, but we made it work). This is always such a fun family event! This year, we made four houses. Two were big, and the other two were smaller. To decorate, we used gum drops, candy canes, clay figures, sprinkles, frosting, peppermints, and all kinds of popcorn. Even though I think my house won, they beg to differ :)

Dinner and dessert menus for Thanksgiving

Hey guys! As I continue this post from the last one, here were the menus for the night! Dinner was incredible! We had so much good food! My aunt and mom came out of the kitchen and gathered everybody. Dinner was served. We walked into the kitchen and the table was beautifully put together. Many dishes of food and desserts were lined up along the table. Our menu included three turkeys, a honey baked ham, white rice, black beans, fried plantains, avocado and tomato salad, break rolls, green beans, parmesan crisps, and "yuca con mojo." Yuca is a type of plant that is boiled and eaten with garlic sauce and pork. As you can see, we had QUITE the selection. Everything tasted great! What an authentic Cuban Thanksgiving! After stuffing ourselves, we ate dessert which included pumpkin flan, regular flan, bread pudding, and cake. I was in a food coma after we ate. The night was also full of many kinds of drinks including grandpa Pipo's famous mojitos! I must have had about five of those! He made pitcher after pitcher. What a wonderful celebration it was! The men left the table after dinner to go outside and smoke Cuban cigars while the women stayed inside and gossiped about EVERYTHING....again. Jokes were told, Cuban espresso coffee was made, and a game or two of dominos was played. We left my aunt and uncles house around one in the morning. I already can't wait for next year! I truly cannot stress how blessed I am- the people I love make my life worth living for.

Finally, it's Thanksgiving!

"How many people are we having this year at Thanksgiving dinner, mom?" " Well, this year we will have about 40 people there." I couldn't have been happier to hear my mom say this. All I could think of was how much fun Thanksgiving would be this year at my aunts house. Great good, good company and so many people! The ratio would be 39 Cubans and 1 Caucasian. My uncle is the only white person in our family but he obviously loves being around us loud Cubans or else he wouldn't have married my aunt (who is a replica of my mother). This year, my mom would be making not one turkey, not two turkeys, but THREE turkeys! You can never have enough food at these things. Our Thanksgivings are usually very different than traditional celebrations. Many of my friends stick to the traditional food and traditional customs. We do not. You see, like I explained at the beginning of this blog, we are just different. We take things to a completely different level. First let me start by explaining  we do our dinner pretty late. People arrive around 5 pm and we don't eat until about 7pm. For those two hours, we eat appetizers, talk about each other, other people, and go through a few bottles of wine. People talk over each other and try to compete with who has the best story, the best kids, and the best stories in Cuba. "Cuando yo vine de Cuba..." That's how all of the stories start! During this time, I laugh and socialize with everybody. My aunt comes out of the kitchen and happily announces that dinner will be served. A very fancy dinner that contains champagne glasses, silver treys, and a few floral center pieces for the table. This is a very exciting time! Stay tuned for the dinner and dessert menus!

Thanksgiving- I love this holiday!

Thanksgiving is one of my FAVORITE holidays! It's a time to really show everyone how much you love them and appreciate them. In my house, there is always such a warm feeling around the house. My mom insists to decorate our house for every holiday. She is really into that kind of thing. I love her for it, though. My dad cracks up at her, but hey, we all love her for it. At school I always ask my friends what they do for the holidays. The answers always vary. Some stay home and have a small dinner on Thanksgiving, others go to relatives houses, and some don't really do anything at all. When I heard that, I didn't really know how to take it. My Thanksgiving is always huge! There are always so many people, a lot of food, and alcohol. How can you have thanksgiving without a few bottles of good wine? You can't! The funny thing is, our Thanksgiving holidays are a little different than everybody else's. We celebrate Thanksgiving the Cuban way. To us, it is the best way.

Just a special reminder!

Thanksgiving is always a great time to appreciate what we have and give thanks to the people around us. I can't help but to think about all of the wonderful things in my own life. Use this time to really appreciate and spend time with those you love! Surround yourself with positivity in your life. This holiday season should really be a special one! Spread the love! Happy holidays, everyone!

