My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog

The EPIC Mr. Don't Touch the Banana

The following post was written by Kikita, whose appreciation for bananas has led to endless laughter and entertainment.

I can't tell you where or how it all started, but it started. I can only guess it happened on facebook because that's where most things happen these days.
Let me be clear about something . . . I am not particularly fond of the taste of bananas. Ok, that's not entirely true. There have been several years where I absolutely loathed bananas, but now that I'm an immature adult, I have accepted them for the goodness that they can be.

It IS possible that the banana thing started shortly after the monkey thing. (I LOVE monkeys. I have several monkey stuffed animals and I can do a FABULOUS monkey sound, but that's not important right now.)

For all intents and purposes, I'm not sure that it really matters where the banana thing started. What IS important is that it DID start and was kept alive.

Typically, I will start working on the family Christmas video in late August or early September. As it just so happens, late August found me at a Willy Chirino concert.

It was there that I met my inspiration.

Every year I struggle with making sure the video is relevant to our Cuban-American family NOW while not forgetting and celebrating that we are still Cuban. But now the majority of the family prefers speaking in English, so they relate to a Cuban song in Spanish less and less. No, that doesn't make things easy.
But I had found my answer.

I started story-boarding and planning and ran into a few hiccups such as "what about the family that will NOT be at Thanksgiving?"
But I did what I could with what resources I had.

I am so grateful that my big, fat, Cuban family will do what I ask of them without question and will go for it. Participation was key in pulling this one off. And I knew it would be EPIC.

After Thanksgiving, I got to work. And, thanks to the help and support of some "real, live" editors (Thank you Mr. Simpson, Mr. Young, & Mr. De Castro), my plan was coming to fruition in ways that were even better than I could have expected.

 

This has to be one of my most favorite pieces that I have ever cut together. I love it because it's wholly Cuban (every good Cuban-American knows this song), it's fun, it's Spanglish, and it's . . . well, it's EPIC (even if I do say so myself).

It even inspired the title for this year's video: "ORO PARECE"

That is the beginning of a Cuban riddle that goes:
ORO PARECE
PLATA-NO ES

It's a play on words. "Oro" is gold. "Plata" is silver, but "platano" is banana.
IT LOOKS LIKE GOLD
SILVER IT IS NOT / BANANA IT IS

So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado . . .

Measuring Life

This is Kikita here to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

As I'm sure most of you know by now, every year I cut together a family Christmas video. This year marked the 10 year anniversary of this tradition so I knew I had to really step things up. When looking back on all the things that happened in our family over the past year the re-occurring theme I kept seeing was "LOVE." Plain and simple.

In one of those midnight-hour moments of inspiration, I knew what song would be perfect to end my video with. Something to make us stop and remember the sweet moments. Yes, some moments of our lives are big . . . but then there are those quick ones that unexpectedly stick with us.

Anyway, I wanted to share the ending of this year's video with my blog family because you readers have been sharing these moments with us as well. We are happy that you, too, are a part of my big, fat Cuban family.

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

He Danced With Me

The following post has been brought to you by the lovely and talented (and oh-so-humble) Kikita.

About 10 years ago, when I was an adorable teenager who didn't remember much of the Spanish she'd spoken as a child, I saw the movie "Dance with Me."

It was magical. There was a beautiful Puerto Rican guy (Chayanne) who was playing the part of a beautiful Cuban. He went to a dance studio and taught a "professional Latin dancer" how to "feel the music."

He took her dancing and they ordered mojitos.
That was the moment I decided that: "one day, I want to try a mojito."
At this nightclub they went to, there was a live band that I just loved.
I remember thinking, "I would love to see that guy in concert."

Later in the movie, they go back to the same club.
It's a longer scene and there is a different singer.

When I saw it I thought, "I would love to dance with people like that. Ooh, that guy in the vest is cute! I would love to dance with him."
And I thought, "She's awesome. I would love to see her perform live too."

Secret wishes, hopes, and dreams that I never dared to tell anyone. I just kept them deep inside and they would bubble up every time I watched the movie.

As I got older, I moved some of those secret wishes to the "it's never gonna happen" shelf. Yes, when I turned 21 the first drink I ordered was a mojito.

