Tag Archives: cuba

Cuban Midnight (Medianoche) Sandwich with Fried Plantains

The Cuban Midnight (Medianoche) Sandwich is a favorite in Cuba. For traditional sandwiches, the pork is slow roasted in Cuban spices, giving it a garlic/citrus smell. Unlike most American sandwiches, Cubans do not normally eat tomatoes or lettuce on their sandwiches and many do not include mayonnaise, although this recipe does. The sweet rolls of the Medianoche makes it a favorite nighttime snack, hence the name. For this recipe, you will need four sweet bread rolls, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, one pound of thinly sliced cooked ham, one pound of thinly sliced fully cooked pork, one pound of sliced Swiss cheese, … Continue reading →

Vamos a Cuba Again (Or Political Correctness for Primary Grades)

An advisory panel to the Miami Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew recommended that the controversial children’s book, Vamos a Cuba, remain on school library bookshelves for now. After seven hours of discussion spread over two difficult meetings, the panel found that while the book appears to be lacking in content, there is no sufficient reason to remove it. The decision of the panel is a non binding recommendation to the superintendent, who has 5 days to decide if the book stays or goes. He has already stated that he has no intention of removing the book. He had been looking to … Continue reading →

Ban That Book, It Just Ain’t Right! Vamos A Cuba and the First Amendment

Book banning, or the attempts to remove controversial books from libraries and schools is nothing new. Various groups have attempted at different times to remove famous titles such as Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn. Reasons given have been obscenity, racist language, or acceptability of situations deemed immoral. A current controversy in Dade County Florida involves two books for elementary school children about life in Cuba today. Vamos a Cuba is for primary grades, written in simple sentences, and features photographs of Cuba and its people. It shows a pretty nice, simple picture of Cuban life. Cuban Kids is … Continue reading →