One of the few things that is not in short supply in Cuba is apparently condoms. The government heavily subsidizes and promotes Chinese made condoms and sells three of them for the equivalent of a U.S. penny. While this may contribute to the lowest HIV rate in the western hemisphere, it also means that the people have found a hundred and one other uses for the cheap and widely available prophylactics.
The Global Post reports that condoms, which are not rationed, are blown up and used as decorations for children's birthday parties, for water balloon fights, and to keep money dry while swimming at the beach.
Perhaps one of the craftiest uses (and one that hat we could even imagine taking off in Miami) is the use of condoms as makeshift flasks.
An average Cuban may not be able to afford a Club's cover and then buy a round of drinks, so they fill condoms with liquor, keep them in their pants, and then secretly dilute it in cheaper mixers.
"If you only have $7 and the club has a $5 entry fee, you don't have any money left over for drinks," a 24-year-old Havana resident tells the Post. "So you pay the $5, and once you're inside, you buy a can of cola for $1. You drink half, then go to the bathroom, open the condom, and pour the rum into the can."
Condoms are also used as floats by fishermen who aren't allowed to use boats, and as gauges by moonshine distillers.
[Global Post]