Yes, I HAVE been dancing in places where I felt like I was in that scene in that movie, but most of the time I don't feel that way. Most of the time, I'm just happy to be dancing.

And then it happened.
The guy singing in the first nightclub scene is Ricardo Lemvo and I got the chance to meet him when he played at the Conga Room. I couldn't believe my luck!

About a week later, I got an email from my dear friend Ziva. Having had so much fun at the Andy Garcia concert last year, she took me up on my offer to join her and Henry at another concert . . . This time, it was Albita.

Who is Albita? Aside from a fabulous and fun Cuban singer, she also happens to be the lady who was singing my favorite dance scene from "Dance with Me."

SHUT. UP.
I KNOW!

So, tonight is the night. Tonight yet another of my secret wishes is coming to life. Tonight is a dream come true.

Does it stop there? OF COURSE NOT!

Earlier this week, I decided at the last minute to go out dancing "just for an hour or two." While I was there basking in the music, someone taps me on the shoulder and says, "May I have this dance?"

This "tipo" looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place him. Regardless, I wanted to dance so I accepted.
"I'm Rudy."
"Hi Rudy, I'm Kikita."

As soon as we started dancing I knew this guy was good and was just hoping I could keep up. I did. He looked a little surprised that I did (and I don't blame him, I was a little surprised too, but I'm not the one who got thrown off by the blond hair).
We thanked each other for the dance and got on with our lives.

(For the record: This is NOT Rudy. Rudy is beautiful. This is just a representative photo of me dancing. This person couldn't really dance, but I could! Look at my lovely arm extension. But, as Mami would say, that's not important right now.)

What's your point, Kikita?

It turns out that this "Rudy" guy was one of the dancers in my favorite scene, the scene with Albita singing . . . he was the guy in the vest.

It's official. Dreams CAN come true!

At least that's what Disney always says.

Why I love my big, fat, Cuban family - Reason # 438. The Banana Incident.

Every year about this time, Amy and I start making plans.

Of course, these involve places to go and things to do, and movies to make! You see, my daughter is an amazing film editor. (A little known fact, unless you've been reading my blog for the past three years and have been paying close attention, but that's not important right now.)

Every year since my Papi passed away in December of 1999, we have been gathering video and photos and creating what has now come to be be known as The Christmas Video.

A few years ago, we switched over to dvds and burned and packaged the first 8 into what we call The Cucufate Christmas Collection. We've been making and packaging dvds since. (I know. Baking cookies would be so much easier.)

The Christmas Video has been cemented as one of our family's most important Noche Buena Traditions (along with the lechón asado and the turrones).

It is our gift each year to the rest of the family.

Although we stress about it for weeks, we're always proud of the finished product. I am confident that no matter how many gifts everyone receives, this is one that they are guaranteed to keep and treasure. And I love that.

Many times we use old footage from ancient family Super 8 movies collected over the years and transferred to tape. But sometimes we're inspired to do something fresh. 

Some of the guidelines we've created for ourselves:

• Everyone in the family must be represented at least once.
• The opening credits read the same way each year. Only adding names of new spouses and new babies.
• Family members that have passed away continue to have their names listed in the credits.
• We choose a Title and five or six songs. (This sounds way easier than it actually is. We agonize and argue over which songs will be included and are prepared to defend our decisions. My niece Helen jumps in at around this portion of the process and adds another dimension to the brainstorming.)
• There's an Opening Song, something funny, something cute involving the kids, dancing (there's always dancing!), and a Crying Song (something poignant and sweet and sentimental with an aww-shucks quality to it.)
• The music has to represent our Cuban heritage and of course, Christmas. (There have been some especially magic moments when these two things beautifully coincide.)
• We keep it at around 20 minutes. (Some are shorter or a bit longer, depending on our choice of songs and what we're trying to accomplish.)
• We will usually have a good idea of what we're doing by the time Thanksgiving rolls around so that we can film people doing stuff on Thanksgiving day.

This year marks the Tenth Anniversary of  The Christmas Video. So we decided to mix things up a bit and shoot some fresh footage for one of our segments.

