62 www.eatdrink.ca the liGhter siDe issue no. 24

Hamming It Up In Havana

By Darin Cook Afriend of mine spent time in Cuba on business, and his advice to me before my own trip to Havana was not to expect much in the way of gourmet food. Apparently, he had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch every day. "Canned ham is their national food," he warned. I thought he was either joking or abstaining from being an adventurous eater by not trying enough local dishes; food is, after all, an integral part of the travel experience. But now I know better. It's safe to say there is very little adventure, variety or spiciness when it comes to Cuban food, and he had little choice but to survive on ham and cheese. I am a sandwich lover, and even though Cuban bocaditos were in every roadside restaurant, it was rare to find anything other than ham and cheese. Most countries have menus that define them, but Cuba, even with its unique and rich culture, has very few food items that can be ascribed to it alone. No one comes to Cuba to gorge themselves on ham and cheese sandwiches, but if forced to pick a national food, it would have to be ham. I heard that employees were rewarded with gifts of canned ham for showing up to work on time - not your typical work bonus, but in Cuba, it makes sense. I once ordered la bocadito especial, which was supposedly the special of the day, but alas, it was only ham and cheese. Being at a restaurant without ham and cheese would be noteworthy. Cuban chefs must be brainwashed to use as much ham as possible. A number of times I avoided the ham being offered because the quality was questionable, and I often asked for solo queso (only cheese). This was not natural for Cubans to hear. "Solo queso?" they repeated in the form of a question, as if a sandwich without ham was a criminal offence, then shook their heads and threw some canned ham on my sandwich anyway. August/september 2010 Even amongst dubious sandwich offerings from rundown restaurants across Havana, home cooking often saved the day. Staying at a casa particulares in Cuba is the equivalent of a bed and breakfast in Britain, and the ones in the smaller towns in the countryside put on a good breakfast spread for their guests with fresh fruit, bread, eggs, and sweet Cuban coffee. And of course, plenty of ham. One night, my friends and I stayed at a charming home in the pleasant town of Vinales, surrounded by tobacco fields and rolling countryside. We arrived late at night and the homeowner informed us breakfast would be at 8:00 a.m. With a big smile, she guided us into the kitchen, gesturing at a dead pig on the counter. The whole pig - hooves, snout, and all. She seemed pleased to show us the freshness of what most likely would be included in our breakfast. I never expected to spend so much time among chickens and pigs, in what is conceivably an urban centre, and the noises coming from these farm animals were non-stop. My night's sleep wasn't very restful in what I thought would be a peaceful town, away from the racket of Havana - the traffic, the yelling people, the blaring salsa music - but a whole array of new noises was awaiting in this town of Vinales. Cuban roosters are obviously not privy to the idea that roosters crow at dawn - cock-a-doodle-dos continued all night. When a rooster wasn't crowing, there was a pig grunting like there was no tomorrow, which is most likely true, because all that ham comes from somewhere. The next morning, the breakfast was excellent. And the ham? At least it didn't come out of a can. dArIN CooK is a London-based freelance writer and avid traveller.

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