042: dying kings with plastic knives

When you're eating out in Cuba, forget restaurants. Most of them are dreadful with unmotivated staff and unacceptable fare. We'd heard this in advance and decided to look into the other major option: Paladars! On our first night in the city of Trinidad, our original dinner plans fell through, so we decided to ask some locals for a recommendation. That can be a dodgy thing to do, but they pointed us to a house and the woman who owned it seemed trustworthy. We got a full lobster dinner for 8 CUCs (about $10) and it was delicious.

The dining area was pretty kitschy and sweet. As an appetizer, we received the most bizarre salad: okra, beets and tomatoes plus a plate of sliced guavas and oranges.


Waiting for the meal, we wrote postcards and drank cerveza. Bucanero is ok for Cuban beer.


Isn't it marvelous? Grilled lobster, fried banana and the most perfect rice.


***

On another note, my friend Shavanti is from the Bahamas and always makes fun of my avocados, saying they look like prunes. Here is the owner of the casa where we stayed in Trinidad holding a "mid-sized" avocado. Thanks guys, I feel so ripped off now.