People in Cuba will be mourning him for nine whole days while Cuban immigrants and refugees in Miami celebrate his death. The revolutionary's death has nothing to do with Indian food, but it did make me think about a meal I shared at a little Indian place in Vancouver last fall.
Last year I was visiting Washington state for a wedding. I flew across the world to attend what I knew was going to be a beautiful event and had a few days to explore the area after the wedding celebrations were over. Since I like crossing a border whenever possible, I chose to visit Vancouver which was just a couple of hours away from where I was staying. Traveling alone, a youth hostel seemed like the way to go and I ended up in a SameSun hostel in a good location of town. My day pack and myself found ourselves in a hip, young hostel, taking the last top bunk bed in a tight room of eight woman. Although it took me a while to convince myself to climb the ladder up to bed, it ended up as one of the most comfortable beds I've slept in while traveling! One of the perks at this particular hostel was free breakfast and daily organized tours of the area. During breakfast things already seemed a bit brighter and I decided to join the tour to Vancouver Island.
About ten of us set out that morning, the weather was beautiful as is the city. Everyone was nice, but it didn't take long for me to connect to a couple, about my age, who were traveling across the west coast for their honeymoon. They had been to many places I was planning on going so we had that in common too. The two of them set out from Miami and had been traveling for about two months. After the tour, we went to grab lunch at Crave India, the Indian place across from the hostel.
As we came in, the young man at the counter was busy chasing out a drunk who didn't want to pay or leave and was cursing up a storm. Once that was done, he was very helpful and nice. At this small, family run restaurant, you can get good food, enough vegetarian options and really delicious Naan at a fair price for travelers. We enjoyed a good meal, and good company.
Once we settled in, they told me about their recent wedding which they had planned for over a year.
The woman (let's call her Karen) shared her experience meeting the man's (let's call him Francisco) large Cuban family, getting used to their food and culture. They told me stories of how his family crossed the border to the United States, fleeing Cuba to find a better future. I learned about the "wet foot, dry foot" immigration and about the different ways people came from Cuba to America.
Francisco was very connected to his culture and heritage and was happy to share his families stories with me.
Tonight, when the world is talking about Fidel Castro's Cuba, my mind wanders to the small Indian restaurant in Vancouver and a young Miami couple on their honeymoon. What side of the border do they find themselves on and are they mourning or celebrating.
