Rationed Products in Havana Jan. 6-12
HAVANA TIMES — The following is a list of the products available to Havana residents during the week of January 6-12 with their ration cards.
Chicken: (one pound for consumers over 14 and also for those persons under doctor’s prescription). Distribution in the municipalities of Plaza, Cotorro and Guanabacoa.
Ground Beef: (one pound for children between 0 and 13 years). Distribution begins in San Miguel del Padron and Diez de Octubre.
Mortadela: (a half pound for all consumers). Distribution begins in Old Havana and Boyeros.
Eggs: (5 per consumer and for those under doctor´s prescription). Distribution ends in Guanabacoa and begins in Habana del Este and Diez de Octubre.
Chicken for Fish: (11 ounces per consumer). Likewise, 6 lbs. of frozen fish with heads and tail for those with medical prescriptions and special diets for children under 18. Distribution begins in Cerro, La Lisa, Habana del Este and Marianao.
Additional eggs at the “liberated” price of 1.10 pesos at the network of state mini-markets and butchers.
The sale of wheat flour continues at the mini-market network. Personal hygiene products are for sale at the neighborhood “bodegas”, supermarkets and other selected sales points.
Non-rationed matches and plastic bags are for sale for 1.00 peso.
Information: the Havana Provincial Marketing Enterprise
The reality of the food distribution through Bodegas and the image presented in this post are universes apart. First, seldom do individual bodegas receive the appropriate allotment intended to satisfy the demand in their immediate area. As a result, the ‘Bodeguero’ must decide between distributing the ration according to the rules of the ‘libreta’ or ration book or reducing the ration in order to satisfy the demand in his area. Second, in most cases, Bodegas run out of the staples within minutes of opening their doors leaving most customer needs unsatisfied. The Bodegas in the Central Havana neighborhood of my favorite casa particular would have lines of mostly elderly people waiting for the 7AM open time as early as 5AM. Before 8AM, the chicken, beef, fish, leche de soya and sometimes rice and sugar would be gone. The owner of my casa particular allows an elderly neighbor to use her ration book to help make ends meet. Even so, many times the amount allowed per the libreta is not available in the bodega. The personal hygiene products, when available, are of terrible quality, especially the bar soap. Bodegas in general are tiny, dark, dirty, infested food warehouses that would fail every food safety and health code regulation you can imagine. It is so sad that poor Cubans must accept this lack of sanitation because they lack the ‘fula’ to shop in the markets that transact in CUC. These divisa stores are no WalMart SuperStores but at least you don’t see the rodent feces even if you know its there. As a result, most Bodegas have stray cats that the workers keep around with congris handouts on newspaper. If this is the Castros’ version of socialism, no thanks!