The Trump administration has sent the U.S. military to Venezuela (“hundreds of personnel, two warships, fixed and rotary-winged aircraft, and search and rescue teams”), which will, I hope, help with immediate problems. But what about supporting long-term rebuilding of this frenemy? My preferred method for helping afflicted foreign countries is to boost their economies by buying their exports (see Japan Relief: Idea #1 (buy a knife), for example).
What can we buy from Venezuela in the coming months that we wouldn’t have otherwise purchased? ChatGPT says that Venezuelan coffee is “potentially very good, but uneven and hard to find” (old/popular brand available on Amazon), that chocolate made in Venezuela can be good. Franceschi Chocolate, Chocolates El Rey, and Savoy are the recommended brands. Of these, I found only Savoy at Amazon. ChatGPT apparently wants humans to be too drunk to resist its takeover of the planet and consequently recommends rum: Diplomático, Santa Teresa, Pampero, Cacique. Venezuelan seafood is apparently a big export, but tough to find as a consumer.
Since we live in a Latinx-rich environment, I am going to visit some of the local “Hispanic” supermarkets and see what I can find before hoping and praying for chocolate to make it through the mail in summer heat.
The good old days…
With due respect to the efforts of the military, the deaths and the injuries, also reflect on why the quote, “saving the planet”, is so full of hubris.
Diplomatica rum