When I decided to go on this trip, I did not know what to expect in terms of food. I don’t eat foods that come from animals, so I was a little bit worried about how that was going to go. On the paperwork for studying abroad I specified that I was vegan, so I knew that there would be options for me I was just hoping they would be tasty. Our host dad was amazing. He always gave us plenty to eat and he prepared mine and my roommates meals separately which was very considerate.

The breakfasts were probably my favorite thing. I never used to eat breakfast in the United States, but in Cuba every morning we had a spread of fresh fruits, sandwiches, breads, juices and coffee. We ate out on our little terrace overlooking the street. At that time of the day, the weather was perfect and having breakfast out there was a great way to start our day.

Dinners were equally delicious. I ate rice and beans almost every night, but my host dad always made sure to mix up the vegetables I ate and get creative with it. He said that it was pretty rare in Cuba for people to not eat meat and even more rare for people to skip out on dairy. With that being said, he was always understanding and worried that I wasn’t able to find things to eat outside of the house.

It is true that eating out was a little bit of a struggle, but it was completely expected. I ate a lot of beans and rice and sautéed vegetables, which I liked a lot. Many of the restaurants we went to though did not offer those things, so I would have pizza or spaghetti without meat and cheese which got me some crazy looks. All in all, the food was much better than I expected it to be in my home. While I had to be a little creative in ordering at restaurants, there was almost always an option for me which was nice.