Letti Duquesne Palacios, the mother of popular Cuban influencer Gigi Maduq, recently arrived in the Cayman Islands and visited a local supermarket with her daughter. Their experience was captured in a viral Instagram video that quickly became one of the week's most discussed clips.
The mother-daughter reunion took place a day earlier and was shared on their @gigimaduq account with the caption: "The best day of my life, no more words needed." Their first outing together was a trip to the supermarket.
As Letti walked through the aisles, her expression was one of amazement. She was taken aback by the vast variety, abundance, and organization of the products. She couldn't help but ironically remark, "How hard is this cruel capitalism!"
Her spontaneous reactions humorously and emotionally highlighted the stark contrast between the scarcity in Cuba and the abundance found abroad.
“Here, you don't even look at prices. Oh, how divine it is to be invited to shop,” she exclaimed with laughter, moving through shelves brimming with goods.
Upon reaching the cleaning supplies section, her wonder mingled with nostalgia: “You don’t know what this smell is. It's the very scent of 'yuma'," she declared. This Cuban expression refers to the distinctive aroma of imported products, often associated with the foreign world and the clothing brought back to the island by Cubans living abroad.
Letti also commented on the situation she left behind, particularly when reaching the meat section: “They are killing us with hunger back in the jungle. As soon as Cubans leave, the first place we go is here,” she noted, referring to grocery shopping.
The visit left her deeply moved, especially by the cleanliness in the presentation of food—something not commonly seen in Cuban markets: “Everything is delicious, well-organized, and clean. I could die of happiness on this trip.” The video ends on a festive and hopeful note: “From tomorrow onward, there will be much more and better.”
Gigi Maduq, whose real name is Gina Martínez, is a Cuban communicator and model actively engaged on social media, known for her content about life on the island, particularly following the July 11, 2021 protests.
This clip is part of a viral trend that shows no signs of slowing down, capturing the reactions of Cubans who leave the island and are astonished by the abundance in foreign supermarkets.
In March, a 62-year-old Cuban man was moved to tears upon entering a supermarket in Spain, with his video garnering over 2.2 million views in less than 48 hours.
In August, a Cuban woman broke down crying in a Cancun supermarket upon seeing bread and sweets. Each of these videos, in their own way, documents the profound impact of decades of shortages on those who grew up in Cuba and are encountering a fully stocked shelf of food for the first time, affordably priced and without queues.
Understanding the Cuban Experience Abroad
Why was Letti Duquesne Palacios surprised in the Cayman Islands supermarket?
She was amazed by the variety, abundance, and organization of products, contrasting starkly with the scarcity she experienced in Cuba.
What does the term 'yuma' refer to in Cuban slang?
'Yuma' refers to the distinctive aroma of imported products, often associated with foreign countries and goods brought back by Cubans from abroad.
How has the Cuban diaspora reacted to foreign supermarkets?
Many have reacted with tears and astonishment, as seen in viral videos, due to the stark contrast with Cuba's long-standing shortages and lack of variety.