Oye Asere!

Oye Asere!

Stroll down any street in Miami, walk into any bakery, cruise down South Beach with power 96.5 blasting through the radio and more than likely the word Asere has been said or yelled. Now, it might not be the most proper way to communicate or to get a hold of a person but hearing the word you know what culture you’re dealing with.

Asere is quite a powerful word for the Cuban community, but a fair warning never use it around your Abuelas or Abuelos because I’m sure a chanclenta or cinturon will be whipped out or maybe if your family believed that these articles of clothing should remain on they would profess “ay niña que forma de hablar”. This slang term in my personal view is like the modern way of saying “bro” for Americans but for my grandmother it’s an abomination of class and the Cuban culture though granted my abuela was born in 1935 (I LOVE MY ABUELA) so things have changed a bit. It’s also like the Cuban equivalence of the Surfer-like phrase, “What’s up, Dude?” It’s a coloquial term like saying mi hermano or mi amigo or even compadre. It’s the same for Dominicans and Puerto Ricans who might use the terms Tigre o Pana respectively.

You hear it anywhere, used by anyone. Whether it be a papi chulo hablando mierda with his “Aseres” or a Brickell business man trying to hustle through a Starbucks for a coffee (you can take a person out of Cuba, but you can’t take the Cuban out of the person!). More than likely Asere is muttered by men, but that does not mean you won’t find a woman using it to deal with the mechanic who’s trying to hustle her (true story!). You can hear a Miami chick use it, if you’re in la 20 y 20 and need some “street” credit just muster in the word a few times in a conversation and they might not rip you off.

If you’re a Kendall-residing individual and don’t want to go to the Asere capital of the States; Hialeah, but still want to get the full jist of the word, just make your way to Dolphin mall. Now you might have to 1. endure Miami traffic, 2. pray to Papa Dios (god) for a parking space, 3. make the sign of the cross in hope that you wont kill the hurdles of people shopping with suitcases (BELIEVE IT, people shop with suitcases at Dolphin), and 4. Papi’s wearing white crocodile shoes and Ed Hardy shirts.

Now while ‘asere’ is not a formal word, it’s still a word that brings people together. Why? Well it’s typically but not always used to talk to a friend. Believe it or not a simple “Oye, asere que vuelta?” has brought people together.

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