Mango Season in Cuba
HAVANA TIMES – The season has arrived for a fruit so cherished by Cuban women: the mango. We eat it in every way possible—juice, sweets, smoothies, raw. There are many varieties, and they’re all delicious. When this time of year comes around, we all agree that hunger disappears. Right now, they’re expensive in the markets, but mango trees grow everywhere, so I consider them accessible in one way or another to everyone.
They help solve that brutal challenge that is food in this country, a matter that remains urgently pressing every single day. It’s not something that can be put off. At night, if hunger strikes while watching a movie or lying in bed, you eat a mango and drift off into grateful sleep. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to sleep, or you’ll sleep poorly. We women born on this island know this, especially those of us who don’t belong to the ruling caste or the few good business people and others who have “escaped” this collapse.
It’s no coincidence that food is one of the most frequent topics in our conversations. On the street where my cousin lives, there’s a couple—a Cuban woman and an Italian man—with two daughters. They plan to return to Italy soon. My aunt asked one of the girls: “Do you want to leave Cuba?” She replied, “No, in some ways, yes in others.” And the reason for her “Yes”? Food! She said the pizzas over there are bigger and have more toppings, and that when she went to El Valle (a recreational center mainly for children here in Holguín), the only thing she ate was a mango lollipop.
I laughed at the story. But honestly, if I think about it more deeply, it’s not funny at all. If anything, it’s upsetting. I don’t have children, and I don’t want to imagine how mothers manage with their kids’ toys, hygiene, clothes, school supplies… and food. Where a piece of candy at any street stand costs a fortune. Homemade caramels—sometimes really bad—are still outrageously expensive!
I took several cooking classes at the local Chef’s House. The pastry and bakery course had no practical lessons! But how could it not? Cooking is like learning to drive, speak a language, or play a musical instrument… it requires practice! If that part isn’t included in the program, the course simply shouldn’t exist. If all they’re going to do is recite dessert recipes, I’d be better off grabbing a cookbook at home—I wouldn’t have to waste money or brave the heat traveling anywhere.
While talking with a friend about this topic, and we both love cooking, she told me she was a big fan of watching MasterChef competitions. And when she saw the sheer variety of foods, ingredients, cooking methods, and everything else, she was hit with a deep sense of disappointment. “I realized how poor we really are,” she told me. “I couldn’t do any of it!” And she’s right. I feel the same thing every time I watch those shows or French movies with their restaurants and wines, or any film from any country, or hear facts about places like India with all their spices—which I love.
Let’s not forget that Cuban cuisine is very tasty. And for me, it’s extremely delicious—even with the little that’s made it to people like me. I was born in 1980 in the northeastern part of Oriente, in a very poor area. It’s true that when you travel outside the country, what you miss most is the language and the food. That’s absolutely true for me. And I believe, from the deepest part of my being, that once Cuban women and men learn how to put this country back on track, this tragedy of food insecurity will be completely eradicated.
May we be able to solve all, or at least most, of our challenges as a people, especially the question of how to nourish our bodies. Because you can’t create poetry, justice, freedom, or build any of the values that our culture so wisely upholds if there is no bread.