Field Notes
Location
The chosen field site where the food was purchased was at Grins cafe on Vanderbilt campus. Situated in between Branscomb residence hall, Memorial Gymnasium, and the first portion of greek row, Grins sits on an extremely accessible street corner on the very edge of main campus. This commercial site is widely recognized as not only physically accessible given its short walking distance to many lecture hall locations, but is also accessible to many populations given its numerous options for different diets. Grins cafe is one of the relatively smaller dining options on Vanderbilt’s campus, made up of three smaller sectioned rooms. The customer meets the first room upon entering the building. It is in this room that an individual can wait in a designated line before ordering, outlined by black barrier posts and rope. In front of the line, in this same room is the counter with to-go options and drinks in a cooler to the right of the cashier, and the register to purchase or order your desired items to the left. Above the counter on the ceiling overhang is the signature sign for the restaurant reading “GRINS Vegetarian Cafe”, in white bold lettering against a green background. There are an additional two other rooms in the building, both to be used for eating food or studying, adding to be a total of three divided sections. Although not divided by doors, different rooms are designated by different entryways and types of flooring. One of the other rooms consists of several larger, rounded plastic tables that easily sit larger groups of people (approx 5-9 people). This space is not only used by grins but also able to be reserved for clubs or groups on Vanderbilt’s campus, explaining its ability to equip larger groups. The third and final room is located opposite the second room, and consists of smaller, rectangular or square metal tables with metal chairs. This space is more frequently used for smaller groups (2-5) of people, or individuals looking to eat and then study after.
The site is usually not too noisy in the more lull hours of the morning and evening, but is definitely louder around peak lunch hours when it is most attended. Furthermore, the site is one in which people can either socialize or study, but more frequently people can be found talking and socializing with others as opposed to the latter, especially during lunch. This being said, there are still people who choose to study at this site after they finish eating. Aside from noises of people talking, one can hear the employer at the counter calling names, fairly loudly, of the customers whose food or orders are ready. This is done to ensure that those who have already gone to sit in other rooms can hear their names and get their orders as soon as possible. In addition to sound, the site smells as one would expect of a typical restaurant— like warm, savory food. If one attends in the morning, they could expect to smell the aroma of coffee being brewed and served with other pastry items, whereas if one attends during lunch or dinner hours one could smell food items such as warm sandwiches.
For restaurants, an important aspect of the field site is the degree of comfort it provides to its constituents. This being said, the seating situation at Grins is not optimal— between the rigid, low-quality plastic chairs in the second room and the cold, metal chairs in the third room the seating options are sub-par, but then again it isn’t a place where a customer would spend hours eating or studying, but rather serves as an option for a quick bite or for a bit of studying after you’re finished eating.
Subjects
The vast majority of the demographic of this site consists of Vanderbilt students, who typically age around 18-22. The dynamic between men and women is one that is slight, but nonetheless still prevalent. Being a cafe that typically serves vegan and vegetarian individuals, I’ve found that most frequently women will outnumber the men in the seating areas, being as they are typically the ones who come in larger groups. As it pertains to ethnic communities, Grins caters to a wide variety of individuals that span a wide range of racial groups, thus there is no visible or extremely noticeable difference in terms of this aspect of the demographic.The sentiments of the people in the location generally vary based on which part of the process they’re engaged in. For example, if the line is on the longer side around lunchtime, those waiting in line might be impatient or frustrated if the orders become backed up. However, generally those who are in the seating areas and have their food are sociable and lively, especially if they are in larger groups or with friends. In terms of interactions between different individuals at the site, they are typically in friendly conversations that one could hear between peers in their day to day life. This fits in with the larger characterization of the environment of Grins as sociable and overall pleasant for the subjects.
The Action
After the end of my class at approximately 12:05pm on main campus, I made the short walk to Grins, arriving around 10 minutes later. Upon entering the cafe, I noticed that the line was nearly to the back of the black barriers that contain those waiting to order. While initially displeased, the line seemed to move fairly quickly and I reached the front 10-15 minutes after. It was during this wait that I had the opportunity to ponder what selection I was going to make, and eventually landed upon the vegan grilled cheese. Upon reaching the front of the line, I was motioned by the man at the register to come forward. He greeted me with a smile, but I recognized that he was stressed from the sweat on his forehead and the quick manner in which our conversation proceeded. He asked me simply, “What can I get for you?”, without taking a moment to look me in the eyes. Rather, he went straight to his screen and had his finger posed and ready to tap on the selection based on what I was about to say. I responded “I’ll take the vegan grilled cheese please”. I had already begun to reach for my phone to pay when he paused, looked back at his fellow workers in the kitchen and yelled, “Do we still have grilled cheeses?”. A woman from the back frantically responded, “Nope, all out”. Hearing this interaction and anticipating what he was about to say to me I quickly responded before he broke the news, “I’ll just have a black bean burger then, thanks”. He reaffirmed my order and then asked me for a name to go along with it, I responded “Payton”. Admittingly, I was dissatisfied with the fact that I couldn’t get the grilled cheese sandwich, as I’d had it before and liked it, whereas I had never had the black bean burger and was unsure if I’d enjoy it. I scanned my phone, paying with ‘Commodore Cash’ for the meal. Still sweating, and most likely more stressed than before, he then quickly motioned for the next individual to come forward as I went to take my seat and wait for my food to be prepared.