Goin' to the iglesia, and we're gonna get ...: I want to thank Francisco Alvarado for his article, "Soy Nicaragüense" (January 5). While reading it, I found myself becoming more and more emotional.
What Francisco felt I have felt every single time I have gone back to my native country of Nicaragua. There is so much it has to offer, yet many of us still think of it as a shit hole. I came to Miami when I was seven years old. I am now 29, but for the past five years I have gone to Nicaragua once or twice per year.
It's not only the family you left behind that makes you feel at home; it's also everything that surrounds you.
I recently celebrated my wedding there. I felt I would not be able to have a fun and meaningful ceremony if I were not in Nicaragua. Many friends didn't go because they believe it to be Third-World. Those who went were at first scared but have nothing but great things to say about their trip.
Not to make this letter any longer, but I just want to say, Yo tambien soy nicaragüense por la gracia de dios.
Maria D. Varela
Miami
Would the last one out bring the gallo pinto?: Allow me to congratulate Miami New Times for Francisco Alvarado's article "Soy Nicaragüense." I think it reflects the experience many of us, the generation who left Nicaragua in 1978 and 1979, have had with our children growing up in the United States. When I read the piece, I saw in it the personal experience I had with my children. I would like to circulate it in the Nicaraguan community here in Miami and in Nicaragua.
José Velazquez E.
Consul General of Nicaragua
Miami
Needs to quiet down: Please congratulate Rob Jordan for writing about an ever-growing problem in the City of Miami — noise — in "Damnation by Decibel" (January 5). I have been bringing this to the attention of city officials for the past two years.
Miriam Hernandez
Miami
What that reviewer said: Regarding Lee Klein's January 5 review, "The Cost of Keeping Kosher": Juliette Restaurant serves fine French cuisine and has been given three stars by the Miami Herald and a great review by Zagat Survey. It is named after the owner, who has been in the Kosher restaurant business for more than 28 years in France.
Mr. Klein needs to refresh his knowledge of kosher French cuisine to give the readers an accurate description of the true dining experience. The mashgiah, for instance, does not need any knowledge about wines to double as a sommelier — he is a kosher supervisor of the kitchen and food, not the wine. Indeed our wine prices begin at $20 per bottle, a bargain.
The tuna tartare is of sushi-grade quality and topped with finely diced avocado with lemon dressing on a bed of lettuce decorated with Asian pear, not a guacamolelike purée. And the hamburger is made of kosher top rib-eye meat and chunk beef — it is not to be compared with that of nonkosher restaurants.
Then there's the apple tart. It is served for dinner, and tarte Tatin is served for lunch; the two are never the same. In the warm apple tart Mr. Klein experienced, the partially uncooked part was the frangipane, which gives this sensation. The nutty granolalike substance was ice nougat, made with honey, egg whites, and nuts.
We invite Mr. Klein to the kitchen to educate him in the French kosher culinary experience. Our dining is fine, and our prices meet or beat any nonkosher steak house in town. Merci beau coup!
Chef Philippe Coupe
Juliette Restaurant
Via the Internet
No king or queen either: Thank you for Robert Wilonsky's thorough and no-holds-barred attack/review of King Kong, "Monkey Business" (December 15). I haven't seen it yet, but thanks to Wilonsky, I'll wait until it comes out on cable. Thanks for saving me the movie admission price.
David Leon
Sunny Isles Beach
She's playing a videogame with words: I was reading Luke O'Brien's review — "Virtual Quagmire" (December 15) — about the army's new videogame. The last paragraph states, "Donald Rumsfeld once famously said that 'you go to war with the army you have.' If this game is any indication, we're in more trouble than we thought."
The U.S. troops are in trouble. Here is an alternative. Let's drop the nuclear waste on Iran. We don't have enough room for it by Turkey Point, and we have to put it somewhere. We don't have the money to send it into outer space, so let's send it to Iran. We are going to go to war with them anyway. The President is trying to change the buzz phrase "War on Terror" (WOT) to "War on Extremism" (WOE). Woe, that's right — whoa! Instead of spending millions of dollars developing weapons of mass destruction to fight extremism, why not use the weapon we already possess — nuclear waste? It's free, it's right here, and it's ready for the picking at Turkey Point. Let's stop inhaling the pollution these plants produce. Hell, let's save the environment! Sure that might open the doors to generations of genetically altered Iranians, but really, does anybody over here care? If we're going to kill 'em, let's benefit economically from their destruction.
Rebecca Swift
Miami
Nightlife columnist wanted: Miami New Times is looking for a resourceful denizen of the dark to pen short pieces about clubland. Send a resumé, at least five writing samples, and a cover letter to Jean Carey, managing editor, 2800 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 100, Miami, FL 33137.
