Havana Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico
“Cuba has bread and pork, but not enough vegetables. The food we were served was never warm enough. Cuba is not a place for vegetarians, picky eaters, or the gluten free.” ~Elinor Robin, PhD On 26 April 1954, CBS-TV aired the 93rd episode of I Love Lucy. Watching the rerun decades later was essentially my introduction to Cuban food…sort of. In the memorable episode Ricky decides to quit show business and open up a diner in which Cuban food would be the featured fare. The Ricardos enter into a precarious partnership with their friends and neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz. Because Fred and Ethel have the diner savvy and Ricky has the name that brings in diners, unequal division of labor ensues. Fred and Ethel are stuck behind the counter churning out and plating food while Ricky and Lucy run the front-of-the-house where they glad-hand with guests. Ultimately Fred and Ethel weary of being treated like hired hands instead of partners and storm out. Without the Mertzes know-how, the diner’s early success quickly dissipates. Ricky continually confuses Lucy with incorrect diner jargon and Lucy messes up every order she gets. The Mertzes return triumphantly to discover a completely empty diner.…