Cuban Cuisine

Cuban cuisine has many influences and tastes from around the world that make up it's unique flavor. The influences in Cuba's food come from Europe, Africa, China, Caribbean, and Spanish cultures. In most of Eastern Cuba you can find food with African, Caribbean, European, and Latin American influences. There you will find food with a lot more spices due to Caribbean immigrants moving to Cuba. Also the manner in which the meals are cooked are found in Africa, such as Fufu de platano (Fufu is derived from western Africa) which is mashed plantains stuffed with pork, chicken, or shrimp. Most of these foods were not seen by Che for many months as they require a great deal of preparation and technique.

Western Cuba has similar tastes but influences from the other side of the world. In western food you'll come across Chinese, Spanish, and a little European flavor. The Chinese influence is seen in many rice dishes where beans are not added, and the use of flour which is mostly excluded in common Spanish foods. This is food that Che ate during his journey through Latin America as it is the cheapest and easiest to prepare. Pastries are also very common in western Cuba, like pasteles, a puff pastry filled with fruit (mainly guava).Others like croquetas include meat and peppers inside the pastry. If Che came across any while traveling it would have been a delicacy to have eaten.
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Finally, mate. Mate is a very well known Latin brew of the yerba plant that is ingested through a bombilla (a metal or wooden straw that filters the yerba) and a calabash gourd. Mate was originally used by indigenous Guarani to southern Brazil and soon spread through South America as European colonies started to sprout. Through the years it has become one of the most common drinks in Latin America as seen in "The Motorcycle Diaries" as Che's and Alberto's go to drink in times of tiredness, sickness, or even thirst. There has also been drinks based off of mate, such as Materva, a Cuban mate mixture created before the Cuban Revolution that gave Cubans the mate taste with a twist. With the revolution Materva died out but luckily in the 1960's a Florida based company bought the drink and it has ever since been sold in the United States.

Traditional calabash gourd and bombilla straw with mate.

Current day "Materva" can.

     

Meeting Alex Chacon

Aalan:

Speaking with Alex Chacon brought all of this into perspective for me. I realized that Alex, like many others in our world had a desire to make a difference in the world and he went out and did it. Not only has he inspired me to possibly do more in my own life but he has shown me that if you truly want to do something, then there's always a way to do it (even if it means selling all your stuff). I was very surprised when I first learned that Max actually got in contact with Alex because I considered him a celebrity (and very rarely does anyone actually get in contact with a celebrity). When we were initially starting to exchange emails we actually had to reschedule our phone call because he was at a meeting for one of his sponsors, GoPro.

Ben:

Talking to Alex Chacon was a gratifying experience that gave me a new view on Latin America. Before the interview with him I thought of South and Central America as underprivileged countries whose main economic income is through fruit and drugs. This was set into my mind by large news corporations who are covering the current struggle in Brazil, Venezuela, and others leading up to the 2014 World Cup. However what Mr. Chacon said was very surprising to me. He said that locals in every country welcomed him with open arms into their homes. They even cooked and gave him food for his journey. This is very similar to what Che wrote in "The Motorcycle Diaries" when him and Alberto were accepted into homes 50 years earlier, making me think Latin America hasn't changed in its humanitarian values in the lapse of time between Che's and Alex's journey.

Blue:

It was a privilege being able to discuss with Alex Chacon about his adventures. From the first time I saw his blog I wanted to talk to him and once I did I wanted to go on that trip myself. Alex changed my perspective about Latin America, at first I thought that the people of Latin America would be dangerous, he quickly changed my mind. He told about how nice and giving all the people that he met were, and that they were his favorite part of the trip. Almost every soul he turned was more than happy to welcome him into their homes, he was invited into many homes for meals and a bed. Compared to Alberto and Ernesto, Alex was much more prepared for this trip. One reason he did that is because he didn't want anything to be in his way and he was going much further than they did in The Motorcycle Diaries. One of the things that was very important that he brought was extra tubes for his motorcycle. If Alberto and Ernesto brought this stuff they would have been much better off.

