Cubans await Castro's elusive Chinese kitchen

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By Marc Frank
CAMAGUEY, Cuba (Reuters) - Six months after President Fidel Castro promised that every Cuban household would get an electric rice cooker and other appliances, most Cubans are wondering where they are.

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But so far few have been sold, though some state stores have begun offering pressure cookers made in China and Brazil, and some residents are growing impatient.

The delays are being blamed on the country's decrepit electricity grid as officials fear that the onslaught of new electric appliances will cause power failures and fires.

Previously, the sale of electric stoves and cookers had been banned due to energy shortages.

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A majority of Cuba's 11.2 million inhabitants still cook with home-made burners, kerosene, diesel fuel, wood and coal.

In a country where rice and beans is part of every meal, the promise of electric rice cookers and new pressure cookers was welcomed by many.

In Camaguey, Cuba's third city in the center of the island, the evening air smells of kerosene, diesel fumes and burning wood as some residents cook over open fires in their patios.

Authorities discovered that Cuba's ancient transformers and secondary power lines often cannot take the extra load and are at risk of catching fire.

Castro says he's purchased thousands of transformers and millions of feet of cable to solve the problem. But it will take time to make the switch.

Most Cubans have never owned an oven, let alone a microwave. They use pressure cookers not just to make rice and beans, but to bake cakes, roast chicken and cook other food.

He even explained to Cubans how to cook rice and beans more efficiently, advice that was not appreciated by all. "What a lack of respect. I know how to cook," said a housewife in the capital city of Havana, as she watched one of Castro's appearances.

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