Sunday, 31 January 2010

Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music

According to one of the meanings of the word 'perspective' is: 'the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship'. So, in a sense, the word carries with it an analytical and rational message that underpins its relation between perception (seeing) and interpretation (the data).

That one's perspective is shaped by circumstances is beyond doubt. Theories that we held dear in our younger years, sometimes fall by the wayside once our attitude to life changes. And oftentimes, too, we find that our experience of past events has suddenly taken on a hue that goes from light crimson to pale reddish purple. That was certainly the case recently when I learned, via The Economist (10th October 2009 issue) that Cuba's famous 'free lunch' (please, note the quotation marks) was coming to an end.

Under the headline, 'Giving more than taking away', the state-run daily newspaper, Granma, highlighted recently an initiative by the Cuban government to shut down workers' canteens and provide instead a compensation package of 15 pesos per day (approximately 37p in the current exchange rate). The knock-on effect is a payrise in return for a lunch that was frequently derided. So, everybody's happy and we can go back to planning the next stage of that beautiful utopia: tropical socialism.

Well, hang on a second. With Cuba's black market playing the leading role in the country's economy, this idea is not only bad, but also dumb. If even government regulation fails as catastrophically as it did at the end of 2008 in Europe and the US, what can we expect of an illegal system in which prices fluctuate as often as people change their underwear (usually found, incidentally, in the black market)? The other reason why this scheme is plain silly is that it tries (once again!) to mask the real state of the Cuban economy, US embargo notwithstanding. Investment by foreign business has plateaued, imports have also plummeted and budgets for state-run companies have been cut. The solution, which was hinted at in the mid 90s, but since abandoned by the octogenarian ex-leader Fidel Castro, should be to encourage the - still - small private sector and the formation of social enterprises. Note, social enterprises, not cooperatives, unless the latter turn out to be different from their predecessors.

But let's come back to that 'free lunch' and my quotation marks. The reason for my rose-tinted view - just in case the colour described above eluded you - is that I benefited from that scheme once in my life. For six months, a small coach (what a posh name for an 'Aspirina', I hear you say, my dear fellow Cuban readers and bloggers) would take us, the Tricontinental editorial team, down to a small canteen in the heart of Vedado. I remember enjoying the journey as much as I loved the food. And the lunch? It was never free. You paid for it the day before. How much was it? My memory befuddles me, but it was definitely in the region of between two and five pesos. Was it good and varied? Skip the variety and the quality bit. It was 'jama' (Cuban slang for 'food') and that was all that mattered. This was '97. Some people went without eating for a couple of days, having glasses of sugared water instead. Or if they had some money left from their paltry monthly wages, they would buy overpriced pizzas in La Rampa. Some of those pizzas were made with condoms instead of cheese. Sorry, I know, it's Sunday morning, I don't mean to put you off your breakfast.

So, that famous 'free lunch'... will be heavily missed. That brings me to the second part of this post.

Still with that definition of 'perspective' in mind I read with interest that a debate was raging some time ago in the UK about 'flexitarians'. No, this is not a new club of long-limbed members doing the washing-up whilst performing the split. It is, rather, a term for people who don't eat meat but tuck into fish, white meat or anything, as long as it's organic. The Vegetarian Society was adamant in its response to this trend: 'VEGETARIANS DON'T EAT FISH', proclaimed its magazine recently. And so it goes on, the tuxedo-clad real veggies vs the casual-wear flexitarians.

Ahhh... the freedom of choice. I know, I know, that lumping the Cuba government's decision to close down lunch canteens together with a fashionable new term for the sushi-eaters is neither here nor there. It is also counterproductive and just downright unfair. At the end of the day people make their own decisions, but I just can't tear my thoughts away from the thousands of people who will be affected by this new measure Raúl and his comrades will implement, whilst others are wrecking their brains trying to figure out what label to stick on a particular foodie group. It is simple too meaty an issue to ponder upon, or should I say, it is a fleshy perspective for which my ability to see all the relevant data has, for once, failed me.

Copyright 2010

Next Post: 'London, my London', to be published on Tuesday 2nd February at 11:59pm (GMT)


  1. Yes, I spend Sunday mornings much the same way. Right about now, going to have some café, light up a cigar. Excellent post, always good to drop by here.

  2. Thank you Cuban, an excellent post on something I knew nothing of and the comparison with the raging debate around ethical eating in the countries where food=plethora of choice was very good, apposite and as you say, too large to truly get your head around when you think that all man (and woman) was created equal. Or certainly should be, by this stage of our evolution.

  3. I feel your heart is with me and I am glad that we share this space.

    Love Renee xoxoxo

  4. Nunca había oído el term "flexitarians"... me gusta! Muy interesante el post, y un tema que no conocía.

  5. Love that song at the end! I have seen their name but not heard any of their music before. Gorgeous sound.

  6. Hi CiL, this post is exactly why your blog
    is so important; you bring to light subjects
    that I for one and many others would not
    hear about anywhere else. I have always
    been fascinated with Cuba and the people
    there, thank you for writing about these
    strong people with such heart.

  7. I enjoy your talented and passionate writing, Mr. Cuban. My thoughts and prayer go out to the people of Cuba. Thanks for keeping us posted on issues we often miss.

  8. Cuban, once again, I'm speechless at your ability to bring us a piece of the world that is very much yours. There are such hidden intricacies in the political situations that play out in any country, but I think we are often battered by news that ignores those intricacies and instead feeds us what it wants us to hear and believe. So, thank you for sharing a piece of your homeland, every once in a while. It helps make the world a smaller place.

    And that song was just beautifully haunting!


  9. Many thanks for your beautiful comments.

    Greetings from London.

  10. It isn't often that we have our myopic views brought up to speed. Thank you for this post.

  11. The Sunday morning pizza ritual..oh, please tell me that's a myth!!
    jama..Cuban slang for food/ american for "Journal of the American Medical Association"..depends on your perspective!
    Always thoughtful..thank you..

  12. Thanks for the post. You brought to light Something I was not aware of!

  13. Only you could link "the Cuba government's decision to close down lunch canteens together with a fashionable new term for the sushi-eaters." You have the ability to see both the substance and the ridiculous -- a wonderful gift. And thanks for sharing news about the situation in Cuba.

  14. When we travel, we do not eat meat, no meat,sin carne. But we would take fish and seafood. I would like a trend or term for that so that it would be easy for people to understand:)

    I recognised and understood the extremes that you have highlighted in your post. Thank you.

  15. Interesting read on your take on market based strategies to boost the economy. Those oversized or overpriced pizzas you mentioned...fact or fiction? Somehow I think the latter. :-) Greetings from Atlanta.

  16. Vengo por aqui y veo que tienes cosas interesantes que quisiera leer, y me da una pena no tener tiempo!
    A ver si puedo otro dia...
    un saludo mientras tanto



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