Max:
After speaking with Alex Chacon, I learned a lot about how to manage and live your life on a journey of a lifetime. Alex said that after college he wanted to see the world and experience new things. He sold all of his possessions so that he could have enough money to travel throughout South America. It was very cool to hear that his dream throughout his life was to travel to South America, and when he did he had to give up and risk everything so that his dream could be accomplished. A question that Blue asked was “ What was the type of food that you ate?”, and it was interesting to hear that at the time all he could afford is just beans and some rice. He would eat beans and rice for days just to save some money. As Alex started to blog and post of his experiences online, people started to catch on started donating money to him. He wrote a quick bio on his blog and the money started to come in and Alex was able to do more with his newly gained money. He ultimately bought a GoPro and started to take videos with it. GoPro took notice of this and decided to sponsor him and also supply him with money so that he can continue his journey. As Alex continued his journey, more sponsors such as Oakley, also gave Alex sponsorships. Now, after sacrificing all his personal belongings and all the usual large meals, Alex is now sponsored by some of the biggest brands in the world.

How To Make An Authentic Cuban Cigar

This is a video that shows the process in which people in Cuban work factories made these cigars. As you can see, these conditions that the workers have to work in day in and day out. The process that is shown, has been industrialized, but companies such as Bolíviar, Bravo, and Dunhill all have a wrapped option for their cigars. The companies that offer a hand wrapped cigar price them higher because they are "More authentic."The companies also allow tours of their work houses. The tour guides allow the tourists to buy the cigars freshly made by the workers as seen in this video .

Alex Chacon Interview

Questions and answers
1. Q: Was it lonely on the road?
A: Yes, traveling solo through so many different country's is lonely.

2. Q: Did you have a companion on the road?
A: No, but people often do, its not unlikely to see people with pets. Many people make this voyage and its personal preference to take a pet or not.

3.Q: What was one thing you struggled with on your journey?
A: Navigation, mainly because he didn't have a GPS and a good amount of the roads are unmarked.

4.Q: Did Che have any influence on your wanting to journey to South America?
A: He didn't read the book until after his trip in order not to spoil the surprises that laid ahead. He thought that if he read the book before then trip that he would end up doing the same things that Che did and wouldn't have his own experiences.

5.Q: How did you conserve and raise money?
A: He didn't have any sponsors when he first started so he sold everything he owned in order to get the supplies needed for the trip. He was often invited to stay in strangers houses just like Che did.

6.Q: What was your motivation to take the trip and finish it all the way through?
A: He wanted to make it to Machu Picchu because he dreamed of going there when he was a kid. The people he met along the way not only assisted him in whatever in order to continue but he found motivation in their positive energy about their own lives. Kept creating new challenges for himself to go further.

7. Q: How did strangers treat you and how did you treat them?
A: The people were the best part, took him into there homes, helped in whatever way they could.

8. Q: What was the climate like?
A: It changed constantly because he was going though so many different places. He faced scorching hot, bitter cold, and jungles to a point he couldn't see road.

9.Q: What type of equipment did you bring on your journey?
A: Three pairs of every kind of clothing (socks, underwear, ect.) thermal gear, summer gear, small first aid kit, extra tire tubes, patches, spark plugs, tools to disassemble and reassemble the bike, computer, gopro, helmets, and a jacket.

Cuban Cigars: Best Smoke In The World

Cuban Cigars: Best Smoke In The World
By: Max Gelband

Brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro 

A picture of Ché Guevara taking a smoke break

     Through out history it has been said that Cuba has the best cigars in the world, hundreds of people all pay ridiculous amounts of money for an item that only last about 30-40 minutes. Well of course, Cuba has been a sought out place to smoke cigars. Cigars are judged on the flavor, color, and quality of the wrapping. Cuba has been a hot spot for all of these qualities. During the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, and Ché Guevara all enjoyed the experience of smoking the highest quality cigar. "A smoke in times of rest is a great companion to the solitary solider." Is what Ché said about the cigars. The want for these cigars is very high in America. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United Sates created a trade embargo against Cuba which meant that cigar loving people were unable to enjoy the Cuban quality. 

   
     In this day in age it is much easier to buy and sell Cuban cigars due to the mass use of the internet. Buyers can purchase cases of cigars for 60 to 500 dollars depending on if they are real, are they hand wrapped or machine wrapped, and what type of treatment the tobacco has gone through. Cigars for most are used as a celebratory item, but some have fallen in love with the taste. Interestingly enough, cigars like any other novelty item, have conventions. These conventions take place all over the world and can stretch across the pond to England. These conventions attack cigar lovers from all over the world from many different countries. The infamous English leader Winston Churchill was a huge fan of cigars. Curchill first fell in love with cigars when he was on his first war tour to Cuba for the British Army. In fact, he has has his own type of cigar due to his love. Curchill cigars are different from most cigars due to the smoke time and the delicate ways to handle it. Curchill cigars on average last to an hour or an hour and a half. If you do not have the patience to smoke the cigar, then you will overheat the tobacco and spoil the taste of the cigar. Curchill cigars sell for 35 to 1150 dollars a box. Most of the Churchill cigars are manufactured in Cuba, but many variations of these cigars are made all over the world. 