Those Damn Expensive Phone Calls to Cuba

So the other day, our house phone bill came in the mail. How did I know this? My dad made it pretty obvious. He called my mom downstairs immediately and I already knew what was coming! "Oye chica! Tu sabes cuanto vino la cuenta del telefono de este mes!?" In english, this means, "Hey woman, do you know how much the phone bill was for this month?!" It wasn't said in a very good tone either. I also knew that lately my mom has been talking more to our family over there because some of our family members have been planning to move to Miami. Of course, who wouldn't want to talk to their relatives when they are planning to move somewhere like the United States! My dad wasn't such a fan. Our phone bill was so expensive, it was a joke. One of the things about having a family in Cuba is that phone bills are always expensive. They always have been and will continue to be. Phone calls are not cheap! Part of being Cuban means you talk to your family ALL OF THE TIME...even everyday. No matter what the cost may be. Family is such a huge part of our daily thoughts that it is hard not to have them in mind. When my dad became upset, my mom simply answered, "Why does this surprise you?"When you married me you knew that I liked to talk about..especially to my family. He looked at her for a minute, tilted his head and smiled. "You're right," he responded.

The Family Visits!

Hey guys! So as I had mentioned before, my family was coming to visit and we did a lot of exciting things with them! We were able to go to San Francisco and see the cable car, pier 39, and of course AT&T park. My family was extremely overwhelmed! They did not know what to do when they saw such BIG landmarks and buildings. This can be extremely overwhelming for people who come from a place where there is nothing. We got to eat at really nice places in the city, and even did some shopping. They took so many pictures it was unbelievable! I think one of the best things was when we entered the "Westfield Mall" in San Francisco and walked around. They walked into the mall and immediately looked straight up. "Dios Mio. Tantos pisos, tantas tiendas, porque hay tantas cosas?" This meant," Oh my gosh. So many floors, so many shops, why are there so many things here?" They were totally excited, but a little overwhelmed. It was a bit much for them. They come from a very poor place and to see all of this- was just a complete culture shock for them.

We took my family to Alcatraz, Coit Tower, and to one of my favorite places: The Castro. One of my favorite nights was when we took them to Oakland's most famous ice cream parlor called, Fentons. This has to be my favorite ice cream place ever. They make their ice cream there and it is always served  fresh. It is one of my family favorites so we HAD to bring them there. Fentons is known for their great flavors but also their HUGE ice creams. I would highly recommend it for anyone who likes ice cream a lot! This was probably their favorite place to eat.

Overall, it was amazing to spend time with them. Although I didn't get to spend much time with them because I'm here at school, it was fun while it lasted. I will cherish these memories forever and hope to see them again when they visit. We have so many fun things to do in the Bay Area, I'm so excited I live here!

"But wait, your name isn't Latin..."

During my lifetime, many people have asked me where my name comes from and why my parents chose such a unique name. Growing up, I always hated my name. No one could pronounce it correctly or spell it the right way. This would upset me and cause me to become frustrated with my parents. "Seriously guys, why couldn't you have named me Katie or Ashley. That way I didn't have to spend five minutes helping people figure out how to spell or pronounce my name." My parents always tell me the same story and end with, "come on, being unique is a cool thing." I never understood that until I became older and now I don't really want to be like anybody else. 

When my mom was a little girl living in Cuba, she would walk to school every morning and passed a dozen super markets and stores. "There was always this one store that caught my attention. It was a shoe store." If anybody knows my mom, she LOVES shoes. She has kind of an obsession. In our house, she has two walking closets full of shoes but she claims she doesn't have enough. The shoe store was named Lissette. The little girl on the sign had bright blue eyes and long brown hair. Go figure. My mom was right on the money. I was also born with a lot of brown hair and bright blue eyes. So pretty much, I was named after a shoe store in Cuba. I have grown to love my name and even though it's French and not Latin, that is perfectly fine with me! My parents picked it and I wouldn't change it for the world. Remember ladies and gentleman- love your name because your parents picked it for a reason!

