In an unusual event that once again highlights the harsh economic reality facing the island, a man started selling split pea soup on the streets of Santiago de Cuba.
"What a stew, stew! There’s stew, stew, the good stew!" shouts the vendor as he offers the traditional Cuban dish to the residents of a neighborhood in Santiago, according to a video posted on Facebook by local reporter Yosmany Mayeta.
Amid the crises that have consistently affected the availability of food for Cubans, pea stew has been a symbol of survival for many.
But the dish was distributed in schools, workplaces, and hospitals because acquiring it was less costly for the regime than other legumes.
The truth is that it is not very common for street vendors to choose this product for sale, as it is a fragile food that easily spoils with heat and handling.
However, in a context where dozens of elderly people faint from hunger in the streets, where families cannot complete a meal at home, and others can't finish cooking their food due to intermittent blackouts, many will be grateful to the vendor who brings a hot stew to their doorstep.
In Cuba, peas—also known as green peas—come in different varieties, with yellow ones being the most common, although they are hard and difficult to cook.
Green peas, which are easier to soften, are usually sold only in foreign currency stores, inaccessible to most of the population.
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