Other FAQs

Is chicken sold at a farmers' market safe?  Why do some people hang up bananas?  If a bottle of salad dressing has no use-by date, how can a consumer find out if it's safe to use? Scientists serving on the Shelf Life Advice Advisory Board provide answers to these and two more food-related questions. Even if the questions are not one you'd ask, you'll find the answers interesting and enlightening.

Why read about Cuban cuisine?  Here are three good reasons: 1) Now you can legally visit Cuba if you go with a U.S. licensed tour company and a specific mission.  2) If you like ethnic dining, you may want to know what's on the menu at your local Cuban restaurant.  3) You may even want to try some Cuban recipes at home--a cocktail with lime juice (we'll list many), a rum-spiked sauce, or a guava and cream cheese dessert. 

On our recent (perfectly legal and quite interesting) vacation in Cuba, my husband, daughter, and I also ate a huge amount of "Moors and Christians" and some "old clothes."   I kid you not.  Translated into Spanish, the first is "Moros y Cristianos;" which means black beans and rice, included in almost every meal we ate. "Old clothes" ("ropa vieja" in Spanish) were quite tasty; the dish is actually shredded (pulled) flank steak that's been slow-cooked in a sofrito sauce made of onions, tomatoes, and peppers. This dish was the only edible beef we encountered in Cuba.   Neither of these two dishes was new to us, but some foods we were served in Cuba we had never tasted before.  What follows is a brief report on what you're likely to find when you dine in Cuba or at a Cuban restaurant in the United States.