A dining establishment in Guantánamo served a customer ice cream in a glass ashtray, and the image has become a symbol of the decline of Cuban state services after going viral on social media.
Giselda Serret posted on Facebook a photograph of the unusual container along with a message of indignation: "I apologize for this post, but it's a disgrace to the people to go to a dining establishment like La Flor de Paseo in Guantánamo, to enjoy an ice cream that is quite expensive, and have it served to you in an ashtray."
And he asks: "Who shall we blame? The blockade?"
The image shows a glass ashtray—with the typical notches for resting cigarettes—that held two or three semi-melted scoops of ice cream and a metal spoon, all on a table.
The post unleashed a flood of comments that mixed humor with direct criticism of the government.
"I wouldn't know whether to light a cigarette or drink the steeped shake," wrote one user. Another added, "That flavor contains nicotine." A third person said, "Each thing was made for a specific purpose. Imagine drinking beer from a basin."
A user ironically remarked that the establishment designed it with the customer in mind: "Did you see the slots? It's for resting the spoon and also so you can grab it without much effort."
But not everyone confined themselves to irony. One person was direct: "No more staying silent about the injustices and the disrespect shown to the people by the useless ones who poorly govern Cuba."
Another pointed out the root of the problem: "Doing something in your own house whenever you want is one thing, and paying for a service somewhere else is another. If one doesn't demand better service, it becomes a trend for them to treat customers however they like, without any respect."
The teasing continued: "When they ask you how you feel: I don't mind smoking an ice cream or eating a cigarette," suggested an internet user. "Consider it a sporting event, a new type of ice cream, cigarette ice cream. Haha," remarked another.
A comment revealed that the phenomenon is neither new nor exclusive to Guantánamo: "That's old; at the ice cream shops in Santiago, they would sometimes serve you in exactly the same containers. And I'm not talking about now; this has been happening for over 6 years."
Another internet user sarcastically concluded, "And if it's just a single ball, they'll throw it in the hat of the coffee maker."
"Well, smoking will be prohibited there, but not eating ice cream!" emphasized another.
The event takes place in a territory facing a critical food situation. According to an April report on food insecurity, Guantánamo is one of the five Cuban provinces with the most alarming levels, and the most expensive in the country for essential products: bottled oil costs 1,555 CUP per liter and powdered milk is 1,739 CUP for every 500 grams.
The lack of proper tableware in state establishments violates the regime's own regulations: Resolution 74 of 2020 from the Ministry of Domestic Trade requires complete tableware, glassware, and cutlery as a category requirement, but the operational reality disregards that standard.
In other provinces, it is also impossible to find a good ice cream in a state-run establishment.
In June, the Coppelia in Sancti Spíritus reopened after years of almost total inactivity, but customers who arrived with high hopes found minimal portions, crystallized ice cream, and exorbitant prices for the quality received.
"I felt like I had thrown away 250 pesos," lamented a customer after trying two scoops of ice cream flavored like mantecado. The portions, he described, amounted to just "two big tablespoons," and the ice cream had so many ice crystals that the flavor disappeared even before he left the establishment.
The pattern of complaints is recurring: in July 2025, a Cuban woman documented terrible conditions at the Castillo de Jagua restaurant in Havana, and in August of that year, it was reported that at a state-run food plant the croquette dough was placed directly on the floor.
Despite everything, the Cuban government reaffirmed in January that it will not give up on state gastronomy, although the Minister of Domestic Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez, acknowledged that the sector relies on supplies purchased from the private market.
Meanwhile, on Cuban social media, an ashtray with melted ice cream better summarizes the true state of gastronomy on the Island than any official speech.
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