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The government of Las Tunas organized a Culinary Forum for Workers in Puerto Padre as part of the activities in celebration of May First, and images from the event sparked a wave of mockery and criticism on social media due to the political undertones of the showcased dishes.
The event was held this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Cuban Workers' Central (CTC) in Villa Azul, where members of the unions of Health, Education, Gastronomy and Food, and Fishing showcased 79 dishes of traditional cuisine and pastries.
What caught attention was not the food itself, but the political messages that adorned it: salads with the phrase "LONG LIVE FIDEL" written with green pepper strips, reproductions of the Cuban flag made with white rice, black beans, and tomato, and the number "100" formed with cucumber slices, all in reference to the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth.
The posters on the tables completed the picture: "100 YEARS WITH FIDEL" —with the silhouette of Che Guevara integrated into the letter O— and "MAY 1st / The Homeland is Defended," a slogan popularized by the regime following the protests of 11J of 2021.
Katia Pérez Castro, General Secretary of the local CTC, posted the images on Facebook with the message: "Creativity at its finest because the homeland is defended and together we create for Cuba."
The response from Cubans in the comments was immediate and overwhelming.
"Patriotism is the source where the poor shed blood. What a contrast between this poverty and the glitz of events in hotels. It's a shame that in a place with an immense sea, there aren't several dishes made with fish or seafood," wrote users, highlighting the paradox that Puerto Padre, a coastal municipality, did not feature a single fish or seafood dish.
Other comments were equally blunt: "Hunger, misery, and terror," "And what about Mariela's lobster?" and "Look, if we eat that, the least we can expect is food poisoning, not to mention an intestinal obstruction."
A commentator linked the event to the electrical crisis affecting the province: "Then they protest because the power outages are unequal and because there is electricity in Las Tunas; there you have it, keep it up."
The contrast is especially sharp in the current context: Cuba is facing one of its worst food crises in 2026, with rice production down by 81% and egg production down by 61%.
In Las Tunas, the situation is even more serious: the theft of 600 liters of dielectric oil from two transformers left 40% of the municipality of Amancio without electricity, and in Majibacoa, the protests against power outages of more than 24 hours included shouts of "down with the dictatorship".
The regime declared 2026 "Year of the Centenary of the Birth of Fidel Castro" and launched a propaganda campaign that includes youth parades, exhibitions, and public events throughout the country, while the population has neither food nor stable electricity.
In 1961, Castro promised: "Clothes, shoes, food, medicine, education, and recreation for the entire people". More than six decades later, Cubans respond with satire to dishes that spell their name with green pepper.
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