Here's the beauty.... We showed up at Thanksgiving with a bunch of bananas and a banana costume (thanks, Gina!) and gave the family instructions and started rolling the tape.

Instructions:

Use the bananas as microphones and sing these lyrics.

Here I am with my beautiful sisters complying with the first of many "banana behaviors."

Isaac, dressed as a giant banana, leading the Banana Conga Line....

Did they ask questions? NOPE. They just did exactly what we asked. No questions. No complaints! We've asked the rest of the family in Texas and Idaho and San Francisco to send us film. They are already working on their stuff.

Either they trust us implicitly or they figure that if they can't beat us, they might as well just join us. ;-)

This is one of many reasons why I just love my big, fat, Cuban family.

It's going to be EPIC!

Foodie patootie

I cook.
And I like to eat.
But I don't consider myself a "foodie." 

(In fact, I'm not really sure what a foodie is,  but it sounds too much like "roadie" or "groupie" for it to have a positive connotation, but that's not important right now.)

Okay, so I admit I sometimes (okay, well.... a lot of the time) sit down to read a cookbook like you would a novel. But that doesn't make me a foodie, does it?

And yes, it's true that I would totally be addicted to the Food Network if we actually had cable, which we don't because of that whole addictive-personality thing I'm constantly battling. 

So I decided to stray from my usual Cuban menu. I don't know. I was craving something hot, but not soup, maybe some kind of stew.... and I have been working harder to put fresh vegetables on the table.... 

My kids happened to be watching a movie when I suddenly had an inspiration.

Sooo... thanks to the demi-gods at Disney/Pixar, I knew exactly what I wanted to make!

Ratatouille (Vegetable Stew)

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
4 zucchini, peeled, quartered and diced
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh shredded basil
2 Tbsp. fresh minced Italian parsley
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

(I made this in my pressure cooker and it only took 20 minutes of preparation and 6 minutes to cook.)

1) In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, green and red bell peppers until onion is soft.
2) Add zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, vegetable stock, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes.
3) Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes.  (Or in pressure cooker, cook at high pressure for 6 minutes) When vegetables are soft (but not mushy) it's done.
4) Add fresh basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar.

5) Season with salt & pepper to taste.
6) Serve hot over rice.

The ratatouille was WONDERFUL! 

And in my own defense, it wasn't the cute little French-rat-cook that inspired me, it was the lingering fantasy of having my own kitchen staff:

But everybody dreams about this, right? Right??

Uh-oh... I might be a foodie, after all.  *sigh*

Emile: W-w-wait. You read?
Remy: Well, not excessively.
Emile: Oh, man. Does dad know?
Remy: You could fill a book - a lot of books - with things Dad doesn't know. And they have. Which is why I read. Which is also our secret.
Emile: I don't like secrets. All this cooking and-and reading and TV-watching, while we read and cook. It's like you're involving me in crime and I let you. Why do I let you?

                                                                                                       ~ from Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille

Hay que lio!

I'm bossy.
I won't deny it.
But I think I have some good ideas and being bossy helps get my people to cooperate.  ;-)  And I'm cognizant most of the year that we will eventually be putting together a video to entertain the family at Christmas.

So when there's any kind of reunion (like this one in Miami this year), I start giving instructions and get behind the camera and just stay out of the way. 

It doesn't take much, really. These people (that I call my big, fat Cuban family) know how to have fun.

All they need is a slight push...

Or maybe just a question (with apologies to my American readers who are surely not familiar with the following)....

The first part starts with a question being debated between my sisters:

"Quien fue el que le dio a Borondongo?"

Okay, so here are the lyrics to Burundanga, sung by Celia Cruz - In case the question ever comes up.  =D

Songo le dio a Borondongo
Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Les hinchan los pies
Monina
Songo le dio a Borondongo
Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Les hinchan los pies
Abambele practica el amor
Defiende a tus hermanos
Por que entre hermanos se vive mejor
Abambele practica el amor
Defiende a tus hermanos
Por que entre hermanos se vive mejor
Y nos sigue
Songo le dio a Borondongo
Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Les hinchan los pies
Monina
Songo le dio a Borondongo
Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Les hinchan los pies
Por que fue que Songo le dio a Sorondongo
Por que Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Por que Borondongo le dio a Bernabe
Por que Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga
Por que Bernabe le pego a Muchilanga
Por que Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Por que Muchilanga le hecho a Burundanga
Por que Burundanga le hincha los pies
Hay que lio!
Burundanga!

