Kitchen Stories

Glenn Curry

Description

The saga of a Key West family from 1870 to 2010. Based on true experience and oral tradition.
Discover an often-overlooked corner of American history. Kitchen Stories: A Key West Recollection tells the tales of multiple generations of a single Key West family and throws light on the origins of the southernmost city's unique mixture of cultures. Meet Franz, the accidental German immigrant to Key West during the Franco-Prussian War. Celebrate Lucilla and her transformation from family drudge to a successful society lady in the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. Consider the island's heritage of magical connections to life beyond death.

Sujets

• Historical
• Cayos de la Florida
• Cayo Hueso
• Vieques (Puerto Rico)
• Florida Keys
• Vieques, Puerto Rico
• Supernatural
• Family
• Cuba
• Vieques
• History
• Key West
• Keys (Floride)
• Saga
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 31 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663251367
• Langue: English

Extrait

Kitchen Stories

A KEY WEST RECOLLECTION



GLENN CURRY








KITCHENSTORIES
A KEY WEST RECOLLECTION

Copyright © 2023 Glenn Curry.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Certain characters in this work are historical figures, and certain events portrayed did take place. However, this is a work of fiction. All of the other characters, names, and events as well as all places, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.





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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-5135-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-5161-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-5136-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023904518



iUniverse rev. date: 05/30/2023



Contents
Preface

Lucilla
Granpa
Franz
Andrew and the Joneses



Preface
The following is a work of fiction. Neither characters nor events should be regarded as factual. Like the old ladies in the kitchen, I have filled in tales based on recollections of my childhood with assorted truths, guesses, and speculations, and in many cases, I would find it difficult to identify the original model(s) of a character because I have played “fast and loose” with the real people and events that may have inspired my memories.
Note that the sections about my great-grandfather Franz, and his contemporaries, take place half a century before the stories about my mother, Lucilla, and her generation.
Much credit for this book is due to Osmo Soljavirta, whose input has ranged from solving problems with my information technology to making sure I take my medicines on time. Along the way, he has also made many helpful suggestions about the content of the book.
I’m also indebted to Sally Binard, who encouraged me to try my hand at writing an answer to the question, “What was it like growing up in Key West?”




As a boy, I loved to sit in my grandmother’s kitchen and listen to the old ladies tell and retell their stories. The tales all had elements of truth and flourished somewhere on the border between history and gossip. Most of the time, these conversations centered on reminding one another who was who and how people were related. On a small island, it was considered important to keep track of each individual’s antecedents so that most people would not marry relatives carrying hereditary diseases or defects. But if the custom of over-the-dishes gossip had sprouted from a practical need, it spread its roots in response to an inborn appreciation of storytelling. In that era, when television was just beginning to become the replacement for oral traditions, a story well told could be a source of entertainment for generations.
I listened to the old ladies’ stories whenever I could, and I let my imagination fill in any parts that might be unknown or forgotten. Among the themes that regularly took a place in my repertoire of oral fiction were appreciation for music, love of nature, and brushes with the supernatural. My very favorite yarns almost always involved the ocean in some way. Rather than featuring Tarzan or the cowboys who populated my comic books, my fantasies typically concentrated on hardy wreckers, intrepid sponge divers, and rough shrimpers.
I developed a sort of mental collection of stories about members of my extended family’s past in secret hope that I could someday be a storyteller, too. I asked questions of the old ladies, and they were generally very forthcoming with their memories. The only exception was my maternal great grandfather. The old ladies were clearly made uncomfortable by questions about him. All they could tell me was that he was a German who came to Key West as a ship’s cook during the Franco-Prussian War. Key West in the Franco-Prussian War? It sounded unlikely to my young ears and I gave up on learning more about him.
As I grew to adulthood I expanded my interest in maritime history. Nevertheless I never heard of the Battle of Havana until one day when I was looking through a stack of old papers that had just been donated to the Florida history department of the public library and ran into a print titled “Battle of Havana in the Franco-Prussian War.” A quick search of the card catalog yielded all sorts of references to the Franco-Prussian War but almost nothing about any fighting in the Caribbean, not to mention Havana specifically. But I consulted every source I could think of and was able to come up with some convincing guesses about the forgotten battle.
The Franco-Prussian War has been called the first modern war. It was certainly a game changer for Western Europe. Before the war, France was viewed as the dominant power on the continent. After less than a year of armed conflict, the victorious Prussia emerged as the cornerstone of a united and powerful German kingdom. Indeed, many people on both sides of the Atlantic worried that Germany might be too powerful. This concern multiplied a longstanding dislike of things German in much of the United States.
Unlike many contests before and since, the Franco-Prussian War did not involve much use of sea power. The only naval engagement of the war was the contest between the French mail boat Bouget and the Prussian gunboat Meteor. The Prussian boat was stopping in Havana on the way from Nassau in the Bahamas to Veracruz, Mexico, while the French aviso was going from Martinique to Mexico. The two boats arrived within minutes of each other at the entrance to Havana Harbor, where neither was allowed to take military action because Spain (which owned Cuba) was officially neutral in the war. After a few days of a standoff, it was decided that the two vessels should be allowed to duel their situation out. The agreement was negotiated by the Spanish authorities. The French captain issued a formal written challenge, which the Prussian captain accepted. The whole exchange was achingly polite, and most members of both crews were excited about the coming face-off. A date and time for the engagement were set. This was the point in naval history when sail power was being replaced by steam. Both vessels in this battle had steam engines as well as sails. The French aviso had a crew of eighty; the German gunboat had a crew of sixty.
Following the agreed schedule, the Bouget exited the harbor and sailed into international waters first. The Meteor followed twenty-four hours later (another requirement of the rules of neutrality). Once the Meteor reached international waters, the Bouget opened fire, which was returned by the Meteor . The French intended to board the Meteor and take it as a prize, but as they were nearing their intended target, the Bouget’s rigging got caught in her propeller. The two ships met up and their crews fought at close quarters for more than two hours. The end of the battle was called by a boat sent out from the harbor as a sort of referee. Neither side could claim victory.