Food Court Observation

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Anthropology notes Date : March 29, 2013 Location: Food Court a Mall Setting : There are quite a few different types of establishments in the food court. Here are some that I see as an example: -Japanese takeout -Burgers and fries -A smoothie bar -A fusion Indian cuisine restaurant - several fast food franchises -A pastry cafe -A coffee shop Out all of the different places to purchase food and sit down, almost all of the establishments had a common seating area, an area which resembles a cafeteria. The coffee shop and pastry cafe seemed to have their private seating areas. The eating area seems to be more than just a place to eat. Rather it seems to focus like a multipurpose room. There were many types of groups. Some seemed to be there with many friends who just wanted to have a place to hang out while others seemed to just be there waiting for their female partners to finish shopping. More will be covered in the scene notes below. The coffee shop - most of the people who I see in the coffee shop were either alone or with what appeared to be a partner. -those who were alone seemed to not spend much time in the coffee shop. As in, they would grab their drink and leave. There could be many reasons for this. For example, they may be uncomfortable hanging out at a cafe alone, or they may really be busy. - the other common scenario I saw at the coffee shop was the presence of couples. Many of these couples were carrying shopping bags, a baby or both. It seemed like they were at the coffee shop to either relax after shopping or take a mid shopping break. -There were also entire families with older kids at the coffee shop, but more often than not, it was the parents who were ordering for themselves. They were also on the the go... ... middle of paper ... ...erent types of personas and demographics present in the dining areas of the mall was an experience that demonstrated how people adapt to their situations. There were people who did not want to participate in the shopping experience, so they chose to wait in the food court, as seen with the bored males. There were others who may have felt tired, so they stopped by at the coffee shop for a caffeine boost, so that they may fuel their shopping habit. Finally, there were many other younger age groups, who were not there to shop at all. These typically consisted of teenagers, looking for a place to hang out, such as the food court. Thus the aforementioned demographics help demonstrate how people adapt to their environments and situations. More importantly, it shows how people can easily learn to optimize their situations by making do with their resources and surroundings.

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