Ooh, very promising: Fellow Lonely Planet writer, native New Yorker and generally perceptive gal Conner Gorry has finally started a blog about daily life in Havana:
Peter and I and a few other friends went to Cuba in 1996, I think it was. (Surely it’s OK to say this, and the statute of limitations has run out by now?) We were so mentally unprepared, it’s comical in retrospect. At the time, though, it was an extremely rough trip.
We didn’t fully grasp, for instance, that it would be impossible to get more money once there…and we didn’t know quite how expensive it would be. It was very difficult to get off the “official” tourist track, and the attendant 1-to-1 exchange rate. But even if we had, well, there wasn’t anything to buy with Cuban money anyhow. Our second week, we got by on one meal a day, and we rolled up to the airport with nothing but our exit tax in our pockets.
The situation was grimmest when it came to food. I still shudder when I think about the creepy, greasy fish we were served at the one restaurant we found where we could pay in Cuban pesos. My sentimental attachment to Communism was pretty well chipped away on that trip, when I realized that the system truly just failed at feeding people, much less giving them the real, simple pleasure that can come from delicious things to eat every day.
I hope this has changed a bit in years since. When we visited, farmer’s markets were just starting up, as a very controlled experiment. The few times we got fresh produce, it was fantastic. But, whoa, that was so not a trip about kicking back on the beach and eating fresh pineapple. Still, when I returned to the Dominican Republic, I was appalled at the slums and the advertising everywhere…and I really appreciated the pineapple on the beach.
So, looking forward to reading Conner’s reports, as it sounds like various policies have changed since I visited. I especially want to know about the food!
I have to say that I loved the organized chaos when I was there. The fact that there are so many things that you cant get just seems to make things that people come up with so much more exciting! I can see it changing a lot in the coming years and becoming like the rest of the islands in the Caribbean which are all beautifl but none have the magic of Cuba!
Jamaliche. Comelona. These are just a couple of my nicknames Here in Havana and they both boil down to the same thing: I eat A LOT. Since food is one of my few vices, I make a point to hunt down the good stuff. This is a challenge in Cuba for sure!
The other day my husband showed up at the door with a locally- organically-raised rabbit (dripping blood, but already skinned and butchered) and two beautiful platanos verdes (plantains). Eating locally and seasonally is a fact of life here which means in these summer days, tomatoes and lettuce are out. Mangoes are in and we await avocados.
And Zora’s right – things have changed since 1996 (watch out chica! They STILL might send you a nasty gram about your “illegal” trip, they’re that bored/twisted/motivated).
More on food on my blog soon!