South meets FAR South

New York is a melting pot. Or perhaps a stone soup. Every ethnicity and nationality in the world are strongly represented with one noticeable omission. Where have all the Cubans gone? Were they ever here in the first place? We have Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Haitians, and even the occasional Jamaican. Why then does the Caribbean's largest island represent the smallest population? Is 90 miles as far from their home country as they dare stray? Is the nearly tropical climate of South Florida too tempting to leave? We may never know the answer to this and life's many other ponderables. I do know one thing however, Cuban and Southern cuisine go together like beans and rice. Here is "Cuban Chili" with ground pork, and black beans, seasoned with cilantro, cumin, and lime. Oh yeah, that's a little slice of Jiffy Mix cornbread hiding in the back. Take that back to Havana, Castro!