| If you've visited a foreign country before, like me, | | | | What does this culture do for the city? Some of the |
| you know that it can be difficult to work around the | | | | best cuisine around is ropa vieja (which is shredded |
| native language, and finding the bathroom is | | | | flank steak, tomato sauce), with black beans and |
| sometimes impossible. What if you were a tourist in | | | | yellow rice. If you have not tried it and go to Miami, |
| your own country? You may find a problem like this | | | | this should be your dish of choice. Cuban influence |
| in Miami. In fact it isn't a problem at all, and shows | | | | has also drastically affected government and politics |
| how diverse our country and the city of Miami is. | | | | in the region as well. 3 current city commissioners |
| Miami has the largest Spanish speaking population in | | | | wear the name Hernandez, Sanchez, and Gonzalez, |
| the western hemisphere next to of course to South | | | | including the mayor of the city, Manuel Diaz. Hispanic |
| America. Spanish Speakers account for over 65% of | | | | culture has influenced Miami culture in a huge way. In |
| Miami residents. For a tourist those are pretty bad | | | | addition the buildings are Spanish style like Havana, |
| odds to find an English speaker. | | | | and even though there are a lot of Colombians, and |
| Most of the people in Miami are bilingual so I joke | | | | Puerto Ricans, Miami is mostly Cuban. |
| about not being able to find a bathroom. I lived in LA | | | | Miami is a beautiful port city with an accelerating |
| for 20 years and talked easily with the millions of | | | | economy and growth. The Cuban influence started in |
| Mexican Americans I went to school and worked | | | | the 80's and 90's and has now been embraced by |
| with. But the numbers in Miami are astonishing. 67% | | | | Miami residents and forever embedded in the Scar |
| of all Miami residents are Spanish speakers as their | | | | Face minds of the American public. Before we are |
| first language! This may be due to the fact that | | | | quick to judge the cultural differences between us, |
| Miami is closer to Cuba than it is Tallahassee, the | | | | and what we are forced with, let us think about |
| states capitol. There have been many stories in the | | | | what the people of Cuba have done for our great |
| news of Cuban immigrants defecting and | | | | city and why it is so cool to be an El Norte de Cuban, |
| transplanting to Miami. | | | | Spanish or not. |