The Christmas Video

One of the gifts we give our family for Christmas each year is a movie.

My daughter, Amy Kikita studied film for years and is brilliant when it comes to movie-making and film-editing.

The process is neither quick nor easy.  We spend hours, days, and weeks listening to music and looking at pictures and watching video footage of old home movies. 

Once we have determined what songs we will use, we then look for photos and choose film clips which then have to be scanned or captured or otherwise uploaded into Final Cut Pro.

We spend most of the year planning and thinking and brainstorming for what to include in The Christmas Video.  It's always great if there's a wedding (which happily there was this year) so that we have lots of footage of our family together and dancing and having fun. (Thanks, Michael & Kimberly!) 

Sometime in October we finalize what video clips we're using and then schedule time on our calendars for her to come over a few hours each night from November on.

Inevitably, we will get a last minute inspiration and sometimes throw out hours of work only to come up with something better. 

We work from a list to make sure that every single member of our big, fat Cuban family shows up at least once.  Sometimes one person gets more screen time one year than another does.  That seems to work itself out in the long run.

We laugh. We cry. We argue. We high-five.  It has become an intense labor of love and a wonderful family-glue type of tradition.

There are some clips that we use every year.

We mix it up with scenes from Thanksgiving 2007 all the way back to Christmas on the farm in Cuba when we were all so very young.  We remember those loved ones we've lost and we celebrate the additions to the family.

I love that we captured my dad (who rarely smiled) smiling on camera. I cry every time. It's the last shot on this piece from last year's Christmas Video.

(I can't publish this year's video because it hasn't been viewed yet by the family.  We'll all watch that one together as part of our NocheBuena celebration, but that's not important right now.)

So, without further ado....

Cucufate Pictures Presents....

"Be excellent to each other."
                                ~ Bill and Ted

The Ending to the Story

Kikita here.

It all started with Adam and a random text message: "What's the name of the kid in The NeverEnding Story?"

"Bastian," I replied automatically. "Why the nostalgia?" (Note: I didn't quite put it that way, but hey, I'm using poetic license here.)

Adam was at the video store and he had seen the title in passing. The thought of this beloved movie sent me reminiscing about the many, MANY times Adam and I had sat and watched in horror while Fantasia crumbled because Bastian didn't realize he could help the Empress save her people. ;-)

Then it hit me. "Hey, Adam! Let's watch it with the kids!" (Lucy & Jonathan being "the kids.")

I immediately alerted my siblings to my fabulous idea. A Sibling Movie Night. No parents allowed.

Lucy agreed to make dinner.  Jonathan was just glad to be included in all the fun.

After we had eaten and hunkered down on the couch, Adam pressed PLAY. He and I happily sang along with the cheesy theme song during the opening credits. We remembered every moment before it happened and found ourselves speaking lines along with the characters on-screen.

But then...

The longest-movie-in-the-world (for a 6-year old and a 3-year old) was now FLYING by at an alarming pace. The movie was never this short... was it? (It was only an hour and a half. Who knew?)

The kids in the movie were practically adults... right, Adam?

Don't even get me started on the puppets.

The movie in my memory was not matching up to the movie I was watching with my siblings. Was it really always this CHEESY??

I was embarrassed. I had shamelessly raved to "the kids" about this fantastic classic and how wonderful it would be to see it again, only to realize how ridiculous the whole thing was.  They didn't "hate" it, per se.  In fact, they kind of saw comedic elements that redeemed it in the long run. 

Plus, Dad ran out and treated us for ice cream, so it was all good.

I guess that some things are better left as memories . . .

~ Kikita

The Ending to the Story - from Mom's Point of View

I knew what would happen, because, of course, as The Mom, I know stuff.  It happens to me, too.  Some of the things that are stuck in my memory should just stay there. =D

But when Amy Kikita suggested the whole siblings-only-movie-thing, I was absolutely encouraging.

"Yes. Great plan. No parents? No problem."

