Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban Seasonings by Ana Menéndez
In Cuban
Seasonings, Ana Menendez writes about how her family celebrated Thanksgiving
when she was young. They had a
traditional Cuban celebration meal that would also be served at Christmas. The main course was a pig that they would
slaughter fresh and marinate overnight with Cuban marinade called mojo.
In the
morning the men would put the pig on a spit in the yard over a fire and watch
it all day while sitting around and drinking beer. The women would all be in the kitchen making
side dishes like black beans with yucca and rice.
"Those
were happy days, colored as they were by the brief honeyed hour of childhood,
and when I look back on them now I have a strange sense of them having taken
place not in America, but in the Cuba of my parents memories. But change, always inevitable and irrevocable,
came gradually."
One
year stuffing was introduced to the meal, the next year, cranberry sauce. As the family got smaller, they finally
started having turkey.
This is a story of family memories and also the
immigrant experience and how assimilation gradually takes place. Menendez writing is simple, fresh
and descriptive. I could picture in all my
head, even the dead pig. That part of
course, bothered me as a vegan but the story was great. I highly recommend it. You can read it here. A recipe for the mojo marinade is included
with the story. It sounds delicious,
perhaps I could use it to marinade tofu or vegetarian chicken.
Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.
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I was once hired by a social work prof to find examples of heterosexism in professional journal articles. It really opened my eyes to the assumption most writers make that their readers are heterosexual. As I was reading your description of the roasted pig, I couldn't help think of how writers must do similar with assumptions of non-vegans/non-vegetarians. I'm not vegetarian or vegan myself, but I found myself thinking, "What would Teddy feel about this?" Is it so pervasive in society that you've come to terms with the fact that it will probably come up in most things you read, or does it still make you cringe a little?
John Mutford said... March 27, 2012 at 5:34 AM
John, it does make me cringe but I know that the majority of society doesn't share my view on animal rights. If fact, I have been vegetarian since the age of 10. When I was 5 I found out what meat was and vowed not to eat it. My parents tried to force me to eat it until at the age of 10 I was diagnosed as anorexic. I swore I wasn't and that I would eat, just not dead animals. My parents finally gave up and let me do it my way, I haven't been able to stop eating since. LOL!
Teddy Rose said... March 27, 2012 at 8:57 PM
It also makes me cringe. I've been a vegetarian for 15 years now. People assume that I started because it's healthier not to eat meat but it was because of my views on animal rights.
This book does sound interesting though. My grandparents came to this country in the early 1900's and I've heard stories and seen for myself how things changed for them.
Carol M said... March 28, 2012 at 1:30 PM
I think the gradual change from their own traditions to the Americanized version of Thanksgiving food sounds interesting.
holdenj said... March 29, 2012 at 4:35 AM
Carol, it a short story and is very interesting. I think it was only about 7 pages long.
Julia, it it.
Teddy Rose said... April 1, 2012 at 10:09 PM
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