Offering Fish At Your Door? Be Careful!

Offering Fish At Your Door? Be Careful! / 14ymedio
Posted on July 18, 2014

Rosa Lopez, Havana, 17 July 2014, 14ymedio — Many Cubans opt for the
informal market instead the high prices of the products in hard currency
stores. Who among us has not bought cheese, ketchup or milk in illegal
trading networks? However, when we acquire something in secret and do
not know the seller, the chances of being scammed or buying spoiled
merchandise multiply. The greatest danger, however, is to buy a product
that damages our health, hence it is important to be careful with
certain foods.

Every Cuban adult has some experience to tell about a fish sold as red
snapper and it was actually tench, Claria or barracuda. With the fish
slickly packaged and displayed furtively, the trader assures us that it
is " good, white with few bones." Later, in the pan or dish, frustrated,
we discovered the deception.

Some customers claim to have a good contact to buy seafood that so far
has not failed them. Lucky them! By contrast, the vast majority is
supplied by an illegal and unstable market whose providers change
frequently. The fish markets under state management offer little variety
and high prices, not to mention the long lines that sometimes form in
front of their doors.

It is easy to think that living on an island we can have our tables
filled with seafood, oysters, sardines and other sea delicacies. Nothing
is further from reality. In Cuba it it easier to find turkey hash "made
in USA", than a good marlin steak or grouper head soup.

The restrictions imposed on both private fishing and the sale of fish
push us to the black market when looking for a good product. The species
may have been caught in oxidation ponds belonging to factories or
industries, and could introduce chemicals into our bodies that bring
negative short and medium term effects.

On the island there are many reservoirs and coastal areas that
contaminated by discharges from industries and settlements. Fish that
live in those stretched should not be used for human consumption. An
example is Havana Bay, whose waters are polluted by oil, sewage and
other waste discharges.

Another threat is ciguatera, a food poisoning that is endemic in the
tropics caused by eating infected fish. The fish afflicted with this
disease cannot be identified by smell, taste or color.

If a stranger knocks at your door offering a tempting fish filet or
steak, be careful. It may not be what they say, or in the worst case, it
could damage your health.

Source: Offering Fish At Your Door? Be Careful! / 14ymedio | Translating
Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/offering-fish-at-your-door-be-careful-14ymedio/