Cuba - Lonely Planet [50]
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HABITS & CUSTOMS
Food culture in Cuba is another oxymoron. It’s as if the population reserves all its gusto for producing rum, rolling cigars and creating innovative music, and has no energy left afterwards for anything but rice and beans. Rationing and the Special Period have obviously done their damage, and a quick glance around the exile community in the US does, at least, prove that Cuban cooks can actually cook, given the right freedom and ingredients.
Mealtimes in Cuba aren’t the long drawn-out social occasions so common in Europe and North America, and people rarely have the inclination to sit down and quaff wine or discuss the merits of Dolcelatte over Camembert. Eating, rather, is seen as a basic necessity – and a hastily undertaken one at that – that acts as a prelude to drinking, music or some other more exciting form of nighttime entertainment.
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In Cuba the taste of the orangey-red mamey fruit is loved by almost everybody. So much so, that the word mamey has entered the Cuban vocabulary as an oft-used superlative. To describe a woman as mamey is to pay her the ultimate compliment.
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The speed at which Cubans eat is famous. Hit an all-you-can-eat buffet in a Cuban-patronized hotel and the first rule of thumb is ‘move quickly,’ or the food will all be gone in an eye blink. À la carte restaurants are a different matter, though people rarely linger romantically. Bars are considered better places for hot dates.
Knowledge of food and food culture is equally thin. There are no Gordon Ramsays or Rachel Rays in Cuba, and don’t expect your less-than-eager waiter in a government-run restaurant to know or care about the nuances of what the chef might be secretly concocting.
Cubans love to snack and eat a lot on the go in roughshod streetside peso stalls, often standing up. Change up some coins in the Cadeca and feel free to join them.
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EAT YOUR WORDS
Managing a menu in Spanish, making special requests or maneuvering a meal in pesos – your eating options will expand if you can speak the local language. For pronunciation guidelines see the Language chapter, Click here.
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STAYING FED
In Cuba, someone who is always eating is called a jamaliche or camelón but, unless you’re staying at an all-inclusive resort, there are going to be hours, days – even whole weeks – when you’re going to wish you’d stuffed a jar of peanut butter into your rucksack. Here’s some advice to keep all you jamaliches out there fed:
Always carry Cuban pesos (which can be easily changed in Cadeca exchange offices). Pesos are good for ice cream, peanuts, egg sandwiches, fruit shakes, bread, fruits, vegetables and, above all, peso pizza.
Keep a spare plastic bag (a rarity in Cuba) and fill it up at bakeries and fruit markets.
Keep an eye out for 24-hour peso stalls which usually congregate around hospitals.
If you are fortunate enough to stumble upon an as-much-as-you-can-eat buffet, wrap up your leftovers in a napkin and smuggle it out for later.
Cyclists, exercise freaks or any other type of jamaliche should come prepared with power bars, nuts, dried fruit and other lightweight, high-protein snacks.
Be willing to eat fried food, including unidentifiable tidbits sold on the street.
Stock up on biscuits whenever you see a grocery store.
Look for good yogurt in gas stations and cafeterías (especially the El Rápido chain).
Rent a room with kitchen privileges, then hit the agropecuario (vegetable market) and have a dinner party.
Become a Cuban and never waste anything.
Don’t forget the peanut butter!