My Ancestor Scrapbook of Cuba

My Ancestor Scrapbook of Cuba
Interview with my father, Adolfo Gonzalez

Where were you born? In Havana, Cuba

How old were you when you first left Cuba? I left when I was a baby and we went to live in
Venezuela for 2 years. Then we returned to Cuba around 1950.

When did you leave Cuba for the U.S.? In 1960 we came to New York City to live in the
Bronx. Then a year later we all went back to Cuba because my mother was very sick. In
1962 they sent me to live in Miami to live with a friend of my mother’s. The permission to
leave the country was sent via telegram.

Why did you leave alone? They did not allow the whole family to leave at once.

Did you start school right away? No, I had to wait for my parents to arrive to enroll. I went
to Miami High School for one year.

At the Freedom Tower (Processing center for refugees) they gave me clothes, a dental
exam and a one-way trip to New York City.

A few months later, my parents arrived and we lived in Miami for about six months.

A year later in 1963, around the time that JFK was assassinated we left Miami to go live in
New York City.

Where did you live in NYC? We lived in Jackson Heights, NY. I went to Newtown High
School.
Some more background information
on my grandfather

What did your father do for a living? He was an export manager in Manhattan for a
company called Marc J. Fischer. He found this job in the classified section of the New
York Times.

Did he learn to speak English? He actually learned how to speak English in Cuba
because he worked for Marcal paper products as a merchant commissioner.
Map of Cuba

The nation of Cuba comprises
the main island of Cuba, the Isla
de la Juventud and several
archipelagos. Havana is the
capital of Cuba and its largest
city. The second-largest city is
Santiago de Cuba. To the north
of Cuba lies the United States
(150 km (93 mi) away), the
Bahamas and the Turks and
Caicos Islands are to the
northeast, Mexico is to the west
(210 km (130 mi) away), the
Cayman Islands and Jamaica
are to the south and Haiti and
the Dominican Republic are to
the southeast.
Cuba’s Coat of Arms
The Cuban Coat of Arms is the official heraldic symbol of Cuba.
It consists of a shield, in front of a Fasces crowned by the Phrygian
Cap, all supported by an oak branch on one side and a laurel
wreath on the other. The coat of arms was created by Miguel
Teurbe Tolón[1] and was adopted on April 24, 1906.
The shield is divided into three parts:
In the chief, a key charging a blue sea between two rocks,
symbolizing Cuba’s geographical position between Florida and the
Yucatán Peninsula. A bright rising sun in the background symbolizes
the rising of the new republic. A key is a symbol of Cuba as Cuba is
the key to the Americas.
On the left are the stripes of the flag of Cuba but turned so as they
are bendwise.
On the right is a common Cuban landscape, Royal Palm tree, a
symbol of Cuba with mountains in the background.
Traditional Cuban Dishes
Tamales en hoja
estilo Cubano
Ropa Vieja con arroz
moro y platanitos maduros
Lechon asado en
Caja China
Vaca Frita con arroz y
frijoles
Traditional Recipe of Arroz con Pollo

El arroz con pollo es un plato típico
en la comida cubana y esta
receta no falta en ningún hogar
donde haya un cubano. Las
recetas de este delicioso plato
pasan de generación en
generación sin perder la sazón de
nuestros abuelos. En los
restaurantes cubanos es fácil
encontrar esta receta siempre
deliciosa pero nunca como
cuando se prepara en casa. Aquí
les dejo la receta del arroz con
pollo con sabor cubano.
Ingredients and instructions:

1.Pechugas o muslos de pollo.

2.1 cucharadita de orégano seco.

3.1 cucharadita de comino molido

4.1/2 cucharadita de pimienta blanca recién molida

5.1 cucharada de vinagre de vino tinto

6.2 cucharadas de aceite de aceite de oliva.

7.1 cebolla pequeña, finamente picada

8.1 pimiento rojo pequeño, sin corazón, sin semillas y finamente picado.

9.3 dientes de ajo, picados.

10.1 tomate pequeño, sin semillas y cortado.

11.3 tazas de agua.

12.1 taza de vino blanco seco.

13.1-1/2 tazas de cerveza.

14.1/2 cucharadita de achiote, semillas o 1/4 cucharadita de hebras de azafrán.

15.1 cucharada de puré de tomate.

16.Sal y pimienta recién molida negro.

Lo primero que hay que hacer es lavar el pollo, mezclarlo con el orégano, el comino, la pimienta blanca y el vinagre en un
tazón grande de vidrio. Agregar el pollo, girando las piezas para cubrir con la mezcla dejándolo reposar por lo menos 15
minutos. Calentar el aceite en una cazuela grande resistente al calor, dorar los trozos de pollo por unos 2 minutos por cada
lado. Pase el pollo a un plato y verter todos menos 2 cucharadas de la grasa.
Cuban Dance
Traditional Clothing of Cuba
Interesting facts about Cuba
•
•
The US attempted to invade Cuba several times. In 1848, they decided to give up and offered Spain
$100 million dollars for Cuba, but the offer was rejected.
The US ship “Maine” was blown up in the Havana Harbor in 1898. The cause of the explosion is still
unknown, but the event, which killed over 250 men, sparked the beginning of the Spanish-American
War.
•
The 1990s in Cuba are known as the “Special Period” due to the extreme economic struggles. There
were several major shortages, such as fuel, paper, and even food. Electricity used was limited to 4 hours
per day.
•
Up until 1993, Cubans were not allowed to own or use US dollars.
•
Cuba’s first war of independence was led by Carlos Manuel de Déspedes in 1868. The war lasted for 10
years, giving it the appropriate name of “The 10 Years War.”
•
The slave uprising of 1791 in Haiti greatly impacted Cuba. More than 300,000 French settlers fled Haiti and
many of them ended up in Cuba. The French brought their sugarcane production expertise to the island,
and to this day, Cuba is one of the largest producers of sugarcane in the world.
•
Jose Martí planned a revolution for a Free Cuba while in exile in the US during the 1890s. Although he was
very focused on not repeating the mistakes of the recent 10 Years War, Martí was one of the first to die in
the battles of 1896. Many blame this on his use of an easy-to-spot white horse. Martí is still recognized as
a beloved martyr throughout Cuba today.
•
Between 1899 and 1902, Cuba was controlled by an American military government. During this time, the
US forced a constitutional amendment, called the Platt Amendment onto Cuba. The amendment
granted the US power to intervene in Cuban affairs whenever they believed it necessary. It also granted
the US permission to use Guatanamo Bay as a naval base.
Celia Cruz
Gloria Estefan
(October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a
Cuban-American salsa singer/performer. One
of the most popular salsa artists of the 20th
century, she earned twenty-three gold albums
and was a recipient of the National Medal of
Arts. She was renowned internationally as the
"Queen of Salsa", "La Guarachera de Cuba", as
well as The Queen of Latin Music.
A Cuban American
singer, songwriter,
actress, and
entrepreneur. She is one
of the world's bestselling music artists of all
time, with an estimated
100 million records sold
worldwide, including
31.5 million of those in
the United States alone.
She has won seven
Grammy Awards and is
the most successful
crossover performer in
Latin music to date.