Darah and I met at University of Arizona in 2004 and were thick as of thieves all throughout college. Even though she moved back to California and I to Texas we have always had such a strong bond. We coined each other years ago “sugar and spice” or the perfect yin to my yang.
Darah studied abroad in Barcelona our junior year and ever since she has traveled both professionally and personally all over the world. She knows exactly the type of “vibes” I would like whether its shopping, restaurants, or hotels which makes her my ultimate travel guru. See below for my interview.
How do you know me?
“I picked you up from the street in college because you didn’t know how to cross it.” (she’s kidding, I think).
Why were you in Cuba?:
“I went on a humanitarian trip with an organization called JDC to explore Jewish Cuba and the culture and community there. It was a quick trip, well worth the whirl wind of 5 days.”
What surprised you the most about Cuba?
“The cuisine was the biggest surprise to me. The Cuban food I grew up with were foods like luxurious Cuban sandwiches, rice & beans, flavorful chicken and fish with a variety of flavors. Sadly Cuba’s local cuisine is much more simple and limited due to a lack of resources and money. The biggest shock to me was the lack of variety in food options for simple things like breads, eggs, and any basic needs. Cubans get weekly rations of the amount of food they can purchase and have to go to 3 different store fronts to get all of their necessities. The amount they are allowed to receive is so small compared to our normal shopping experience. Even with these diversities, Cubans are so humble and will not complain about the little that they have. There is a ton of pride for their heritage, culture, and country!”
As a knowledgeable friend of someone following the FODMAP diet what travel advice do you have for visiting?
“If you can eat rice & potatoes, you are in luck because there are some very tasty rice dishes. I was on a Jewish organized trip and it was easy for people in the group to keep Kosher only because we were tourists and were able to pay for that premium. Sadly keeping Kosher is nonexistent for Cubans due to their lack of resources and access to Kosher food. There used to be a Kosher butcher who would come into Havana weekly in the country side but this ended after the revolution because of their lack of transportation resources.
Also there were a lot of Fodmap safe fruits & vegetables like eggplant, plantains, coconut that were readily available. Some of my favorites were the plantains, rice & beans.
The Cubans we met chuckled at us because living in LA we are so used to changing our order and asking for substitutions but that doesn’t exist in Cuba. You eat what is in front of you.
There aren’t restaurants in Cuba but there are paladares (Mostly family-run businesses, paladares are fundamentally directed to serve as a counterpart to state-run restaurants for tourists seeking a more vivid interaction with Cuban reality, and looking for homemade Cuban food.)-Wikipedia. It feels like a restaurant but it is a warm and inviting space. The government allows these families to employ others and act like a restaurant.”
How did you survive the lack of communication i.e. Phone service:
“It was the best 4 days being unplugged and just being present in the Cuban culture. As someone who works in a highly communicative industry, I’m constantly expected to be available night and day, but being away from communication puts it all in perspective. In Cuba, you saw kids playing marbles on the street instead of glued to their phone screens. The locals do want more access to internet and go to hot spots to get as much internet as they can but it’s not part of their day to day. You can find the best Cuban lifestyles dancing salsa in the street and listening to the best music there is.”
