From what I have heard, there are a lot of food shortage proglems in Cuba, and many Cubans grew up eating more canned foods than fresh. However, once Cuban immigrants came to Miami, Florida, where there is abundant fresh food, the cookery blossomed, and developed. Now you can find Cuban restaurants and bakeries of all types in Miami, from the upscale, to the Mom & Pop, all offering amazing food choices.

We did find some good food in a couple of places – a ‘home’ restaurant in Havana called Dona Carmella which was excellent and a paella restaurant (also in Havana) which was also very good.

The basic staple of rice & beans was OK, but did get a little boring over time!

Your pollo ala plancha sounds good – I’ll give it a whirl!
Now, it’s surely time for a mojito?

The Asian market here in town is a real international market now, with food from all over Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. There is an Indian restaurant, two pretty good semi-authentic Mexican places, and China Fortune is still in business. There is a sushi place that also serves good Japanese food, and there is a new fine dining place just out of town called Zoe’s that serves eclectic, but very beautifully created fare.

One of the biggest changes is Kroger, however. They now feature a large organic/natural foods section, they have a sushi department, an international cheese department, their produce section carries products from all over the world, and they carry locally produced meats, tofu, eggs and dairy items, as well as an entire section of locally processed foods such as pickles, salsas, pastas and breads. They also have a large International foods section that goes beyond the Tex-Mex canned chop-suey sort of stuff you expect at usual chain grocery stores.

And then there is the ever-expanding farmer’s market. Local food is booming in Athens–and I am amazed and feel very lucky to live in this small place, this tiny, lovely town, and yet have so many food options to choose from.

You know what my husband and I said the first time we stepped into Berkeley during a street fair? We said–”It is a big Athens!”

No biggie on the Meyer recipes. I think I am going to do a conserve or something for my next Meyer trick–oh, I mean, after I do the Meyer lemon and blood orange pie…..

I attended OU a thousand years ago. There was nothing there to buy in order to cook foods from another country (even parts of this one). Glad to see things have changed since I — really — lived in a garret in student housing and existed on coffee and bad diner fare.

I think of the landscape often, though, here in northern California.

And thanks for the Meyer recipes! I have two small trees.