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When will the first one open, and what will it mean for Habaneros and Cubans?
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# ? May 5, 2014 19:06 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:21 |
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On my last visit, a bartender in Vedado swore to me that there are modular Starbucks and McDonald's on a cargo ship in Miami, waiting to go. I asked him if he'd work at one, and he responded with an emphatic "Pues sí." Personally, I don't look forward to seeing Havana become Coconut Grove South, but that's for selfish aesthetic reasons.
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# ? May 5, 2014 19:28 |
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TheImmigrant posted:On my last visit, a bartender in Vedado swore to me I didn't know you were Milton Friedman.
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# ? May 5, 2014 19:28 |
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Cuba has been buying soybean meal from the states for a few years now. I think it was arranged through the Venezuelans (who also buy US soybean meal). A couple of Starbucks or McDonalds, meh, there is already trade in bulk commodities going on.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:05 |
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TheImmigrant posted:On my last visit, a bartender in Vedado swore to me that there are modular Starbucks and McDonald's on a cargo ship in Miami, waiting to go. I asked him if he'd work at one, and he responded with an emphatic "Pues sí." Personally, I don't look forward to seeing Havana become Coconut Grove South, but that's for selfish aesthetic reasons. Try changing races and asking him again
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:08 |
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Popular Thug Drink posted:I didn't know you were Milton Friedman. You mean Thomas.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:21 |
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Popular Thug Drink posted:I didn't know you were Milton Friedman. I think you mean Tom Friedman, Cuba doesn't have copper mines nearly robust enough to pique Milton's interest.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:22 |
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The next few months will be really important for starbucks in Havana.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:30 |
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The Warszawa posted:I think you mean Tom Friedman, Cuba doesn't have copper mines nearly robust enough to pique Milton's interest. I thought there was BigCopper in Moa. Maybe it's nickel.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:33 |
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TheImmigrant posted:I thought there was BigCopper in Moa. Maybe it's nickel. Honestly don't know (I think it is nickel, for what it's worth), I was just being a wiseass about Milton Friedman and the Chicago School and its influence on the policy reaction to Chile's nationalization of the copper industry.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:36 |
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The Warszawa posted:Honestly don't know (I think it is nickel, for what it's worth), I was just being a wiseass about Milton Friedman and the Chicago School and its influence on the policy reaction to Chile's nationalization of the copper industry. It is nickel, I checked. Moa is a shining example of Marxist environmental policies. Seriously though, Havana is like a time warp. No advertising, no chains, very little business. The first time I visited, in 2002, I never could've predicted the status quo would still be in place a dozen years later. City of several million, a handful of restaurants open. Operating a restaurant is a capitalist endeavor, after all. Result is near-malnutrition for foreign visitors. Seriously, stop making posts that demonstrate a grasp of history and economics. You'll be Probated.
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# ? May 5, 2014 21:48 |
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Stanos posted:The next few months will be really important for starbucks in Havana. A bartender in Havana recently told me, "it's not that we are suffering under the embargo, no that's not the case at all -- it's that we, as Cubans, have an innovation gap." My curiosity was piqued. An innovation gap? "You see, we need to innovate ourselves out of this economic malaise -- we need to synergize, network, and join the Cloud."
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:24 |
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Rand alPaul posted:A bartender in Havana recently told me, "it's not that we are suffering under the embargo, no that's not the case at all -- it's that we, as Cubans, have an innovation gap." My curiosity was piqued. An innovation gap? "You see, we need to innovate ourselves out of this economic malaise -- we need to synergize, network, and join the Cloud." The solution was always Bitcoin
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:37 |
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A democratic starbucks revolution in havana...but with bitcoin!
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:39 |
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Canada already has some fast food joints up and running in Cuba IIRC.
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:46 |
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The minute Fidel dies I'm going to Cuba and opening up a Taco Cabana franchise.
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:56 |
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Sheng-ji Yang posted:The minute Fidel dies I'm going to Cuba and opening up a Taco Cabana franchise. Supposedly Raul is going to step down after this next term is over in 2019 I think? So it may happen sooner than that.
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:57 |
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Cool, I can get him to star in my commercials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgm14D1jHUw
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# ? May 6, 2014 04:59 |
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Sheng-ji Yang posted:The minute Fidel dies I'm going to Cuba and opening up a Taco Cabana franchise. Just come to New York and open one. We're ready.
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# ? May 6, 2014 14:08 |
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FuzzySkinner posted:Canada already has some fast food joints up and running in Cuba IIRC. I've never seen one, but it's possible they're concentrated near resorts instead of in Havana. TheImmigrant posted:It is nickel, I checked. Moa is a shining example of Marxist environmental policies. Seriously though, Havana is like a time warp. No advertising, no chains, very little business. The first time I visited, in 2002, I never could've predicted the status quo would still be in place a dozen years later. City of several million, a handful of restaurants open. Operating a restaurant is a capitalist endeavor, after all. Result is near-malnutrition for foreign visitors. Apparently you should go back and/or educate yourself, because private restaurants are allowed, many have opened in just the past few years, and the quality of the food is excellent.
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# ? May 6, 2014 15:15 |
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PT6A posted:Apparently you should go back and/or educate yourself, because private restaurants are allowed, many have opened in just the past few years, and the quality of the food is excellent. When did this happen? When I visited in 2010 it seemed like every single restaurant served almost the same food.
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# ? May 6, 2014 15:25 |
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PT6A posted:I've never seen one, but it's possible they're concentrated near resorts instead of in Havana. Can they have employees yet? Can they serve beef and lobster yet? Cuban food is tasty in theory - it's great in Miami. In Cuba, you live on expensive overstewed chicken and rice and beans. My best meals there were breakfasts in casas particulares.
