"The products in the book are missing because there is nowhere to get rice, sugar, or coffee, oil is scarce"
I don't do lunch and dinner like before
Gloria Morales is in her fifties, works for the State, lives with her 80-year-old mother and her adult son in Santiago de Cuba.
Who in your family usually does the shopping at the grocery store?
The purchases are made by my son.
Do you buy other “controlled”, “regulated” or “regulated” products? for this system?
No. The rest that I need to live I acquire through other means outside of the supply book.
What products from the supply book do you consume most frequently? Do you leave any without removing in the month?
The products of the notebook after the monetary ordering are no longer subsidized, except diets of any kind, but in my case I don't have any. I eat almost all of them except the soy mincemeat, but I take them all out, I give the mincemeat away.
How much of your formal income does the monthly purchase of the products in the notebook represent? Do you consider that your ability to acquire them has been affected since the monetary reform?
It represents less than 10% of my current salary. My ability to purchase has not been affected because there are very few products and in small quantities.
How many days of the month would you say that the basic products of the notebook are enough for the family?
It depends. Beans last 3 or 4 times, meat 2 meals, rice about 10 days, sugar, coffee, salt depending on how you save it. I no longer make lunch and dinner as before, because the rice is not enough, but we have anything for lunch, let's say viands, eggs, I don't know, to leave the rice for lunch.
I no longer make lunch and dinner as before, because the rice is not enough, but we have anything for lunch, let's say viands, eggs, I don't know, to leave the rice for lunch
Do you exchange, buy, resell or give away any of the products assigned to you?
No. I only give away the soy mincemeat, I have given things to the most needy people, but not because I have too many, because then I lack them. Mostly I buy from people who sell products from the notebook such as milk, everything else that is needed for example eggs, chicken, oil I buy from resellers.
Do you think that the family diet could survive without the notebook?
The products in the book are lacking because there is nowhere to get rice, or sugar, or coffee, oil is scarce, so having those products in the book in national currency is very necessary, I don't think anyone can do without that, or even those with the greatest access to the MLC.
If they delivered more released products, do you think you could pay for them with your income and that it would be a positive change or would you prefer more subsidies?
It would be good to increase the offer, you could acquire some depending on the prices, the state sells just as expensive as the private ones. It would be good if there were more products, acquiring them more or less depends on my salary, mostly not on the existence of the products, because inflation is very high. I do not receive subsidies because I do not have children, or malnourished, or vulnerable people in my family nucleus.
It would be good if there were more products, acquiring them more or less depends on my salary, mostly not on the existence of the products, because inflation is very high.
Do you consider that the products assigned by the supply book condition the way you prepare food?
No. In the elaboration it depends what you have to cook, species, seasonings, and none of that is given by the notebook.
Have you received any donation or external product at subsidized prices during the Covid19 period for the passbook? Can you describe it, as well as its origin?
The only thing received is the two free modules after July 11, which had 3 kilos of rice, 6 kilos of pasta, 2 kilos of Chinese beans (horrible) and one kilo of white sugar. It was not like that for everyone, it varied according to the products, but the weight of all was more or less the same.
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