by Ariel Taylor | While I’m quickly learning that selection and quality often always means paying more (and a lot more) for a decent meal, I’ve recently discovered one of Havana’s best kept secrets for the budget traveller. Casa particulares have evolved out of the same necessity for autonomous wages as their paladar peers. The city is spotted with little blue and white signs signaling a room for rent in a family’s home and with an average price of 30CUC a night (about $35CND). They’re a far cry from the state operated hotels and all-inclusive resorts. But if you’re thinking a small room in a run-down apartment building with cold showers and prying neighbors just isn’t your idea of a Caribbean vacation, let me assure you that (as almost all things in Cuba) the stereotype is a far cry from reality. They may not have access to all the bells and whistles of state hotels, but it’s their home and they’re very proud to share it with you – it’s just “good business” and, despite political ideologies, they understand that what is good for you translates into cash for them.

In the same vein, if you think the food you typically find in popular tourist restaurants across the city is indicative of the Cuban capacity for cuisine (or lack thereof), then you’d also be mistaken. By far the best (and cheapest) meal I’ve eaten so far has been at the dining room table of my casa particular. In the morning, freshly squeezed and blended juices of guava, oranges and pineapple accompany bottomless pots of espresso with frothed milk and warm honey.  Piles of sweet bread, fried potatoes and vegetable-filled omelets are a welcome change from the morning sugar-overload so common in many hotel breakfast buffets. At dusk, many Cuban husbands and sons head to the ocean to throw out a fishing line and, if you’re lucky, your dinner plate is hidden under charred fillets of red snapper, steamed vegetables in butter and, of course, white rice and beans. Perhaps even more appealing about dining-in is the intimacy and informality of doing so in someone’s home. After dinner mojitos and sweet treats inevitably lead to illuminating conversations about Cuban life and culture, a stark contrast from the professional reserve of many hotel employees. My hotel-bound tourist friends can’t wait to reserve a seat at my dinner table!

Breaking out of the conventional tourist bubble is especially challenging in a country where state regulations ensure a near institutionalized divide between Us and Them. Even most paladares are not immune and, as a result, often come with North American-sized price tags and a marked air of caution so that all relationships remain strictly professional. The symbolism behind separate rooms, patios and restrooms for patrons does not go unnoticed and surprisingly (at least for me) it’s often hard to tell the difference between a paladar and a state-run restaurant, save for the smaller size and noticeable omissions to the menu. But inside the walls of a typical family home you will find a truly more authentic Cuban experience without any of the typical bureaucracy. It may not be a luxury hotel, but nothing beats a home-cooked meal and the simplicity of good company. | photo Brady Allen

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