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Social Psychology 530: Observing Culture — Taco Hell
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A favorite of late-night haunt on State St just after midnight Friday evening seemed like the prime time to observe the behavioral interactions of people in the subculture of a fast-food restaurant, I convinced my observation partner after some debate. The chaotic atmosphere plus increased blood alcohol levels in the average midnight patrons would no doubt produce endless examples of interactions, making any observed social norms in interactions be significant. I also wanted to sample the latest introduction the nation-wide menu “the chalupa” with plenty of Taco Hell hot-sauce. The atmosphere in any fast-food restaurant takes on an uniform, standardized, predictable setting. All serve greasy, salty cheap food that is subjected to standards in uniformity; they always look, feel, and taste the same. Food is paid for first, in return for a call number on a receipt. While waiting for the order, the patron fills his/her disposable advertisement-marked drink cup at a self-serve fountain. The food is assembled and packaged quickly in disposable containers on plastic trays with paper tray-liners that double as additional advertisements. From there the customer moves onto a condiment/utensil table where napkins, straws, ketchup (hot sauce) is gathered before taking a seat. There are large trash bins for self-disposal after the meal. It is this superficial, predictable setting that creates a casual, informal environment hospitable to informal and casual interactions between people, thus making fast-food restaurants popular hangouts for young adults, teenagers, and of course college students. Observations as a whole throughout this exercise were somewhat chaotic, as when time went on into the early morning hours toward bar-time, the numbers of patrons in the restaurant increased dramatically. Focus at the beginning of the observation was at the counter line, where examples of the casual environment were apparent. The counter line was divided into an ‘S’ shape by a set of wooden railings bolted into the floor, suggesting a norm in positioning. This norm was casually broken several times by patrons hopping over and under the railing both when the line was full, and when the line was not. Body language of the people in line also followed the casual trend, taking on slouched postures, crossing legs, folded arms, shifting feet, and casual glances around the room. Interactions between individuals also followed this trend of informality in facial expressions, hand gestures, voice pitch, body language, and touching. Physical contact in form of play, camaraderie, flirtations, and in ridicule took place in all informal interactions, arguably varying depending on the relationship between the two individuals. Also noted was the occurrence of mimicry between individuals, as male hoisted himself using the railing as he progressed in the line, his two companions also followed suit. Then the first male then assumed a casual pose leaning against the rail with his hands resting behind him. The same two companions again followed suit, even crossing their legs left over right just like the first one. Interactions between patrons and employees further stressed the separation between the groups within this sub-culture. Employees were separated symbolically by their uniforms and baseball hats carrying the franchise logo. They were also noted for their behavior, silent, downcast expressions and body language as opposed to the relaxed, casual expressions of the patrons. Interactions between patrons and employees consisted of mainly nonverbal communication, body language, and interpersonal spacing. The only verbal interaction between these two groups was at the counter, where a distinctly intentionalist model of communication was utilized. “Can I help you Sir/Ma’am?” “I’d like the soft taco” “For here or to go?” “For here”. The majority of interactions between people was spoken language that reflected the casual setting of the restaurant; for the most part, verbal communication between people was loud, expressive, much like that in a High school cafeteria, or sporting event. Overheard conversation topics included food orientated “I’m so f***ing hungry”, socially orientated “That guys so f***ing hot”, intoxication “I’m so f***ing drunk” and playful ridicule “You f***er!”, to name a few. The wide use of profanity in verbal communication stressed the norm of informality, as well as the state of intoxication of the individuals. Also noted was an individual sitting nearby using “psudoebonics”, in his language (Ebonics spoken by a Caucasian male) Dress of patrons followed some basic norms of casual dress in American culture. Almost all of the patrons male and female either wore baggy pants, denim jeans, khaki cargo pants, sneakers, and skater shoes. Also commonly seen were baseball caps worn low, with the brim covering the face, and hooded sweaters with either logo designs, or solid colored. The overall defining quality of the restaurant was undeniably the casual, informal atmosphere. This setting creates the relaxed appeal of the restaurant for a large population of customers, young and old, of all socioeconomic standings, especially those in the middle-lower income brackets. The casual setting also creates a friendly environment for interpersonal interactions, free of several formal restrictions and norms, save that of informality in behaviors. A drawback of this system is the plasticity and tackiness of fast-food restaurants, serving low quality foods wrapped in a mess of flashy advertisements under the fallacy of variety. “Brand new Gordita!”. Also is the fact that within ever culture and sub-culture there are hierarchies, and those that are at the bottom of the fast-food restaurant sub-culture are in a way outcasts both inside and outside the restaurant. This was also a little ironic, that the restaurant serves Americanized Mexican food, with the majority of the workers appeared to be Hispanic, and almost all the customers were Caucasian. The largest limitation in this study lay in the inability to accurately and quantitatively observe all of the members of this sub-culture. With the total number of people at any given time reaching 50+, it was almost impossible to keep track of all interactions taking place. In addition, the fact that this exercise was an observational study, and not an active survey, or interview project, inferences in sub-culture norms and behaviors were made on observations only. Nevertheless, it was made quite clear that there are norms and trends followed in the interactions of individuals even in the casual setting of a fast-food restaurant at bar-time. Despite my original efforts in choosing an observation site that would yield chaotic, and interesting social norms, and interpersonal behaviors, I instead realized that there are several social forces that motivate members of Taco Hell’s subculture to conform to the norms and roles of informality in interpersonal interactions. If you’ve been to one Taco Hell you’ve been to them all, if you’ve tasted anything on the menu, then you’ve pretty much tried a “chalupa”, they all taste the same. I’m convinced in my mind what the leading factor is. it’s the hot sauce. Taco Hell hot sauce found at the counter under the enormous poster for “nachos bell grande” in a of a variety of taste-temperatures in bright red fiesta colored packets. I reminded myself to take home a few as a momento. |