Going undercover in the sandwich department!

For my ethnography assignment, I decided to go and observe in a location not many would consider: Lafallet's Courtside.
To be specific, I observed the area in the back of the room, where everyone contemplates, orders, and waits for sandwiches. Sometimes, one could wait up to fifteen minutes (or longer) for their sandwich. Because of this, I found it a perfect place to see people's reactions to others when their hunger started getting the best of them!

Oberservations:
-my role: customer, waiting on a sandwich
-2 wooden (park style) benches
-1 giant list of sandwiches, placed in front of the kitchen counter
-an invisible parameter (something that seems like the customers created, for non-social and out of the way reasons).
-workers in red shirts/hats
-kitchen (sandwich)counter purposefully placed next to chips and "REFRESHING" coke machines (clever, huh?!).
-two girls sitting next to me on bench (discussing how they have not drank pop in years...and yet, she had two bottles of coca-cola products on her tray). (Story referencing clever placement of coke machines next to sandwich counter!)
-signs hanging above counter: "pick up here," "order here"
-1 worker, very friendly with "Have a nice day" comments, always
-black, ridged, tile shaped rugs forming carpet
-customers shifting weight back and forth while waiting beside chip stand
-1 worker (the guy supposedly taking orders) playing with the notepad (flipping it around)
-1 worker (the guy handing out the sandwiches, yelling names, and saying "Have a nice day") playing with his fingers that are in rubber gloves.
-Customers (students): most dressed in just about every style one could imagine, but with backpacks as well. Some people in pajamas, athletic attire, layers, jeans (tight, lose, baggy, very baggy).
-The entrance doors: both open (inviting and functioning as air conditioners to cool the room)
-Most food racks: empty, massacred from lunch hours (I'm guessing)
-Smells: Chicken and Dumpling and Clam Chowder soup, Sandwiches (all kinds)
-Temp: Stuffy
-Time frame: 6:15-6:32

Reflection:
-Color pattern used in Courtside: black and red. Used because of the school colors, or to entice hunger (red)?
-Since, they were not as busy as I thought they would be, kitchen staff seemed extremely bored (hence, playing with hands and such); however, most food racks were still empty (possibly, becoming a perfect reason during the down time of the store to re-stock).
- Overall, the staff were very cordial and nice, even though business was starting to pick up.
-Intriguing: Body Language: When people are standing alone and waiting, they do not make eye contact with others very often. Instead they stare. If there are two or more people standing together, conversations were always going and things were more laid back for them. I loved watching how people waited for their food though. Some people rocked back and forth, others stared at the chip rack for ten minutes straight acting like they were deep in thought, and still there were others who did the occasional nod and smile when people did catch them looking, etc.

Overall, this was a fun assignment. Also, I managed to get two things accomplished at one time: I did my homework and got something to eat for dinner (otherwise known as, "multi-tasking")!