2nd Food Ethnography

            Americans once shopped for food in a completely different manner then they do today. Once upon a time Americans would run down to their local market or corner store and get what food they needed for the day or next couple of days.  Today’s typical Americans run to the local Wal-Mart, Kroger, Costco, or any other supermarket located in most towns across America and get the food they needed for the next couple of weeks.  Most of these changes have occurred over the past 50 years, as Americans began to rely on a small number of farmers and food companies to provide the food to these “super” supermarkets.  Leaving many small-scale local farmers to “die” and for the most part small farms did, but not all small farms did “die”. In fact the small local farmer seems to be making resurgence, in the form of farmer’s markets.  What has allowed farmer’s markets to enjoy this resurgence?  To find out this answer I took a trip to the Allen Street Farmer’s Market in Lansing to discover what makes farmer’s markets so unique.

            As I walked up to Allen Street on a cold, sleet-filled Wednesday in October, one thing popped in my head; although it was a crumby day everyone present seemed to be happy.  Everyone there was actually happy or at least put on a good act, as I came to find out through interactions with most of the vendors.  My ignorance of farmer’s markets had me under the impression that they strictly featured only fruits and vegetables with a little bit of meat.  As I walked around I soon realized it was much more than that.  I made my way to Stone Circle Bakehouse, a local bread company out of Holt using simple ingredients to bake breads “the way they once tasted” (Stone).  As I talked to the individuals running the stand I realized just how different the culture was at a farmer’s market compared to the supermarkets that most Americans shop at.

            The people at the stand were friendly and genuinely excited to tell me about their products natural ingredients and fresh taste.  They had successfully roped me in to buying some bread and my spending did not stop there as I sprung for some other products along the way.  The environment had my interest peaked. The people made a huge difference, but ultimately knowing where all the food came from was the biggest factor for me.  1500 miles is the average distance food travels in the United States before it gets to us (the consumers) according to many locavore movements.  From my baseline information of the Allen Street Farmer’s Market the food was traveling no more than 30 miles and as little as a couple of blocks, where some of the urban farmers grow their produce. 

Because this food comes from local producers, people can sometimes have the misconception that farmer’s markets are only for people who are willing to spend lots of money on food.  As I was walking around, I noticed the prices of the fruits and vegetables and they seemed reasonable, according to my limited knowledge of fruit and vegetable prices.  Even if they were a bit more expensive, to me it seemed worth it to know that my food was coming from somewhere close and it would be helping people within the community.  Also, as I discovered that at each stand they accepted bridge card tokens and food stamp tokens, therefore making it more accessible to lower income individuals.  As I was buying products I realized that it was alright to negotiate for them, something that had completely caught me off guard.  This was one of the biggest and best cultural differences between the traditional American supermarket and the Allen Street Farmer’s Market.

As I was walking away from the farmer’s market my mood can be described simply as jolly, I had never left somewhere that I bought food feeling so satisfied and happy.  The culture of the farmer’s market had brightened my day, from the people, to the products, to the excessive amount of “hippie” bumper stickers. I realized that having the counterculture to the American supermarket was what had made my experience so great and has allowed farmer’s markets to grow across America.  Although my experience as a whole was great, I see a large flaw in farmer’s markets especially in northern states.  Most are only open from May to October; therefore, forcing people to turn to the traditional supermarket where the food is often not as fresh and travels on average 1500 miles.  Ultimately, I think farmer’s markets are a great long-term supplement to American supermarkets, somewhere we can all go to get local fresh food products.

           


Work Cited

"Agricultural Marketing Service - Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing." Agricultural Marketing Service - Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing. USDA, 3 Aug. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

"Stone Circle Bake House." Stone Circle Bakehouse. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://www.stonecirclebakehouse.com/>.

           

McDonaldization Project

            McDonaldization has become a large part of many aspects of American society as well as societies throughout the rest of the world.  In fact, George Ritzer in The McDonaldization in Society argues there are very few places in society that have not been affected by the fast food industry’s principles.  What happens when someone tries to break the mold of McDonaldization that has taken over so many parts of society?  Does the world come crashing down around us, do people tend to give into your demands or do people simply laugh it off as something that is more of a joke?  During this paper I will dive into an “art” that has been all but lost in American society; the “art” of negotiation.  Other than for large purchases like a house or a car, most Americans will not approach negotiation in purchases; I will discuss my adventures into negotiating for everyday products that most Americans buy.

            Negotiation was chosen because it is an “art”, as I call it, that has been almost completely eliminated from American society. As a whole we have accepted prices printed in stores as law and we have given no thought as to why.  For my first experiment into negotiation I started on a small scale, Sparty’s, the small convenience stores located all around campus.  I had a goal to obtain three cookies for a reduced rate by convincing the workers that I should get a discount rate for buying in “bulk” (relative to the typical student who would only purchase one cookie).  Long story short, I was unsuccessful in my attempt.  The workers at Sparty’s simply have no authority to negotiate and there was no manager present in the small convenience store.  As I was negotiating I felt as if they wanted to make the deal but their “McJobs” were so structured that it leaves them no room for any creativity or power.  The people around me, much like the workers found it funny that I was seriously attempting to negotiate for cookies.  They were so used to the typical McDonaldized way of paying the stated price as opposed to negotiating for a better price.

            The first attempt was a failure.  I did not negotiate a better price, but I did learn I needed to attempt negotiation at a different location under different circumstances.  I needed to go to a store or restaurant where I could speak with a manager or to someone with power or guts to actually negotiate with me.  So naturally I took my negotiation “talents” to the Meijer in my home town, Lake Orion.  I went in with the same tactic as at Sparty’s I was going to get a discount by buying in “bulk”.  This time I was going to negotiate for three gardening hoes, a definite odd purchase for any college student.

