What is the food and water situation in Cuba?

Old May 23rd, 2017, 07:54 AM
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What is the food and water situation in Cuba?

Is the old standard - don't eat raw vegetables/fruits unless they can be peeled, don't drink tap water - applicable in Cuba? (FWIW, we were recently in Mexico (tourist areas around the Mayan Riviera/Tulum) and Guatemala, all over --- we were careful, but not THAT careful. Neither of us got even a little sick, but two people in our group did --- one was out of commission for a day and a half). Just want to plan.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 10:26 AM
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"Is the old standard - don't eat raw vegetables/fruits unless they can be peeled, don't drink tap water - applicable in Cuba? "

Yes, generally.
You can brush your teeth with tap water, though, which we don't do in Mexico. (Or at least, I've never had problems in Cuba.) Bottled water for drinking is widely available for purchase in various sizes of bottles, small bottles sometimes in the fridge of your casa room for a higher charge, or presumably in the hotel mini-bar. Coffee and juices in many casas are made with boiled water, which is then put in a filtered container, available for drinking or refrigerated. Haven't stayed in hotels, so don't know their kitchen habits or tap safety.
You will be offered peeled fruits for breakfast in hotels/casas.
Salad is usually shredded cabbage. In upscale places, you may get a few lettuce leaves in addition. Personally I haven't had problems with sliced tomatoes or unpeeled slices of cukes; presumably they've been washed in boiled/filtered water.
You often have to hunt pretty hard in Havana and elsewhere to find street markets selling fresh fruit and veggies, so you may be depending on your casa host or hotel to provide food, unlike Mexico. Bring snacks (granola bars, etc) from home.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 11:07 AM
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Thank you!
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Old May 24th, 2017, 12:47 PM
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There is another problem in Cuba with water, sf, which is a lack of it, especially in places like Santa Clara, which when we visited seemed more or less to have run out, so that all the hotels and bars had closed their toilets, even at the Che Guevara monument. this is inconvenient for tourists like us, but awful for the locals who probably face these difficulties daily.

We always used bottled water, even to brush our teeth.
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Old May 24th, 2017, 02:25 PM
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What season of the year were you there? Water availability is effected by seasonal lack of rain, even in the US. Your trip was over a year ago, wasn't it?
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Old May 24th, 2017, 02:44 PM
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it was in January, which is supposedly a dry time, though there were some quite heavy rainstorms while we were there, and before we got to Santa Clara where the worst problem was. Not sure why what year it was is relevant but it was 2016.

BTW are you suggesting that it's commonplace in the US for hotels, bars and tourist attractions to close their lavatories for lack of water? It rarely happens in Europe, IME.

This is NOT a criticism of the Cubans or the way they run their society, I'm sure that they are doing the best they can in trying circumstances but it is something that is relevant to the OP.
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Old May 24th, 2017, 03:30 PM
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Water shortages can be seasonal, and do not necessarily occur each year.

Certainly residential water customers in the US are prohibited from certain usage of water considered unnecessary, and heavily financially penalized, including for flushing toilets, and restaurants also alter their water usage, if there is a drought/water shortage. At such times, having a houseguest can cost quite a bit for extra water use in a household, including an AirBnB lodging situation.
The OP seems to be from the Bay Area, so might be quite familiar with these conditions.
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Old May 25th, 2017, 07:10 AM
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I did a little more research. Apparently there is an ongoing 3 year old drought on the island.
The government has been prioritizing tourist hotels and neighborhoods in Havana for water delivery (by tanker truck to tanks in individual buildings), similar to the way it has been reported that food is being prioritized for tourists vs. locals. In some poorer neighborhoods of Havana, therefore, residents are rationing water, which we tourists likely don't see and are unaware of.
My conclusion is that the very presence of tourists like ourselves may indeed be causing hardship to a certain segment of the Cuban population whose food and water we are consuming, despite our financial support to another segment. Rather than obsess about our own slight discomfort at perhaps not immediately finding a bathroom, maybe, if we really want to be humanitarians, we should all just stay home and not use resources Cubans need.
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Old May 25th, 2017, 09:31 AM
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Rather than obsess about our own slight discomfort at perhaps not immediately finding a bathroom, maybe, if we really want to be humanitarians, we should all just stay home and not use resources Cubans need.>>

indeed, but then they would miss the tourist dollars which they sorely need as well.

