At this time of the year I often think of my grandmother Mercedes, known in the family as Topeo. She loved the hustle and bustle of the many parties that she threw for her saint’s day (September 24, Our Lady of Mercy) as well as Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

My grandmother enjoyed having people over, serving them good food, and being the center of attention—the life of the party. She loved flowers. At home, there were—and still are—several terracotta planters, a gift from one of my mom’s boyfriends. They were filled with mariposas (white ginger lilies) or red and white roses from a florist on Carlos III Avenue. The intense scent of the flowers added to the festive atmosphere of those days.

Topeo made crema de vie (similar to eggnog) and peppermint liqueur. The crema de vie was stored in a fine translucent bottle that previously held wine, and the peppermint liqueur in a lovely, thick green round-bellied bottle.

She would buy a cake or a brazo gitano (Swiss roll), which were sold at Centro or from a bakery called La Antigua Chiquita. She made elbow pasta salad with shrimp, bought in the black market, or with the more affordable Vicky ham, available—when it was available—at the neighborhood butchery.

The sandwiches were spread with pâté or mortadella. I remember small, very soft rolls that were also sold at La Antigua Chiquita.

(What ever happened to La Antigua Chiquita and the old florist shop on Carlos III Avenue?)

The roasted pork, congrí (black beans and rice), and yuca with mojo (garlic sauce) were reserved for the family. I don’t know if, before my time, they were also offered to guests, but in my day, no way. Pork was expensive and hard to get. My father would travel by train to Pinar del Río to get it and brought it back in sacks, clandestinely. It was certainly an item not to share.

When people came over, Topeo brought out porcelain plates with painted fruit designs and glasses that matched a crystal punch bowl. She was very particular about food presentation!

The good old bad old days

The parties I’m referring to took place during my teens, in the 1980s, when one could buy a cake in Cuban pesos and shrimp and lobster with the same currency, albeit on the black market. Those were our golden years.

The snacks, which we young people devoured gleefully, were always seasoned with nostalgic sighs from the older generation longing for foods that were no longer available, but had been staples of Christmas celebrations in years gone by: grapes, El Gaitero cider, Alicante nougat… My generation only knew of such delicacies thanks to photographs and stories.

But today, December 2024, you can’t buy grapes, cakes, or shrimp with the national currency. The snacks of the 1980s might now be considered lavish banquets, given the current situation in Cuba. It seems that, in my poor island, the old days were truly the good ones.

Let’s hope that in 2025, the tide turns and we can look to the future with hope instead of to the past with nostalgia.