Cuban mapping session

One of the great things about traveling across the United States is experiencing the culture shifts from region to region. One of the best ways to get a taste of the state you find yourself in is to stop at a local eating establishment and do some time with the citizens.

On our way out of Sebring, just past the Avon Park city limit, we mentioned the fact that we still had not found Cuban food in Florida. Right on cue a sign for Robert's Cuban Cafe crept into our sights. Taking a left at the beer barn, we pulled into the parking lot. We were the only car. As we entered the empty room, spirited Latin music warmed the aromatic air, thick with humidity and spices. We went up to the front and each took a menu from the woman behind the counter. We asked her what her favorite thing was that she made and she said for sure it was the steak sandwich. Laura got that and Donna Renee and I got the pork chop meal. It was 4:30 in the afternoon and having not yet had lunch, we were ready for what we call "big food".

As we waited for Ladys to whip up our grub, we pulled out our atlas to peruse our route. We were talking about our progress so far, questioning our timing and what type of driving schedule we needed to keep. As the conversation unfolded, I grabbed some napkins from the silver dispenser and started covering the areas that we still needed to visit. As I announced the completion of my task with a ta-da, we sat in amazement about what we had done. With Florida under our belts, we had traveled 32 states, with 16 left to meet our goal of the 48 contiguous by July. We laughed, simultaneous relief and joy.

Our order met our growling stomachs with a voracious welcome. I popped a piece of pork chop in my mouth and the purring began. Donna Renee and I sat still, stopped by the tender, perfectly seasoned delicacy that had been created especially for us. Laura seemed pleased with her enormous steak sandwich, bread crunching with each bite. This was real. I kept eyeing the swinging door that Ladys had disappeared behind, wanting desperately to complement our chef. As we were finishing our culinary delight, Ladys came swinging back our way, greeted by my overly enthusiastic cabbage patch arm roll and happy dance.

"Ummm, ummm, ummm, ummm,ummmm. Now, that was goood!"

"You like it," she sheepishly replied.

"That was incredible!" "How long have you been cooking?"

"All my life. They are my grandmother's recipes."

We went back up to the counter and paid our ticket. I gave her one of our business cards and told her about our project. I asked her how we could pray for her and she said that we could pray that people would come. Business was bad since everyone had left for the summer. She and Robert had come to Sebring from Miami and opened the restaurant six months ago. You could tell it was a great source of stress.

I asked her if I could pray for her. She hesitantly said yes. I grabbed her hands and we prayed that God would take care of her and Robert, that business would increase, and that she would know that it was God who brought the people there. I prayed that God would protect them and help them pay their bills. We finished praying, I gave her a hug and she thanked us for praying with her.

As we got in our car, Robert made his way from the back porch out to the driver's side window and asked us in very broken English if we spoke Spanish. We did not, but he talked to us anyway. We are pretty sure he asked us if we had Cuban food in Texas and if he wanted us to bring it there. We also think he was telling us that no one ever came to their cafe. He looked worried. He asked if we liked it. We told him how good it was and then said our goodbyes.

Our time with Ladys and Robert has made our radar go up on businesses closing throughout the communities that we are wandering through. We continue our prayer for Ladys, Robert and all the other business owners who are struggling to keep their shop doors open and for those who have had to let theirs go.

We continue making our way through the states hiding under the napkins. Stay tuned.