Funeral

One thing I found very strange in Australian culture is the way they say their last goodbye to their loved ones.

To me it was shocking to find people celebrating with drinks, music of any type and jokes. The funeral is easy to attend here. It all seemed to be a party to me, compared to Cuban traditions, a celebration of something. And last how the body is left to rest forever in the same plot in the ground.

In Cuba I imagine it has to do with the centuries old Spanish tradition of long mourning and respect, together with the lack of religious beliefs (lost with socialisms push for lay beliefs in a vast number of the Cuban population and many hold the belief that death like in animals is the end for a person) this has shaped the traditions in Cuba to be that of suffering.

If it is possible you spend the night before the funeral trying to sleep as you can in a chair while you pay respects and guard the casket, which is a dreadful experience, and do not dare to play music for a month in your house.

I understand we do not have a reliable transport system in Cuba and it is important to wait for family members traveling long distances to get to say their last good byes. This could be the explanation for the long night around the casket in a room without air-conditioning or food the day before the funeral.

In Cuba some months or a year later the family will go back to the cemetery to take the remains and put them in a small box so someone else can use the plot. Lucky Australia is a big country and you do not need to recycle the cemetery.

I prefer the Australian way now, I understand they celebrate a life that we were lucky to share and it is possible the deceased is in a good place now, in a natural phase of life. It is an easier way to deal with a funeral.



Different cultures. / Diferentes culturas.

Remedios, Cuba.

Gold Coast, Australia.

                                                         

Australians travel the world, something that my husband and I enjoy too. In a recent trip we went to Miami, Florida hoping to meet some Cubans now living there.

I was surprised how different my way of thinking is with these Cubans. I thought they lived a relatively similar life to mine, living out of Cuba in America, a country very similar to Australia. But soon I noticed they have not assimilated to the new culture, they talk like they are still in Cuba, and they have not changed their way of thinking. It is hard to comprehend how they do not speak English, living and working in a English speaking nation.

It’s interesting, because my way of thinking has changed so much in Australia, I feel like a new person from what I was before, I feel a happier and more confident person that has left behind a world of low self-esteem and inferiority complex very often seen in Cuba. I have achieved this through reflection, reading and my willingness to be a better person.

I arrived very young to Australia and I had an identity crisis in a new place with new people, different traditions and interests. In order to survive I had to adapt to the new circumstances. It was hard and painful at first but I am very happy now when I see where would I be as a person if I did not change.

Raspberries with rose water syrup.

This is a beautifull looking dish with bright coloring of pink and red that goes wonderfully with white Vanilla lemon yogurt panna cotta.

Raspberries with rose water syrup.

2 cups water
1 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons rose water
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped.
500 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

*Place the water, sugar, rosewater, and vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 4 minutes.
*Remove from the heat and add the raspberries and set aside to cool.
*Serve with Vanilla and lemon yogurt panna cotta or with vanilla ice cream.

Spring Desserts.

I have been cooking very nice desserts lately. Cooking or baking makes me feel calm, in control and disperses any negative thoughts that may fly through my head. Plus I love it, getting all the ideas of how it is going to work, if there is anything I can substitute and how others and I will enjoy the final product by seeing and savouring it.

I had made this panna cotta recipe from Donna Hay a few times and decided to add more yogurt plus vanilla and the end result tastes wonderfull.

Vanilla and lemon yogurt panna cotta.

200 ml pouring cream
½ cup milk
½ cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon thick natural yogurt


· Place cream and milk in a saucepan over low medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

· Combine gelatine and water and set aside for 5 minutes.
· Remove the cream mixture from the heat, add the icing sugar and stir until dissolved.
· Add the gelatin mixture, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon rind and stir until combined.
· Whisk in the yogurt
· Pour into a mould and refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.