Cuban Caddy
In the early 1950s my Gentry grandparents Mamoo and Daddy Walt went to Cuba on vacation, drove to Miami then flew across. My first cousins Margaret and Bill, children of mama’s brother Wilbur, whom my grandparents raised after the death of their mother in July 1939, were on the trip. Bill later described what one might call an Ugly Americanism by our grandmother.
In an elegant restaurant she asked a waiter where the bathroom was. The man didn’t understand. Or indicated so, shaking his head. To his real or feigned and continuing lack of understanding, Mamoo became increasingly impatient and kept raising her voice, talking louder. It’s a common habit: if at first the foreigner doesn’t understand your English, speak louder. “The bathroom.” Blank stare. “The bathroom.” Blank, shake head. “THE BATHROOM.” Blank stare, eyes diverted as though trying to figure it out. At a shout that caused everyone in the restaurant to turn and stare, Mamoo switches to Spanish. “ZEE BASSROOM DAMMIT.”
TW
Thanks for the prod, Carolyn!!
In an elegant restaurant she asked a waiter where the bathroom was. The man didn’t understand. Or indicated so, shaking his head. To his real or feigned and continuing lack of understanding, Mamoo became increasingly impatient and kept raising her voice, talking louder. It’s a common habit: if at first the foreigner doesn’t understand your English, speak louder. “The bathroom.” Blank stare. “The bathroom.” Blank, shake head. “THE BATHROOM.” Blank stare, eyes diverted as though trying to figure it out. At a shout that caused everyone in the restaurant to turn and stare, Mamoo switches to Spanish. “ZEE BASSROOM DAMMIT.”
The maitre d’ comes over. Ah, zee bassroom, zis way, Madame.
Today a half century later, willingly or not, willingly and/or pridefully, but certainly needfully, Cubans are still driving American cars that were imported in the nineteen-fifties before Castro came to power and spewed hatred against el Norte the arrogant imperialist, bringing on our embargo.
Cubans are still driving those ancient American cars. In the art above, both cars are Fords. The yellow one on the right is either a '49 or '50, not seeing a hood emblem I think it's a '49, which had FORD spelled out instead of the emblem. The red one on the left with the broader, flatter hood, hood emblem, and reworked dome in front center with fancy ridge work on each side is a '52, '53 or '54. Said to be kept together with safety pins, love, paperclips, chewing gum and rubber bands, and kept running by the most skilled mechanics and machinists under the sun.
The blue Cadillac is a 1950 Series 62 sedan, though it could be a 1952. The chrome under the headlights marks it as not a 1951 model. However, just forward of where the fender skirt would have been on the rear fender, we may see the vertical chrome strips that were peculiar to the Fleetwood Series 60 Special, but I'm guessing that is dirt not chrome. Because of the angle, can't tell whether the rear fender stretches out long enough to be the 60 Special. I'm saying 1950 Series 62 unless somebody brings me a full side shot.
The classic cars of Cuba have been widely reported on and photographed.
The blue Buick is a 1953 Super sedan, but the front grill must have been smashed or something, because the owner has replaced it with an Oldsmobile grill of the same era. The 1953 Buick Super and Roadmaster were the first Buicks with V8 engines, replacing the mighty Buick straight eight. The 1953 Buick Special kept the straight eight, and was the final year for it.
The green Buick above is a 1951 or 1952 Buick Special, can't tell which without seeing the taillights.
Above, a Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan. These were unchanged for 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948. You can tell the difference in each year by looking at the front grill. This car is just like, almost the identical color, of the 1942 Chevy my parents bought from Bubber Nelson right after Pearl Harbor. They traded in our 1935 Chevrolet Master Coach for it, and drove it until buying the new 1948 Dodge for my mother's birthday in May 1948.
That blue 1955 Chevy Bel Air hardtop coupe on the right is worth a pretty penny. The green car and gray car are both Chevys. The blue coupe on the left is a GM car too, but I think it's an Oldsmobile, judging by the chrome strip on the rear fender.
Americans will not forever be so naive as to miss commercial opportunity in order to let politicians kiss up to Miami’s Little Havana. So what if Cubans get new cars even though they don’t like us, we sell cars all over the world to folks who don't like us; indeed, even most Americans don’t seem to like us these days. The embargo on Cuba, our close neighbor who for awhile was an ally of the nonexistent Soviet Union, is as outdated as the cars they're driving.
The classic cars of Cuba have been widely reported on and photographed.
The blue Buick is a 1953 Super sedan, but the front grill must have been smashed or something, because the owner has replaced it with an Oldsmobile grill of the same era. The 1953 Buick Super and Roadmaster were the first Buicks with V8 engines, replacing the mighty Buick straight eight. The 1953 Buick Special kept the straight eight, and was the final year for it.
The green Buick above is a 1951 or 1952 Buick Special, can't tell which without seeing the taillights.
Above, a Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan. These were unchanged for 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948. You can tell the difference in each year by looking at the front grill. This car is just like, almost the identical color, of the 1942 Chevy my parents bought from Bubber Nelson right after Pearl Harbor. They traded in our 1935 Chevrolet Master Coach for it, and drove it until buying the new 1948 Dodge for my mother's birthday in May 1948.
Americans will not forever be so naive as to miss commercial opportunity in order to let politicians kiss up to Miami’s Little Havana. So what if Cubans get new cars even though they don’t like us, we sell cars all over the world to folks who don't like us; indeed, even most Americans don’t seem to like us these days. The embargo on Cuba, our close neighbor who for awhile was an ally of the nonexistent Soviet Union, is as outdated as the cars they're driving.
TW
Thanks for the prod, Carolyn!!