Yadda, yadda, yadda. Cubans are delighted to welcome Americans and their dollars, which have become the preferred currency since Castro legalized greenbacks in 1993, a step he took in order to funnel dollars from the flourishing black market into the mainstream economy. The effect has been creation of an economic apartheid. It's not surprising that well-educated Cubans clamor for jobs as cab drivers, bartenders and hotel maids. One cab driver left his job as a military jet pilot.
Eating is better.
The dollar economy is changing the way Cubans think. When hard currency is freely exchanged for goods and services, it's tough to ignore the connections. Hard work equals more money equals better goods equals better quality of life. These capitalist constructs, which Americans embrace as inalienable rights, are still considered counterrevolutionary here. Yet, undeniably, as Americans' feet continue touching Cuban soil, these ideas are taking root and, slowly but surely, finding light.