From our Bureau of Socialist Tolerance and Open-Mindedness with some assistance from our Ministry of Ideological Purity Bureau
Something odd is happening in the eastern Cuban city of Holguín, where Castro, Inc. has begun a propaganda campaign against a privately-owned restaurant that will feature American food, but hasn’t yet opened.
Everyone knows that “private” businesses don’t really exist in Cuba due to all the strings that Castro, Inc. attaches to entrepreneurial ventures in order to keep them under their control and syphon their profits. In other words, Castro, Inc. is always a silent partner who invests nothing and continually reaps profits.
Some of the strings are legal, such as license fees, and fines leveled by nit-picking inspectors. But some strings are simply imposed through corruption and amount to bribery. “You need this or that product? That’s going to cost you . . No bribe, no product..”
So, if this burger joint is about to provide an income for Castro, Inc. by attracting a moneyed clientele consisting of oligarchs, foreigners, and Cubans with generous relatives in “the diaspora”, why is it being attacked so viciously by the Ministry of Ideological Purity? Which Castronoid officials has the quasi-owner of this restaurant venture angered?
As usual, an ideological smokescreen hides the very real corruption that governs money-making in Castrogonia.
From 14yMedio via Translating Cuba:
For decades, chewing gum, corn chips and hamburgers were very much frowned upon by the Cuban government as symbols of American culture. Enjoying these products in public could lead to anything from a reprimand to more severe penalties. Though attitudes have changed a lot since then, some of that resentment remains among the most diehard officials.
A new, privately owned establishment called San Pepper’s Burger* was about to open it doors in the city of Holguín when it got some angry reactions on a government-run news site. An op-ed in Cubadebate criticized the restaurant — basically a hamburger joint — for promoting “a culture which is not our own.” The article’s author goes further, asking, “What happened to fighting the culture war?”
Located on Luz Cabellero Street, between Maceo and Libertad, and next to the José María Ochoa Correa Conservatory of Music, the building has been undergoing repairs for roughly seven years. The renovation process involved some internal structural changes but parts of the original facade, including some colonial-style entrance doors, were preserved to be enjoyed by passersby or people sitting on a bench in the nearby Park of Flowers. . .
. . . The new, privately owned establishment, which is next door to the state-run restaurant 1545 and the Benny Moré Room, “has raised the ire of people in the Communist Party,” says an Holguín resident who prefers to remain anonymous. “So far, there’s been nothing in the local press about it but I’ve heard about some party members complaining about the English name because they say it sounds capitalist to them.” The man notes that, until now, the building has always been used as a residence and that it probably will not open until next month because the furniture layout is still being worked out and the exterior in particular needs some more work.
Whole story HERE