I do think that the all inclusive resorts along the north coast are potentially a greater environmental and cultural problem than the rental of casas in the cities and towns where the money does at least go to Cuban citizens and their families rather than to big business or the Cuban government. the super-cruise boats [super in respect of size rather than quality] add another layer of problems to the places where they stop which are already struggling.

There is probably no right answer to all of this.
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Old May 25th, 2017, 10:46 AM
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In conjunction with the question itself, SambaChula gave some very helpful and salient advice to the query. But I would advise NOT brushing one's teeth with the water from the tap. I read this in guide books; I used bottled water to brush my "pearly whites" when I visited in '89, '15, and in March of 2017.
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Old May 25th, 2017, 11:15 AM
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Regarding brushing teeth with tap water, there's a thread on Thorn Tree that is also discussing this currently. Some of the folks who have spent considerable time in Cuba say it's OK, some say the bacteria are the same as if you drank the water (although it does not end up in your stomach in quantity), some are talking about all sorts of filters and chemicals usually used by back-country campers, some say it depends on location --one extreme to the other. And the newer visitors vary in their opinions as well.

All I can say is that I've been fine brushing my teeth with tap water in Havana Vieja, Vinales, Veradero, etc.
I've asked my casa owners before doing so. Certainly none want bad trip reports of contaminated water and sick visitors. (Neither do guidebooks.)
I brush with bottled water in Mexico (where many lodgings supply bottled water for this), but find it a PITA, and in Brazil, it depends on the neighborhood and lodging conditions (I stay with some poor locals sometimes.), just for a couple of examples.

Of course, being conservative doesn't hurt the first time in any given place.
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Old May 25th, 2017, 11:19 AM
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"I do think that the all inclusive resorts ....are potentially a greater environmental..problem than the rental of casas..."

To this, I would add the number of new hotels being constructed in Havana.
At least for the time being, the Cuban government is prohibiting construction of new resorts on the beaches nearest to Havana (Guanabo, etc).
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Old Jun 9th, 2017, 06:47 AM
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Update on water situation in Havana (major water main out of service in Miramar):
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=125645
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Old Aug 11th, 2017, 01:08 AM
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Water... you should use bottle water, as in any other country. It will be good quality. About food... In hotels is very different, made for tourists. Traditional food in Cuba is very poor... Pork, rise....
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Old Aug 11th, 2017, 06:11 AM
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Pork, try to rise.....Cuban food is usually pretty heavy.
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Old Aug 12th, 2017, 10:14 AM
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Pork, try to rise

??

We figure we'll use bottled water to the extent it's available, and we're taking some Platypus bottles and water purification tablets as backup (for emergencies only, especially because we'll have a toddler and a breast-feeding mom in our group).

Leaving next Saturday for Florida, to Havana on the 21st.
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Old Aug 13th, 2017, 03:32 AM
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Cuba is considered a very healthy country and they have Avery good healthcare too. They take care of all their folks not just the ones who can afford btw so people advising staying home to be humanitarian could donate their money to healthcare instead.

I drank water from tap and I don't believe for one second that the ice cubes for the mojitos are made with bottled water.

And Cuba without mojitos ?
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Old Aug 13th, 2017, 05:18 AM
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I saw Cubans in their homes boiling their tap water in a big pot on the stove.
When it cooled, it went into a big container with a spigot, or into a pitcher or reused individual bottles in the fridge, or into ice trays for cubes for drinks.
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Old Aug 13th, 2017, 07:26 AM
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Sambachula, what about bars and restaurants? Should I stick to bottled beer?
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Old Aug 16th, 2017, 06:20 AM
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Beer vs. mixed drinks with ice?
I haven't had any problems so far. Drank with ice a few times outside "tourist bars" with no problems (but locals I met mostly offered and drank straight rum, no ice, or bottled beer).

Learn to ask in Spanish (or write it down and show the paper) if you are worried that members of your party are at more risk.
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