Seriously. What did I care? 

I had all four of them.
Together.
Enjoying each other's company.
They were laughing loudly and making a memory.

And I knew that this would be a good one. ;-)

~ Marta

Bilingual brain fart

I like to own movies that I know I'll watch over and over.  We have quite the extensive video/dvd library.  Seriously, how else could we play the Kevin Bacon Game??   ;-)
And as you already know, I'm really easily entertained.

So, I'm cruising through Target the other day and I found this dvd on sale:

Disney does that thing where they release movies at a prescribed moment in time and (I'm so not kidding here!), if you want it, you'd better buy it right then and there, because before you know it, it goes right back into "The Vault," and then it's impossible to find it again until they decide to release an anniversary edition of some sort, but that's not important right now.  =D

Anyway, I remember some Disney films from when I saw them as a small child in Cuba.  Yes, in Cuba. As New Releases.  Yes, in a Movie Theater.  Cuba was not the third world country it is today.  But then, that's a rant for another day...

I remember Blanca Nieve (Snow White), Pinocho (Pinocchio), La Cenicienta (Cinderella) and of course, La Bella Durmiente (Sleeping Beauty).  The last being my absolute favorite and so in a moment of weakness and nostalgia, I bought the Sleeping Beauty dvd.  (It says 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition on it - remember I told you about The Vault thing?)

I get home with my prize and both my girls (Amy Kikita and Lucy) ask hopefully and almost simultaneously, "Is it for me?"

No, I explain, I got it for myself.  Then waxing nostalgic I go on to try and explain that one Christmas when I was maybe three years old I received a set of ... ummm.... what's the word?... ummm... CUQUITAS.  The word in English completely eludes me at that moment. (or does it "allude me?" English can be so crazy-making sometimes!)

(Hold on, everybody! Here we go.....)

"Kookeeetahs??" 

Still searching my mental rolodex in vain for the English word, which (I swear!) is right on the tip of my tongue, I fumble around in vain.  My brain is stuck on CUQUITAS and will not budge from there.  Frustrating!

"It featured all the characters from Sleeping Beauty: the Princess Aurora, the 3 Fairies, the Prince, Maleficent.  They came in a big, flat book and then you cut them out and you could dress them. You know ... CUQUITAS!" 

I make big gestures with my hands to form a large book and then scissors for the "...and you cut them out..." part.  It's still not coming to me and the big gestures are no help at all in the quest to make myself understood. 

Besides, the word, CUQUITAS is taking up all the room I have in my already-too-full brain for the description of the elusive item.  The hand motions are no help at all.  They're still staring quizzically at me.

Again I try to explain.....

"Ay! You know....They're like little dolls, but made out of paper..."

The last part sort of happens in slow motion. 

Just as the words "...made out of paper..." escape my lips, my slow-poke bilingual brain finally connects the dots, and I get that late-dawning look of "oh, yeah!" on my face, but of course, it's entirely too late.

Yes, yes, yes. Paper Dolls. Cuquitas.
Sleeping Beauty Paper Dolls.  La Bella Durmiente.
I got them for Christmas in 1958.  Nostalgia, anger and relief co-mingling here.  Shut up. I know. Duh!

They have dissolved into laughter and I know that this story will now go into The Darby Family Favorite Story Archives. 

Or, I suppose we could just call it The Vault.  ;-)

Making it look easy

For the past few weeks, Amy Kikita and I have been meeting regularly to work on a video/slideshow. 
In this case, it was to honor my nephew, Rafa, who just turned 40. 

When you see the final project, you realize there's more art than science to cutting together a good film. It is sweet and poignant and cute and funny. The song she chose is surprising in its perfection for the subject matter, but you probably would never have thought to apply it this way.

My first-born is an amazing artist when it comes to making short films because, like any master, she makes it seem so effortless.  I can do other stuff, but when it comes to these films, I bow down to her.  Seriously.  I am NOT worthy.

This section captures my nephew, Rafa, the doting father of those three gorgeous kids, in all his glorious fatherhood. Enjoy.

[WARNING: If you have kids, go grab a Kleenex first.]

And, yes. I know. He should totally be a Cuban supermodel.   =D