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# ? May 6, 2014 15:31 |
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Geriatric Pirate posted:When did this happen? When I visited in 2010 it seemed like every single restaurant served almost the same food. It was already starting by 2010, but it seems like it really exploded in 2012. The top restaurants in Havana are certainly international-standard at this point, in both food quality and service, even if they're a way from getting Cuba's first Michelin star. My personal favourites are Paladar de Mercaderes in Habana Vieja and Doctor Cafe in Miramar. There's also Ivanchefjusto on the north end of Vieja, but I only went once so I can't really say it's up there with the others in terms of consistency (the one meal I had was delicious).
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# ? May 6, 2014 15:41 |
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TheImmigrant posted:Result is near-malnutrition for foreign visitors. TheImmigrant posted:Can they have employees yet? Can they serve beef and lobster yet? Are you really trying to draw out pity for the welfare of the oppressed tourist class? "Cuban airliners don't have first class. You can only ride coach and the cocktails are conspicuously absent of little drink umbrellas much to my umbrage"
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# ? May 6, 2014 19:33 |
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But what will happen to my Hemingway Disneyland when they are allowed to join the modern economy?
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# ? May 6, 2014 19:36 |
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Popular Thug Drink posted:But what will happen to my Hemingway Disneyland when they are allowed to join the modern economy?
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# ? May 6, 2014 19:38 |
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Rodatose posted:Are you really trying to draw out pity for the welfare of the oppressed tourist class? No. Unlike the average Cuban prole without access to hard currency, tourists get to eat bad chicken in addition to rice and beans. Even eating Bad Food (some of the worst I've had after visits to 60+ countries), the tourist in Cuba eats much better than locals who aren't nomenklatura.
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# ? May 6, 2014 19:39 |
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TheImmigrant posted:In Cuba, you live on expensive overstewed chicken and rice and beans. My best meals there were breakfasts in casas particulares. congratulations you've discovered the diet of 75% of the caribbean and latin america
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# ? May 6, 2014 20:47 |
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Sheng-ji Yang posted:congratulations you've discovered the diet of 75% of the caribbean and latin america At 500% the price you'd pay in Nicaragua or Guatemala.
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# ? May 6, 2014 21:00 |
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TheImmigrant posted:At 500% the price you'd pay in Nicaragua or Guatemala. maybe if you switched from being white back to being gay and black you'd get a better price, just a thought
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# ? May 7, 2014 04:09 |
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Popular Thug Drink posted:But what will happen to my Hemingway Disneyland when they are allowed to join the modern economy? It will be like the worst touristy parts of Thailand, but much more accessible because flights will only cost $80 and involve no jetlag, so you can go down for the weekend. In other words, it will be a pretty awesome party spot.
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# ? May 7, 2014 04:24 |
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Rodatose posted:Are you really trying to draw out pity for the welfare of the oppressed tourist class? Cubana certainly has first-class on international flights, and their economy service is better than any airline in North America, just so you know. And, while there is still a lot of poverty in Cuba, there's a certain middle class, usually based on one of the few private businesses, the black market, working for a foreign company, or family remittances, that can very much afford to go to restaurants and clubs. It's not large as a percentage of the total population, but it's not insignificant either.
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# ? May 7, 2014 04:40 |
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PT6A posted:Cubana certainly has first-class on international flights, and their economy service is better than any airline in North America, just so you know. Anyway, it helps a lot when your government muckety mucks ride for free on the flag carrier, they tend to like to keep the money flowing to keep the wheels greased so they can keep their cushy deal.
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# ? May 7, 2014 16:33 |
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PT6A posted:Cubana certainly has first-class on international flights, and their economy service is better than any airline in North America, just so you know. And, while there is still a lot of poverty in Cuba, there's a certain middle class, usually based on one of the few private businesses, the black market, working for a foreign company, or family remittances, that can very much afford to go to restaurants and clubs. It's not large as a percentage of the total population, but it's not insignificant either. Cubana flies rickety old Ilyushins and Tupolevs, often with Soviet livery that hasn't been changed in 30 years. They also have an abysmal safety record. But yeah, they do offer free rum-and-mango juice on the two hour flight from Mexico City.
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# ? May 7, 2014 17:29 |
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Stanos posted:The next few months will be really important for starbucks in Havana. The next few months will be really important for eating McDonald's.
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# ? May 7, 2014 17:37 |
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But, to put things back on track, it will be interesting to see how Cuba negotiates the inevitable rapprochement with the US.
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# ? May 7, 2014 17:39 |
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Holidy in Cambodia pops up in my head every time I see this thread.
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# ? May 7, 2014 17:53 |
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Popular Thug Drink posted:Holidy in Cambodia pops up in my head every time I see this thread. The Che Brigade has moved on to fetishize Venezuela and Levatines with exotic headgear. Cuba is, like, so day before yesterday.
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# ? May 7, 2014 18:14 |
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Headgear.
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# ? May 7, 2014 18:22 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:21 |
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TheImmigrant posted:Cubana flies rickety old Ilyushins and Tupolevs, often with Soviet livery that hasn't been changed in 30 years. They also have an abysmal safety record. But yeah, they do offer free rum-and-mango juice on the two hour flight from Mexico City. They do fly some Russian aircraft, but they are the IL-96, Tu-204, and An-158 (which is Ukrainian), all of which have been produced in post-Soviet times (some having only entered service in the past year or two). The older Soviet aircraft are being phased out, if there are any remaining at all. Many flights are operated with wet-leased aircraft from Western countries, and a big factor in the bad safety record is difficulty with maintenance owing to the US embargo. Unlike numerous airlines, they have not been banned or restricted from flying into the EU, which suggests their flight safety is adequate. You are a terrible troll.
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# ? May 8, 2014 17:03 |