Cultural Cuba: Old Havana

SATURDAY NIGHT, JAN. 26

At 6:30 pm after a detailed briefing from Alfredo, we had a concert by Alberto Faya and a combo of keyboard, bass guitar, and drums.  Senor Faya is a professor, performer and noted Cuban music historian who hosts a weekly radio show and is quite a celebrity.  He gave us an informative narrative of 500 years of Cuban music back to its African roots, punctuated by songs and instrumental pieces.  Some pieces were composed or arranged by Faya himself or by his son, the guitarist.  His wife, also a music professor, played keyboard for one arrangement. It was a lively way to begin the formal part of our people-to-people exchange.

Following the concert, we boarded our very nice modern tour bus for a short ride to central Havana and then to the tiny Chinatown area for dinner at San Cristobal, a high end restaurant.  The streets were narrow and so we left the bus and walked the last two blocks on crumbling sidewalks past unprepossessing buildings and dodgy looking surroundings.  The elegant double doors to San Cristobal were just a hint of what was to come. After a brief wait in the lobby, we were ushered into a private room with a large round table easily able to accommodate our group of ten.  The walls were plastered with photos, art, and many small wooden pendulum clocks.

 As it turned out, President Obama dined here in March 2016 in this very room and Holli had the seat of honor where he sat.  Tablecloth was gold and set with bright magenta napkins. The meal had been pre-arranged, and mojitos were brought for everyone and a round platter of hors d’oeuvres set out on a lazy Susan (a Chinatown touch).  Everything from tiny fried taro balls, blue and Swiss cheeses, fish and shrimp ceviches, Spanish omelet bites, some kind of eggplant which had chocolately overtones, and some pepperoniesque slices.  

The entree choices were grilled chicken or fish, lamb stew, pork, or shrimp in sauce.  The Chief Penguin and I had the grilled chicken, thin slices, which we learned was imported from Brazil, not local.  It was tasty.  Bowls of potatoes flavored with paprika and one of mixed vegetables (carrots, eggplant, cabbage) were brought for the table.  Wine was poured and as a finale, glasses were placed and we each got a shot of 50 year old rum!  Quite an experience and all made more special by recalling how much we missed that president.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 10:30 and time to call it a day—a long day!

SUNDAY, JAN. 27

Breakfast was served officially beginning at 8 am, but we got there a few minutes early.  Knowing that it might be a long time until lunch, I ordered scrambled eggs and ham along with toast, only to learn later that the country has a shortage of eggs and some hotels don’t have any to serve.  I won’t repeat that order tomorrow.

Cuba has system of ration cards and our local guide told us that everyone gets enough to eat, but that food must be gotten from several sources.  The amounts allowed per person for a month through the ration card are not enough so people buy from both the small produce carts that are now allowed (a bit of private enterprise) through a licensing process and often through the black market.  

Seventy percent of Cuba’s food has to be imported, even meats such as chicken.  The government does not have enough grain to feed chickens to become food rather than raising them as egg producers. On Saturday afternoon, the Chief Penguin and I did visit the shopping center facing the Malecon and went into the supermarket. The frozen case had lots of turkeys and one large whole salmon while there wee shelves with lots of canned and jarred tomato products. Selection overall was very limited.

We have enjoyed several lovely generous meals so far at new private restaurants, but even they,  as the co-owner of yesterday’s lunch place told us, have difficulties sourcing supplies and producing the food listed on their menu.  

We spent several hours this morning exploring the streets of Old Havana on foot and visiting four important and historic squares:  Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de San Francisco.  We also walked through Plaza del Cristo, Marlon’s favorite since it draws locals rather than tourists. Most of the others were crowded with clusters of visitors.  The architecture ranged in age from the 16^thcentury fort at the port entrance through lovely 18^thcentury buildings including a convent in Plaza de San Francisco to more contemporary buildings from the 1950’s.  On every street, however, you see the famous classic cars, some well maintained colorful convertibles available for hire with a driver, others old clunkers.

Before lunch, we visited a groundbreaking graphic design shop, Clandestina, which is using recycled fabrics and other materials to produce a range of silk screened shirts, dresses and bags.  This is a private business founded by Cuban designers and they recently held their first fashion show.  They are also the first Cuban business to have their store on the Web.  I had a pleasant chat with one of the team, a young man who is in his last year of school working toward his graphic design degree.  

To get to our lunch destination, we rode on a  bicycle taxi.  Some of Havana’s streets are narrow and this is an efficient mode of transport which holds two people. Our driver was adept at avoiding potholes and obvious bumps.  Lunch was again at one of the new private restaurants, Mas Habana.  We began with the ubiquitous mojitos and a choice of appetizer, tomato bruschetta or cheese balls (I chose the latter), then had the option of shredded beef Cuban style, grilled shrimps in garlic sauce, lobster tail, chicken, or pork.  

I ordered the pork which was thin slices topped with grilled onions and accompanied by fried plantain slices and a bit of salad.  Bowls of rice to pass were added to the table.  The pork was just fine, but I think the beef entrée and the lobster were the stars. 

For dessert, we could have homemade ice cream:   guava, pineapple, or red mamey, each served in its fruit shell. The mamey was a lovely salmon color and has an unusual mild flavor not like anything else.   It says something about the quality of this paladar that we had so many entrée options.  Lunch was leisurely and after arriving about noon, it was 2:00 pm when we left.

Before making leaving the neighborhood, we briefly went into Floridita, a famous bar and one of Ernest Hemingway’s haunts. He’s immortalized with a sculpture.

Next and last stop by bus was the Colon Cemetery, one of the oldest and most important in Latin America.  It was named for Christopher Columbus and opened in the 1860’s and contains many large mausoleums and lots of sculpture.  A number of very wealthy and prominent individuals and their families are buried here.  

Octavio, a very knowledgeable staff member in the cemetery archives, developed a second job and a following as tour guide extraordinaire.  He has a unique rapid fire delivery, a wicked sense of humor, and a way of asking his audience after key points, “Understood?”   We began our walkabout with him on foot, but then the clouds let loose so for the remainder he joined us on the bus.  Afterwards, our GeoEx and local guides exclaimed that they had just seen parts of the cemetery they’d never seen before!

Tonight to a former cooking oil factory warehouse now a center for art and music.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).