Day 5: The Food. La Comida. The photo above is a typical produce stand in Havana. They call it the "little table on wheels" (una mesita con ruedas). Fresh food is not easy to come by in Havana and therefore it is highly valued. Every evening the little table on wheels rolls through the neighborhoods offering a bit of fresh produce for family dinner. The woman in this photo is most likely negotiating the price of the tomato with the vendor. Every bit of food is so valuable that it is worth negotiating for a fair price.
Most of the nation's food is exported to other countries or used to feed tourists. Regular Cubanos survive from a government operated food rationing system established in 1962 called Libreta de Abastecimiento (literally, "Supplies booklet"). Below is an example of a typical food ration for one person for a month. In contrast, Americans throw away nearly half their food every year, wasting roughly $165 billion annually.
| Product | Quantity | Price (CUP) |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 6 pounds (2.7 kg) | 0.70 / lb |
| Beans | 20 ounces (570 g) | 0.32 / lb |
| White (refined) sugar | 3 pounds (1.4 kg) | 0.15 / lb |
| Dark (unrefined) sugar | 3 pounds (1.4 kg) | 0.10 / lb |
| Milk (only children under 7 years) | 1 lt / day | 0.25 / each |
| Eggs (*) | 12 | 0.15 each |
| Potatoes/bananas | 15 pounds (6.8 kg) | 0.40 / lb |
| (*) Only from September through December. | ||
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