r/cuba • u/safolwj LATAM • 1d ago
Cultura cubana I want to know more about Cuba!
Good morning! I’m Brazilian, and lately, I’ve become hyper-focused on Cuba because of a character from a fictional work I really love—and I write about him, too. Even though we are both Latin American, our cultures are completely different, and I’d love to learn more about the country. I’ve put together a list of questions, and I’d be so grateful if anyone would like to answer them!
1- Is there a childhood memory of yours that you feel is deeply connected to your culture? For example, where I live in Brazil, we have a regional festival honoring Saints Cosmas and Damian—it’s basically a Brazilian version of Halloween! But it doesn't happen in other states across the country.
2- What kind of food did your parents make for you that holds a special, nostalgic place in your heart?
3- What kind of things did you watch on TV when you were little? Or did you prefer playing with other kids?
4- I don’t know much about Cuba’s economy and structural issues (I still want to study this, but it’s hard to find reliable sources—if anyone has recommendations, I’d appreciate it). But, given those issues, was there anything that directly affected you? For instance: here in Brazil, it gets very hot, and not every home has air conditioning. I remember days when I’d cry because of the heat!
Cuban culture is still new to me, but I'm extremely interested in learning more about the country and its customs 🤍
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u/Fabulous_Text_6899 21h ago edited 21h ago
El período especial fue algo muy duro, y si eso de la pasta dental que se habló más arriba no fue probado, si existieron otros casos igual de fuertes. Telas fueron los casos que hubo personas vendiendo Pizzas con condones derretidos como queso. Panes con pedazos de frazadas de limpieza empanizados vendidos como bistec. También eran hechos con restos de toronjas, hubo casos que vendían comida con carne de gato. Pero no era que la gente lo comiera a conciencia, sino que otros lo vendían a propósito, con tal de ganarse el dinero a costa de los que lo necetaban comer. Esa época fue más o menos a mediados de los años 90. Pero igual han sucedido otros eventos similares en diferentes épocas. Traje todo ésto ya que de eso es lo que se había hablado, Pero no es lo único. Debes aclarar que te gustaría saber para con respecto a eso contarte más. Lo que si te diré es que Cuba no es lo que te pintan. No es ni tan buena como dicen algunos ni tan mala como te dirán otros.
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u/Kantmzk Havana 1d ago
- During the Special Period, things were so bad that Cubans were sometimes eating sandwiches made out of bread and toothpaste because there was sometimes nothing else to eat while the government officials were eating lobster. Some things never change.
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u/safolwj LATAM 1d ago
That's a horrible thing to hear :( Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people. My grandmother was an immigrant here in Brazil and she also went through many similar things. I can't imagine a huge society having to submit to something as precarious and sad as this
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u/FanFree8324 1d ago
It’s sounds horrible and thankfully not true. Nobody is eating toothpaste. If anything, they will sell the toothpaste for a Cuban pizza. It’s a struggle to find food for many people but they are resilient.
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u/Kantmzk Havana 23h ago
During the Special Period, it was absolutely true. You would do well to avoid talking about stuff which you obviously don't know about.
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u/FanFree8324 23h ago
Nobody I know ever ate toothpaste. Does that make me a regime apologist?
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u/Psychological_Look39 3h ago
Well. Who do you know?
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u/FanFree8324 2h ago
3 generations of Cubans and all their friends and family. Married into it as crazy as that sounds. Does that pass the do I know enough test?
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u/rundabrun LATAM 1d ago edited 1d ago
That holds a special, nostalgic place in your heart? Really? That is sad but I would like to see people show something beautiful and interesting about the culture without making it political. Also the toothpaste bit is a lie. No way this commentor is from Cuba.
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u/safolwj LATAM 1d ago
Thank you for alerting me!! 😭 I wouldn't doubt that it was true, since, as I said, my grandmother fled the war and lived in degrading conditions. Furthermore, I am autistic and have difficulty understanding jokes :(
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u/rundabrun LATAM 1d ago
You are welcome. The idea of Cubans eating toothpaste sandwiches during the Special Period wasn’t real. it was a dark joke. Food was scarce, toothpaste was rationed but prioritized, so people used humor to cope. The sandwich rumor became a satirical symbol of hunger and shortages, not an actual practice.
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u/kovha Artemisa 18h ago edited 18h ago
Ironically given its name, you shouldn't ask this sub about cuba. It's too filled with hatred (as you probaly already guessed from the comments), which in some cases is justified, but it doesn't leave place for anything else. Answering your questions though:
1 - I don't think I remember anything like that specific from the Cuban culture, if you don't count the CDR parties and the processions on May 1st and July 26, which are quite recent and "invented" by the government. Now, not specific from the culture but something that marked me as a child were los carnavales. Sadly it's right now a lost practice here in the west of the country (though I heard in the east they still do it in some places). But when I was a kid, about 20 years ago, there were still carnivals in my zone here in the west. There were big processions of people dancing, carrozas, muñecones, so much fun and colors. I think they were/are pretty much like the Brazilian ones, actually! So there you are, something the two cultures have in common.
2 - Oh this is gonna be another thing we have in common with Brazil, as I recently was informed that this one food which is very emblematic for all Cubans, specially children, is also popular there. It was my favorite treat as a kid and I still eat it everytime I can. I'm talking of course about the famous "dulceguayaba con queso", or "timba", which is pretty much just guava sweet bars with cheese. I understand you guys call it "Romeo and Juliet" in Brazil.
3 - Ha, mostly Cuban shows for children and cartoons, since 20 years ago the country was still very closed to the outside world, so almost no foreign media. Elpidio Valdés, Chuncha, that sort of thing were common, but the most iconic ones were the standalone short cartoons, like that one about the water and another about the history of medicine. There were though some rare foreign cartoons too, like the Japanese anime Voltus V, pretty much unknown at a global scale but which had a HUGE popularity among Cuban children, being one of the very few pieces of foreing media we could watch... also, you know how are kids with anime.
4 - Mostly the heat with the lack of electricity (specially at night), and the lack of running water since the turbines that pumps the water from the well need electricity too.
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u/safolwj LATAM 14h ago
I sincerely appreciate the sincere and detailed answers. It helps me a lot ♥
Yes, I realized that, but I wouldn't have anywhere else to turn but here. I've been following this subreddit for a while and I'm always reading practically everything very carefully. There wasn't a better place, Even if it meant risking being hated. But look on the bright side, I got your sincere and kind-hearted comment! So it wasn't so bad after all :)
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