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In Cuba, the question of what will be on the table on December 24 and 31 no longer sounds like mere curiosity, but rather a gauge of a crisis that has infiltrated even the most intimate tradition: the New Year's Eve dinner.
In the comments on two posts by CiberCuba on Facebook, people did not talk about recipes or cravings. They spoke of resignation, impossible prices, and a sadness that recurs like a blackout.
"I think I’ll spend Christmas Eve and New Year’s with a picadillo from MDM… that’s all there is," wrote a user. The message, with its casual tone, revealed what many feel: these holidays are no longer about preparation, but about survival. Another reader put it bluntly: "More than a luxury, it’s an impossible dream."
In the midst of scarcity, humor emerges as a defense. "I'll have lemonade for dinner," one user remarked, and many joined in the irony of "the base of everything," as if the Cuban dining table had turned into a sad meme.
And the fact is that lemon is now a product practically absent from Cuban markets, making it a bitter joke that alludes to the phrase by the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, “lemonade is the foundation of everything”, which has become a national meme and a symbol of the disconnection of power from everyday life. For many, that “lemonade” encapsulates the absolute lack of options during this time.
Some confess that they changed the menu a while ago because there was no other choice. "I already switched to sausage... at the chorrera," commented a Cuban. And when a "protein" appears, it is celebrated as a small victory, not as a tradition. "I'm just satisfied with having to eat some protein... and I think I'm being very demanding," admitted another person.
Pork, a symbol of family gatherings for decades, is increasingly mentioned as a forbidden word. One Cuban summed it up with a poignant phrase: "Pork, for a worker or a retiree, not even in our wildest dreams."
Others insist that only those who have raised a pig can aspire to a piece; the rest just watch, calculate, and give up. “I haven't bought it in a while... you have to settle for just seeing it and not buying it,” said another internet user.
But the blow is not just the food. In the comments, the feeling of a sick and exhausted country echoes repeatedly. The word "chikungunya" appears time and time again as if it were part of the menu. The disease has left the residents of the island with pain, stiffness, a lack of medication, and discouragement.
"I only ask God to let me finish this year alive," wrote one user. Another voice was even more harsh: "There is no joy, there isn't even music... it's as if we are ghosts."
Among those who try to hold on to faith, the closure resembles asking for health. Some believe that "God will provide," while others say that even that can't be asked for with so many viruses around. And while people argue about whether "something will come" or if "those who fight will have," what becomes clear is that for a vast part of the country, these holidays are no longer measured by what is cooked, but by what can be endured.
In the end, the portrait painted by the comments is not that of a Christmas with a beautifully set table, but rather that of a country where the New Year's Eve dinner has become yet another test of endurance. And in this test, many arrive with a bitter certainty, knowing that the 24th and the 31st will come just the same, but not everyone will have the reasons, or the strength, to celebrate it.
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