How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
who spends her days selling canned memories
while listening to the Puerto Ricans complain
that it would be cheaper to fly to San Juan
than to buy a pound of Bustelo coffee here, (9-12)
Even though they complain, don't you get the feeling that these Puerto Ricans are repeat customers? For starters, where else would they find Bustelo coffee? That's the kind of thing that allows them to connect with their homeland. And doing so allows them to connect with the store owner and each other, as well.
Quote #2
[…] Cubans perfecting their speech
of a "glorious return" to Havana--where no one
has been allowed to die and nothing to change until then; (13-15)
The Cubans are another community-within-a-community here. That they all have the same "speech" indicates that a big part of their sense of community is a shared focus on returning, one day, to their homes in Havana.