The Favorite Childhood Drink

"You gave Lissette coffee when she was THAT young?!" Ladies and gentleman, my parents along with every other Cuban parent out there has done this. It's what they do..."it's what we do" as my mom says. Here in the United States, parents give their children cereal and milk for breakfast or even apple juice with some eggs and ham. That sounds just about right. Well, we don't really think that way. We love a drink called, "Cafe con Leche" or Coffee with milk. Every morning when I was a little girl, my dad would wake me up and place my Cafe con Leche on my dresser. I would drink it before I started school. This is how we are raised. Maybe that's why some of us are so short...Oh well! Many of my friends find this extremely weird and still cannot grasp the concept. Coffee at such a young age?! Yes. That's how they do it in a Cuban household!

Two of a Kind

Just last week, my friends and I were watching a few episodes of the television show, Modern Family on Netflix. Secretly, I had always considered Sofia Vergara as one of my favorite characters on the show. Why? Well that's easy- she reminds me TOO much of my own mother. From the things she says, to her "spanglish" vocabulary, my mom and her would get along very well. Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks this. My friends also have the same opinion. During every show, they can't help but crack up at the things she says. They follow their laughs with statements like, "Wow, she sounds just like you're mom!" "What would your mom have done in the same situation?" One of the things that makes me laugh the most is that they have basically the same exact accent. I think that's why I can relate to that family so well. Both moms (my mom and Vergara) are hot Latina mothers who have accents and a very strong personality. Don't let their looks fool you- they're some very opinionated women! If you have never seen this show, I would recommend watching at least one episode. Not only is it hilarious, but you will actually get a little taste of what it feels like to be married to a Latina or have a Latina as a mother. Right there, during this thirty minute sitcom, you will already be able to tell the difference between a white family and a Latino family. The differences are endless! Check it out!

Preparations for Halloween

So, as many of you know Halloween is coming up and I am pretty excited. In my family, we celebrate every holiday- even if they aren't celebrated in the United States. My brother called me last night (a little way too excited) and told me that we should carve some pumpkins. Obviously this sounded like a great idea. But hold on wait, remember that I'm Cuban? So this won't be an ordinary pumpkin carving session. This is what will happen. Now, everybody we know is invited to our house. My dad already went out and bought a million (not exaggerating) pumpkins, Grandpa Pipo has already started making the mojito mix, and my mom well, has her own take on Pumpkin pie. Flan is a very popular dish in Latin American countries. Although every culture makes it a little differently it is a universal dish between Latinos. My mom is pretty creative and doesn't let anything slip away. What does mom do for Halloween? Not pumpkin pie, but yes, pumpkin flan! It is one of THE most amazing things I have ever eaten. "Flan de calabaza" is what we call it.
See guys, this is what I'm saying. Cubans never let an opportunity slip away to educate others about their culture and the fact that yes, pumpkin flan is better than pumpkin pie. So, at our pumpkin carving party not only will we have a lot of fun people, but Mojitos (virgin for the kids), pumpkin flan, and a lot of pumpkins. Oh yea, I forgot to mention the fact that my mom has already began cooking for this event. What is she making? I have no idea- but I will definitely keep you all posted!

A surprise in life!

Hey guys! Quick blog entry today! I was just informed that some of my family will be coming to visit me from Miami! They had arrived in the states not too long ago. Just a couple of months, actually. Although they are still in complete culture shock and have no idea what is going on, I am excited for them to come and visit. Trust me when I say, Miami and California are two extremely different places. I'm excited to show them around and take them to places like San Francisco and even show them my own school. This should be exciting. I'll keep you guys posted. My mom has already started planning all of the meals for when they are here. Like I told you guys, meals are a very important part of our culture. Grandpa has already bargained with the meat butchers at the supermarket to give him a cheaper price for all of the meat we are buying. Vegetarian in a Cuban family? Yeah, right!

Dos Vidas?

