BREAKFAST
AT HOME IN HAVANA
Today
was to be a day of rest and it did turn out this way. A morning walk along the
Malecon before it got too hot and then stop in front of Hotel Presidente to
catch their Wi-Fi signal to check the emails or msg from Asia before it is too
late over there.
When
I got home, fully stocked as it was by my landlady, the neighbour came up to
prepare a nice cup of flavourful coffee (why does the coffee taste so good in
Havana compared to Miami I always wonder?).
It
was a full breakfast with the added luxury of being able to read the New York
Times!
An
omelet with vegetables, toasted bread with cheese and strawberry preserve from
France , freshly squeezes papaya juice..
The
days have a different rhythm in Havana. I go for a walk in the morning,
preferably by the seaside, then check my email at the wifi hotspot, a leisurely
breakfast and then plan the day, which usually involves spnding time with
friends or colleagues.
I
am having a few friends over for dinner in two days time (may be about 15-18),
so my duty is to find good wines to the bottles which I brought from Miami :
Shiraz from Australia, Malbec from Argentina and a Kim Crawford. Cuba does not
have a wine culture and whoever is the buyer for the supermarkets is oenological
novice at best.. we forgive him for brining the best of the “plonk” from other
countries and doubling the price, I wonder whether anyone ever buys any wine
except the addicted ones from the west?
But
it is a pleasure for me to look at the various products displayed at the
supermarkets here, almost all of them are imported and almost all of them could
be produced locally. Why biscuits from Brasil or Milk from Spain? And of course
they don’t have to produce it and sell it to the public at a price which does
not reflect the earning capacity of the average Cuban.
I
asked my friend jokingly, we are the best supermarket for Affections, you can
have various types of home made affections available here in Cuba but why our
supermarkets for goods are so underdeveloped?
No
one can explain the economy of this country to me. People are not paid much but
every one seems to be well fed and well clothed . There is not the poverty one
is used to seeing in other Latin American countries, nor are their excesses
present. A very healthy population, all children at school, good medical
system, and health care, but the prices of goods at store and the quality of
goods are beyond comprehension.
The
only thing one can say is CHEAP in our supermarkets is the RUM produced in Cuba
which costs only about 25% of the price abroad. Every other item is more
expensive than Europe.
This
is what I was thinking about, while enjoying a breakfast at my house in Havana,
Cuba
