América

The family that assembles for the Thanksgiving feast are recent immigrants from Cuba. They know very little about American history and customs and are not especially interested in learning. They remember Cuba, which they regard as their true home; they are Cubans, not Americans. Nostalgia for Cuba, which they fled after Fidel Castro took over the country and established a Communist dictatorship, is prominent in their minds. They love Cuban food and are slow to adapt to American food. They look back to happy days in Cuba, when they lived well in a country where they felt they belonged. In the poem, the Cuban exiles who pass the time in one of the Cuban stores in Miami complain about the wealth that they lost (or was taken from them) following the Communist revolution. They wear “guayaberas” (Line 19), or traditional Cuban shirts, drink Cuban coffee, and smoke Cuban cigars. They speak no English. Although the family depicted in the poem are willing to tolerate an American meal at Thanksgiving, they make sure that there are traditional Cuban dishes available as well. After the meal, they put music on that reminds them of Cuba, and they “began to merengue” (Line 82), enjoying a popular Latin American dance together.