Culinary recommendations in times of scarcity: Do gastronomic influencers exist in Cuba?

Gastronomic influencers or simply foodies, due to their translation into English, also seem to be making space in the Cuban digital landscape, despite the food shortage experienced on the island.

They are not so separated from those youtubers travel that have become common in Cuban social networks, the foodies They are another group, especially young, that seeks to make their way in the digital age, showing culinary attractions, but with the challenge of doing it in an impoverished country.

A recent report from the Spanish newspaper The vanguard reveals this type of digital content creators on the island, but bringing into the debate the peculiar question of the recipient of their videos: Inside or outside the island?

“Cuban gastronomic influencers gain popularity with reviews of restaurants that the majority of the population cannot access,” is the summary of this text that lists several.

One of them, named Edward, 31 years old, said that “Unfortunately, I believe that 90 or 95% of the restaurants in Havana are middle class or upwards.”, ensuring that to make the content he creates he has to pay for it with what he generates on social platforms.

Just a look at these content creators' accounts is enough to see how luxurious the places they go to are. A content, perhaps, designed for potential tourists who wish to visit the country. A fact that has also raised criticism from many Cubans who follow them.

“How do you feel when you promote places that 85% of the population can't go?” a follower asked Flavia Blanco, another of the girls who is dedicated to the world of gastronomic promotion.

Flavia's response encompasses several of the economic problems that Cubans face daily. "I feel good. I do not set the situation of the country, the inflation of the dollar and the prices of restaurants, greetings and blessings.”

Data from the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) report the worrying increase in extreme poverty in Cuba.

The non-governmental organization detailed in the VI Report on the State of Social Rights in Cuba, published in September 2023, that "88% of Cubans live in extreme poverty, 13% more than in 2022."

The calculation is made based on total income and following the guideline of $1.90 dollars per day to determine the poverty line, for a household of three members.

Inflation in Cuba has pushed thousands of families into an extreme situation. Furthermore, this exacerbates the lack of food, because although food is found in some markets, its cost is inaccessible for many people.

During the last meeting of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, the worsening of the economic crisis in the country.

The Cuban economist Pedro Monreal dedicated himself, through his account on the social network Twitter (currently known as Granma.

Monreal begins by saying that the “official information on the recent meeting of the Council of Ministers of Cuba confirms the worsening of the economic crisis, the lack of effective policies, the prevalence of rhetoric over realism, and an outdated vision of the agricultural sector.” .

For his assertion, he uses the data presented in the report and uses the appropriate words to describe each of the facts, an issue that the official Cuban bureaucratic and journalistic language lacks.