            As I was walking down the gardening aisle the nerves were far more present at Meijer then at Sparty’s, because I was no longer dealing with students at an on campus job.  I was going to be negotiating with an adult at his or her full time job.  I was finally able to locate an employee after a few minutes of searching (who happened to be a manager) to discuss the discounted rate for the three garden hoes.    Once again, much like my first attempt at Sparty’s, I was unsuccessful. The manager that I talked to was not willing to negotiate the price, although he did find it funny and courageous who I wanted to negotiate the price.  Unfortunately, there was no one around me to see swing and miss in my attempt to negotiate with the manager, but if someone was, I could imagine they would have would have had a similar reaction to the people I was around at Sparty’s.

            As I sit back and reflect on the experience at both locations I cannot help but think about how American culture has distanced itself from negotiation for everyday products.  Like many other aspects of American society, McDonaldization has become a part of how we shop.  It is much easier for stores if everybody has to pay the same prices.  They do not have to train their employees how to bargain, and they do not have to worry about their stores somehow getting “ripped off” in negotiation.  For the customers, it is easier to go into the store, pick up everything they need and not have to negotiate for anything.  Speed and efficiency is what the customers and producers think they want, but what the customers are losing out on by not negotiating is money and potentially lots of it.  Although it was awkward to try and negotiate for everyday products, I think it is something that more people should do in order to break the McDonaldization mold in today’s society.

1st Food Ethnography

            The largest increase of foreign students on Michigan State University’s campus in the past five to ten years has come from the Asian population, specifically students from China.  In the 2012-2013 academic year the number of Chinese students totaled 3,712; this number is much larger than the 891 students that were on campus for the 2007-2008 academic year (International).  With this influx of Chinese students and families to MSU and the surrounding areas, the market for “authentic” (authentic being a topic discussed later in the ethnography) Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and other Chinese stores has greatly expanded.  As I began to explore this new cultural explosion I came upon one of the many restaurants the Michigan State Chinese population visits.  Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine is far different from most Americanized Chinese restaurants, such as PF Chang’s, Panda Express or the typical Chinese restaurant that is in towns across America. Typical Americanized Chinese restaurants serve food such as sesame, sweet and sour, and Kung Pao chicken with a side of white or chicken fried rice.

            How is Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine different from some of the typical American Chinese restaurants?  The simple and not so simple answer is the culture of the restaurant, from the wait staff, to the food, to the frequent customers (Asian students).  The culture of the restaurant is what gives it the “authentic” feeling. “Authentic” meaning Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine presents a similar culture of eating as you would experience at a restaurant in China.  As I walked into the restaurant, the first thing that came to my attention was the restaurant was completely full of Asian people mostly students and the occasional older couple scattered throughout.  Also as customers, including myself, were being seated, I noticed that English was being spoken by none of the employees. The employees and Asian customers often engaged in conversation when they were being seated as if they knew each other. The patrons and employees in the restaurant were some of the first clues that Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine is culturally “authentic”, if this restaurant were a run of the mill Americanized Chinese restaurant there would not be such a high of a concentration of Asian population.  As the meal continued the Chinese culture of the restaurant was evident at almost every point.

            The language barrier caused quite a problem, as a non-Asian customer, problems arose as I tried to ask for suggestions, the waitress had limited knowledge of English so she had to find another employee who came over and immediately pointed to the American Chinese food on the menu.  A simple flip through the menu would have many Americans wondering what in the world is that, or why would anyone ever eat that?  From duck, intestines, chicken feet, hot pots, to liver, they had it all on the menu. I looked around the Asian customers were eating these different exotic (exotic to me) dishes.  I tried to communicate to the waiter that I did not want to have the typical American Chinese food; I was there to try Chinese food the typical Chinese customer would eat when they visited.  He pointed me in the direction of a noodle dish with many different types of meat and seafood, which I decided to order, and found the dish to be alright.  I had left my comfort zone and experienced an “authentic” Chinese meal. 

            As I was making the conscious effort to experience the full culture of the restaurant, I intently observed the other customers and their actions throughout the night.  The typical customer at the Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine did not seem to be of particularly high social class; most were dressed in regular casual clothing and were eating with a few friends.  The prices also dictated that the restaurant was not especially fancy; most items were under $12 with the occasional entrée like duck around $20.  These prices allowed many different classes of people to eat at the restaurant. 

As my observations continued I focused on how the customers were eating and interacting with each other.  Out of these observations I discovered something that may have been the biggest difference between American and Chinese culture. Almost every table was sharing their meal; the main dishes were in the center of the table in a large bowl and each person had a separate smaller plate that they would put the main dishes on.  As I reflected on this, I concluded that the way the Chinese culture eats seems to be much more intimate in regards to eating with groups.  This intimacy is something that American culture typically only sees at family dinners, but the Chinese culture has this in many parts of their eating culture.  From my observations I concluded, the Chinese make eating with friends a far more intimate moment than the typical Americans eating with friends. 

The overall experience I had at the Everyday Restaurant Chinese Cuisine was “authentic”.  I felt throughout the meal that I was in Shanghai going to a local restaurant, ordering the local food, and watching the local people interact. The culture within the restaurant was unlike any Chinese place I had ever gone and this culture was what attracted the Chinese students, an “authentic” feeling of home.


Works Cited

International Students By Country of Origin: Asia. Rep. Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2013. <http://oiss.isp.msu.edu/documents/statsreport/12pdfs/Asia.pdf>.