When I was living in South Florida (Boca Raton 90-94, Miami 99-02) I loved the fact that you could pick up Materva in any major supermarket (Publix or Winn Dixie, although Sedanos had better prices). To think that a Cuban entrepreneuer could find an Argentinean tea and decide to make soda out of it never ceased to amuse me.
There was a rumor going around Miami in late '99, btw, that Materva caused impotence.
Man, now I'm hungry for Cuban food, and there is only one decent Cuban joint in all of Northern CA. Down in LA, I had lots to choose from, and they were all excellent.
Thanks for the post and the grumbling stomach, Luis. I really liked this thread.