Sunday, March 25, 2012

Ethnography Rough Draft



Cape Cod Café

                  Café society is something that many of us as customers and/or social theorists

take for granted. Cafés are places where we are not simply served hot beverages but are

also in some way partaking of a specific form of public life. Some where you can go and

relax, and theres also really good food. It is this latter aspect that has attracted the attention

of social folks.
                  
                   As you walk in the front entrance there are 12 long shaped tables along the

side of the café window with cushioned stools for customers to sit. There is a wide open

front counter where were always there to greet you as soon as you walk in the door. There

is also a pop machine to the far right on the wall of the store. The customer walks up to the

middle of the front counter to place their order where the 3 cashier stations are located. The

customer can also see all the toppings that would go on the pizza, and get to see

everything be done fresh right in front of them. 

                 From the front, it is also clear to see through the giant windows on the side of the

building to the light and fresh air in. the nice wooded area outside, is such a nice sit to look

at when im out cheacking tables. Behind and to the left were the giant ovens that hold more

than 300 pizzas.  The store's phone where the delivery calls are processed is located on a

shelf behind a wall that extends half way into the store's width.  Behind the phone station is

the primary packing station where the pizza dough is flattened, prepared to be topped, and

where the finished pizza is cut and boxed. To the far right is a high shelf used to stack extra

cardboard pizza boxes. 

                 To the right of this station is the Hobart dough-mixing machine, which is used to

make and prepare the pizza dough or to shred the block of cheese, right nfront of the

customers very eyes.  Mostly everything we do, sandwhichs, pizzas and salads were

infront of the customers. The to  the right of that is the walk in freezer where many

ingredients are kept such as cheese, dough balls, and toppings. also, tomatos, peppers,

onions (my favorite to cut), cucumbers, celery, brocclii, and many more. 

                    The atmosphere is different every single day, the attitudes of everyone cann

effect you in the matter of seconds. Customers can range from nice, to great, to really rude.

its always a loud enedergy because of all the employees talking, the openeing and closing

of the ovens, the banging on the grill. theres also loud noise of pizza pans dropping and

phones ringing of the hook with the girls saying " cafe cod cafe, please hold." sometimes

we lost the service, but they always called back. you cant even stand still for a second

before the managers are telling you to do soemthing. then when they tell you to do

soemthing they ask you to stop that and do soemthing else. then when they see you didnt

fisnish what they ask before, they get mad but their the ones rushing us around.

Sometimes they put alot more pressure on the girls than they should.

                    Overall working in a rushed crazxy atmosphere like this is the best, and i

wouldnt change it for anything. i work my butt off for these people and i see that they

realize that. A lot of other work places ive seen dont really respect their employess as much

as my job does. We are like a small knit family, that gets closer everyday. we always have

eachotyhers back. their always there when i need them and thats the best, when you

actually like your job and the environment your in.









                 

1 comment:

  1. This place seems a good choice for your ethnography. You do a good job at describing the layout of the cafe, but I'm missing a sense of its atmosphere. (That is, I could draw a diagram of where things are, but I don't really see the decor--what sort of pictures on walls? colors? what's on tables? etc.)

    I'm really interested in the first para. where you talk about cafe society and the public life that takes place there. But the body of your essay doesn't really show or explain this. In an ethnography typically the writer records what he/she actually saw and heard during visits to the field site, particular people who did and said particular things. I don't really see that level of specificity here. (I'm not clear which subculture you're describing here--is it the people who work here or the customers?)

    Be sure to explain at the beginning where you are (don't rely on title to do that for you.) Also, indicate more clearly what your connection is to this subculture. Generally avoid "you"--your reader hasn't been to this place. If it's something you yourself have seen or did, just use "I."

    One thing you might consider in revision: try to replace some of those "to be" verbs--is, are, etc.--with stronger verbs to make livelier sentences. (That's a challenge when you're writing description.)

    I'll anxious to see what you can add to this in revision!

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