[CH] re: Havana
Sarah Banick (sbanick@mindspring.com)
Wed, 24 Jan 2001 22:19:17 -0500
Alex said:
>I would have thought there would be a lot of fish to choose from - I hope
>this doesn't mean their fisheries are screwed up. Or else refrigeration is
>too expensive?
They do have lots of fish (fresh) -- they just prefer to honor foreigners
with the more expensive stuff. And pork and chicken broth show up in most
meals. Luckily for the five vegetarians in our group (I was on an
International Bicycle Fund trip -- no affiliation, but I highly recommend
them for eco-travel), our guide was great about requesting fish ahead of
time. "Choosing" anything in Cuba isn't usually possible. At one point we
asked our guide what he had learned about U.S. Americans. His answer: "You
require options." Damn, we thought we were doing a good job of roughing it
without toilet seats and running water....
<I wonder what kids of cheeses they had. Were there pushcart street
vendors,
<or did you have to go to dollar restaurants?
Mostly white cheese, sometimes fried. Never did get a name - packaging is an
underdeveloped industry. There were a few pushcart vendors, but most folks
operate little shops from a window in their home -- usually with the pizza
or ham sandwiches. We ate lunch on the street and had a large dinner at a
state restaurant or private home. Do I need to tell you that the private
homes were mucho better? And sadly, the almightly dollar now rules.
On topic, I traveled with my own dried peppers, which I left with the van
driver when I left.
Sarah