Frei Betto returns to the Round Table and Cubans wonder: what recipe will he bring?

The appearance this Friday on the Round Table program of the Brazilian theologian Frei Betto has sparked outrage among the Cuban population, who consider it inappropriate to hear the opinion of a foreigner about the reality of the island.

On the occasion of the intellectual's 80th birthday, the officialist website Cubadebate published on Facebook that the radio and television program will dedicate the broadcast to him, while the people recall his words in a previous presence, when he gave some dietary advice, including frying potato peels, of which he said are excellent "for snacking."

"For example, potato skin is excellent for nibbling on when having a drink. Fried is excellent," stated the South American intellectual, who pointed out at another moment during his speech that the problem lies in people having dietary habits they are unwilling to change.

Insisting on the idea that Cuban citizens should make the most of the food they consume, and delving into the topic of rinds, Betto also recommended using melon rinds, in this case to make a sweet dish.

The renowned defender of the Castro regime also spoke about the need to not discard the leaves of some foods, such as carrots, because he says they "have a lot of nutritional power."

It is not surprising, then, that those statements are remembered hours before their new appearance on the Round Table.

"Wasn't he the one who said that the food problem in Cuba was because Cubans ate too much?" questioned a user, while others recommend alternative citizen participation methods to know the true reality of families.

It's incredible that in the midst of so many urgent problems that we Cubans have, they spend an hour of resources and electricity (taken from the people) to pay homage to someone who has nothing to do with the reality of Cuba," added the internet user.

Also, they recalled the intellectual's mistake when he recommended frying potato peels (which do not exist). "What peel is the theologian going to tell us to eat this time? He already told us to eat the potato peel, so I imagine this time it will be the mango peel that is in season," another user posted, while others referred to the decline of the television program that ignores the true interests of Cubans.

When will they gather the courage to invite ordinary people from the town? All those who invite have a good life, lack nothing, do not suffer power outages, and have cars at their disposal," a comment states.

That program must be integrated into the energy carrier savings plan and taken off the air definitively, that is just blah blah blah and far from contributing it spends thousands. This can also be read in the post from the officialist portal Cubadebate.

Nor should we forget Betto's words, published on December 24, 2021, in the official newspaper Granma, when he stated that in Cuba there is no hunger, but Cubans have a big appetite.

He stated that the food situation on the island is affected, above all, by the "blockade" imposed by the United States government, as it forces the government to spend "more than 2,000 million dollars a year importing food, including from Brazil, from which it purchases, among other things, rice and chicken...," he noted.

On that occasion, he defended the Cuban program of Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education (SAN), approved in 2020, of which he acts as a consultant, and stated that in order to be successful, it is vital to achieve "nutritional education" for the people, which includes replacing meat with other products such as beans, lentils, peanuts, and avocados.