This is a picture of Winston Churchill smoking a Cuban cigar

   
   
All in all, the influence of Cuban cigars is relevant. They are loved by many all over the world and have been raved about since the Cuban Revolution. Even the infamous Winston Churchill was obsessed with the cigars and ultimately has had a type of cigar named after him. The history and desire for these cigars will last forever and the legacy of the Cuban cigar will remain the best in the world. 

    

     

Chilean Earthquake

This video summarizes the massive earthquake that occurred in Northern Chile and assesses the damage. After watching this I feel more educated about the situation in Chile. I am very surprised that only 6 lives were lost seeing as this earthquake had an 8.2 magnitude, which is one of the biggest earthquakes to happen in Chile. Not to long ago in 2010 a 8.8 magnitude hit Chile, this left 500 dead and triggered a gigantic Tsunami. The biggest earthquake recorded since the 1900 was also in Chile which had a 9.5 magnitude. Sadly, Chile is a very vulnerable country, due to it’s economic situation and impoverished population.

This earthquake caused landslides and cut power, it also triggered a Tsunami warning. Seawater flooded the city streets and washed away many fishing boats in the process. Luckily, no major Tsunami damage was recorded, there was a mandatory evacuation that lasted a quick 10 hours in the coastal towns that were close to the shore. Soon after all the people were happily returned to their homes.

The scariest part of all is that around 300 prisoners escaped from Northern Port City, which forced the closing of the Peruvian border. The president soon after declared a state of emergency and sent 100 anti-riot police officers and 300 military soldiers to prevent raiding, looting and to capture all of the escaped prisoners.

The day before the massive 8.2 earthquake struck Chile, a 5.1 earthquake occurred in southern Los Angeles. The earthquake was much smaller compared to the one in Chile, however caused extensive damage to apartment complexes and stores in the surrounding areas. Fortunately there were no deaths from this earthquake but many buildings have been deemed unsafe to access. After the earthquake there have been numerous aftershocks that are not noticeable to humans. The aftershocks were minute compared to the ones after Chile's earthquake, which was prepared for by locals before it came. This is because of the strict building codes that chile put in place after its 2010 earthquake that caused far more damage and took hundreds of lives. If their strict building codes weren't in place the 8.2 earthquake could have caused much more damage and taken the lives of five times the amount that happened.

Motorcycle Diaries Connections

“The Motorcycle Diaries” is a personal journal that young Ernesto Guevara kept with him as he made his way from Argentina to America. His memoir tells of his journeys throughout South and Central America with his friend Alberto Granado. Starting as two young adventurers wanting to explore the vast range of their continent quickly learn about the social injustices that plague South America. Soon after their journey Ernesto went to Guatemala to seek a cause or purpose to support. This is where the documentary, The True Story of Che Guevara directed by Maria Wye Berry, takes its main starting point. It is a detailed retelling of the life of Che Guevara, as he became one of the worlds leading revolutionists. The documentary tells of how Ernesto Guevara turned to “el Che” and focuses on the events following his treacherous journey through the Americas. The book and documentary are quite similar describing Ernesto’s life and events that transpired, however the documentary goes into further details on how Ernesto spent his later years after the expedition. One of the main themes throughout the documentary and book is “the search for purpose”. This is one of Ernesto’s primary goals in life, to find a purpose, whether its trekking through miles of deserted Peruvian lands or leading a guerrilla attack on severe dictators. Another recurring theme in “The Motorcycle Diaries” and The True Story of Che Guevara, is “doing good in the world”. When he was young Ernesto so eagerly wanted to see a leper colony to observe and help a part of society shunned by many. This idea stuck with him into his later years when he helped liberate Cuba from Batista (President of Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution) and further down the road as a guerrilla leader. Current Bolivian President Evo Morales shares Che’s ideology and wishes they had Che around today to unite the people of Latin America. “Now is when we need Che, not for the armed force, but for the defense of humanity” said Morales, explaining that Che could be helping in todays world. This shocked me that when he was alive only a few shared his goals for Latin America, but after his death many can only dream of a leader that was devoted to the greater good for Latin America.