Many people say that when we come to a country like this, we try our best to assimilate. I couldn't agree with that statement more, especially because I see it in my own family. My mother was born with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and olive colored skin. Although she is a very petite woman, she could actually kick your ass in a matter of seconds. Trust me on this one. My parents came from Cuba with literally nothing in hand. They have worked very hard and are proud parents not only because of what they have accomplished during their own lives, but also because they are very proud of their own children. As I have stated in another blog, my mom likes to hangout with the well, "higher end" people who live on our block. See, we live in a beautiful little old town by the name of Alameda. Due to my parents' sacrifices, we live in one of the best parts in town in a well-known craftsman home. But like my mom always says, "People don't have to know our lives inside of the home, outside." I find it HILARIOUS actually. Mom dresses in these 54395043904 dollar dresses, gets her hair done, makeup done, (she's blonde now by the way) and goes out and has a wonderful time laughing over wine and dinners pretending she has the slightest interest in what everyone is talking about. One of the things I've learned and appreciated from my mom and dad is in life, in order to succeed, you must get together and hangout with people who are actually going to get you somewhere in life. You learn from them, they learn from you, but in the end, never, ever lose who you really are.
My mom comes home and takes that dress and heels off quicker than I can ask her, "How did it go?" Before I know it, she is already in her yoga pants and t-shirt. She looks at me and just laughs. "They talked about this french restaurant. We ate salad that they barely touched, and next week they want to go look at flower arrangements." We both laugh and mom makes herself a big old plate of anything she can whip up. (Cuban, of course.)
Everyday I continue to ask her- "Mom, why are you hanging out with these people?"
Her answer never fails. "You see, they're my friends. I learn from them, and they learn from me. I mean come on, when did you think Rosanne was going to be able to boil a good old plate of black beans in her life. They keep me going and allow me to strive. They allow me to dream. We came to this country to get somewhere, to make you and your brother succeed. It's okay to have multiple groups of friends. That's what I have and I wouldn't want it any other way."

#MojitoLife

Just for the record everybody, there is ONE type of mojito. Ahhh yes, this drink originated in Cuba. Don't let anyone fool you. My family likes to go out to eat a lot. Eating together is one of our traditions. During one of these instances, my grandfather asked the waiter for a Mojito. The waiter responded with," What kind would you like?" My grandpa stared at him for a minute...actually we all did. "What do you mean what kind? The only kind there is." Yes it is true. Restaurants have now come up with a million types of mojitos. Rum, Tequila, melon, strawberry, pomegranate, mango. No, no, no! Although they are very delicious, there is only one type. The one and only original mojito. Ladies and gentleman, let me assist you. To make a mojito you need: Fresh mint, Rum, Limeade (the ones that come in the frozen juice cans), ice, sugar, and fresh cut lime. Man, I made a few of these this past weekend and everybody LOVED them! So please, educate yourselves. When you are at a restaurant or look up on google, "How to make a mojito" don't let them fool you. There are no such things as mojitos of other flavors. Back to the story, the waiter was confused. Knowing my grandpa, he asked the young man to sit down for a second so he could educate him. He started his story with, "See, when I came from Cuba..." We all looked at each other and just laughed. I was only thinking of the fact that I wanted to order my food! I was starving. After about a 15 minute chat with good old Grandpa Pipo, the waiter was pleased to say that he learned something new that day and continued to go about taking our orders. Oh, and one more thing. Don't forget to serve that mojito with a fresh piece of sugar cane. That will add the finishing touch.

