JOHN’S TOP TIPS FOR THE ROYAL TRIP
YES, they really do have bananas. Try them fried, in stews or cooked in banana liquor. Choose them shredded, with peanut milk, stuffed or crushed. And, if you fancy something different, how about a banana crisp?
TRY Spanish. ‘ Hola’ is hello and will be much appreciated, ‘ buenos dias’ could suggest you are bilingual. Don’t be surprised if they use a ‘b’ when they mean a ‘v’. ‘Valley’ becomes ‘ballet’, which is confusing, as Cuban ballet is world famous, they have beautiful valleys, and bale (pronounced bah-lay) means okay in Spanish.
SHOW an interest in the acclaimed U.S. author Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Cuba. Mentioning his name is a neat way to imply you feel like a drink. Thanks to his boozy reputation, almost any cocktail can be described as ‘a Hemingway favourite’.
BE CAREFUL not to laugh when you are told that a restaurant is owned and run by the military. It could be of high quality and there will not be the slightest hint of guns or battle dress. There is now a growing private sector.
IF YOU come across an aged character in the street, smoking a cigar and smiling in a very obvious way, take his photograph and give him a peso. Cubans are traditionally friendly and relaxed. Try to be the same.