An ice-cream stall at La Boca beach.

Photo: Steve Woodhall

Cuban milk is very nice. The cows are obviously very productive and committed to the revolution.

Combine that with a plentiful supply of sugar and a hot climate, and you get a nation committed to eating ice cream.

You see people walking along the street eating it casually, but there is also the ritualized, highly social way of eating it that happens in the Coppelia ice-cream parlours.

You queue up, get allotted a table, sit down and someone comes round with flavoured scoops in lolly colours. It's nice to be among children and families for a change if you've been doing a lot of drinking and dancing.