A little introduction

When I say, "Cubans think there are two kinds of people in this world" I'm not lying. There are Cubans and the rest of the world. Growing up, I have experienced and lived through many high points and low points in my life. But one of the things that always keeps me going is the fact that I know for a fact that I'm different and can handle my situations based on how I have been raised. My friend groups are pretty diverse. In fact, in high school, my best friends all came from different races and cultures. It was fun to hear about all of their family stories and customs. But they always wanted to hear about my family, about my weekends and the crazy shenanigans that always went down at the Ramos house. It's usually the same kind of thing, yet so different at the same time. Let me start by introducing my family. Well, my immediate family because I could go on forever if I wrote about my whole family. I'll start off with Grandpa Pipo: the cutest and most entertaining old man you'll ever meet. Yes, he has heart problems and yes, he has high cholesterol. His motto for life, " I'm still alive right? Smoking a Cuban cigar everyday and eating the way I like makes me happy. The hell with the rest. The day I die, is the day God wants me to smoke one up there with him." This man is well known by my entire hometown. Not only is he adorable, but he knows how to handle any kind of situation. His family is his main priority. That's a fact.
My mom is a whole different story. She lives two different lives. One outside of the home where she is very calm and collective, well put together and well spoken. Her friends consist of many women who are around her age, but only see this one side. Sandra Ramos is one hell of a lady. She comes home from her 8 hour work day and gets to work. She takes off her makeup, heels, and nice clothing and changes into her workout gear. She whips out a mean dinner (Cuban of course) and calls all relatives from Miami to talk shit and gossip about the women she is friends with but cannot actually stand! My mom is a very unique character. I'll get into that more later. Blonde hair (dyed because obviously no Cuban has naturally blonde hair) and blue eyed with olive skin, my mom also stands out in a crowd. Her opinion and voice are always heard, even in her heavy Latina accent. " You have to show them who is boss. See, we live two lives, Lissette. One in the home and one outside. No one needs to know our private life because if they did, they'd call us crazy!" I cannot tell you how much I love this woman.
Then, theres my dad. Good old dad. He's a little more down to earth and keeps my mom sane. THANK GOD. Dad tries to act cool, like he actually knows whats up with the common culture. My older brother and I taught him how to text...So now, he thinks he is even cooler. Dad makes a mean Mojito...or two..or three if you're like me. Dad likes to show the world more of our real side, but mom thinks it should be more private. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for having someone like this in my life. It's like God planned it.
Oh, yeah. Then there's my brother, or my best friend, I should say. My older brother is currently studying to be a neuropsychologist (I have no idea how to even spell that). He's kind of like the star child. I'm proud of him for that, especially because WE balance each other out. Although he is more of an introvert and I am an extrovert, it works. Our talks and hangout times are amazing. Especially because half of them consist of the events that happened at dinner or the fact that some of our moms friends have NO idea how our family actually is. Well, the truth is we are loud, happy, we LOVE to cook good food, we talk over one another, we argue, we cry, we laugh, we dance, and listen to loud music. Our customs and daily routines are one of a kind. I mean seriously..who roasts a pig in a cement box shipped from Cuba for Christmas Eve? Or has "the normal thanksgiving food on thanksgiving." We celebrate it the Cuban way- with Cuban food and yes, we have a turkey. But this turkey weighs like 45390453 pounds and contains stuffing of all types of meats that have marinated and prepared by my mom. I could go on forever, but that's all for now! Stay tuned!

Welcome to "A Little Taste of Cuba"

Ever since I can remember, I have been different than my friends. My first day of school was an experience I will never forget... What I mean is that I was born and raised in a Cuban household. Every step of my life has been completely different than those of my friends. And although Cubans are part of the Latino community, I can almost swear that we stand out for numerous reasons. Cubans think this and nothing else: There are Cubans, and the rest of the human race. Fortunately, I have no problem with this. My friends come over to my house to spend time with me but ALSO to spend time with my loud, crazy family. There is never a moment of silence in our house, and when there is, it usually is because my mom made everybody shut up because "The Real Housewives of Miami" was on TV or the news was giving a story about Cuba. Usually when this happens, everyone's ears perk up hoping that Castro has finally taken his last breath. "Lissette, Did he die yet!?" "The day he dies is when I'll get my ass back to Cuba." These kinds of comments never fail, especially during dinner, which is in fact one of the most sacred times in our house. I welcome you to my blog, where I will be sharing my experiences about living in a Cuban household and how I can assure you, we truly are different from everyone else. Open your mind to what it feels like to live with Sabor.