Janette Fletcher
September 20, 2010
Blog:::
Ethnography>>>>
I decided to go to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Devonshire and Reseda. What was weird about this place is the fact that you didn’t see a big sign saying the store even existed. Something just told me to turn left and then right. So, now I’m here. It’s dark outside and I’m trying to assimilate into the coffee culture. I admit this project seems fun; however, people are looking at me. I made up my mind….I will buy something before they think, “I’m homeless”. There are two women who are speaking a different language and four gentlemen who are discussing business. The overall crowd looks like college students (mostly inside) and working adults (outside). The skinny jeans trends are still in. I decide to go inside. I hate smoking and it’s a little chilly. I go inside. It sounds like the music just shut off. It’s warm and cozy. I busy myself with notes. College students make use of their laptops and customers walk in to order their favorite beverages. Couples start walking in. I hate to see couples kissing. Weird, right. The guys seem dominant and the women seem more touching feeling. The coffee workers are more relaxed in their outfits and they seem a little cheery. I look at the different size cups they have. I never knew they had an x-large cup. I wouldn’t come back for a refill if I ordered that. Another girl, is minding her own business, but sees her friends pop in and out the coffee shop. They don’t seem to see her until she acknowledges them. People start coming in the last hour (of course). I caught the eye of a male and female cop. They were strictly working and cautious of their surroundings. Okay, so the time is winding down. I’m done. I order this drink called, “Orange Sunrise”. Taste like Orange Julius. Yummy. I’m heading to my car. I overlook the outside crowd again. There are more people than before. Have a good night.
Overall, I saw a lot of cultures depicted at this coffee shop and a few scenes of radical love. I saw the culture that involved the working class. At first I thought they were just older people, but then I started noticing that they talked about work. They were not also in a rush. According to Raymond Williams, “The meanings of lived culture are to be explored within the context of their conditions of production. In this sense culture is understood as ‘a whole way of life’ (46). Coffee Bean (itself) has his own culture. That culture is coffee fanatics. A simple cup of Joe makes someone feel relaxed or nurtured. I also noticed the college culture. Chris Barker claims, “Popular culture can be regarded as the meanings and practices produced by popular audiences at the moment of consumption” (52). There has been a lot of money invested into coffee and a lot of people are unaware of that. Coffee shops want people to feel like they cannot go on with their day without caffeine or a sugar rush. They also set up the store to welcome those who want to sit in a coffee shop and handle business. That brings up my next point. Ideologies. Beliefs. Barker, states, “The concept of ideology need only be understood as the ‘binding and justifying ideas’ of any social group” (73). The book goes into details about what the definition of “ideology” stands for. I also agree with the ideology that Gramsci states. Ideology can be a “lived experience and we do “buy into lifestyles and values” (Gramsci, 69). I was surprised that they didn’t have a sign outside promoting any new drinks. The employees seemed very knowledgeable about the beverages. The ideology of Coffee Bean seemed like you were cool if you purchased their beverages. They are really big on the being the original “Ice Blended” makers. Now I’m going to talk about identities and radical romance. One identity that I noticed was the college students that were sitting in the lobby with me. Not only were they identifying with school, they identified with the fact that they were on a mission. If it wasn’t that, they were for the most part, preoccupied. One girl identified that she “supports the freedom to marry whoever” with a sticker on her laptop. Her image might have also given it away. Barker says, “Identity is an essence that can be signified through signs of taste, beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyles” (216). To me, identity is something we, as a person, create for ourselves. Society does affect that decision, but in the end, who we identify with makes us who we are. I know who I am, but it also changes when I get older and create different social environments. The crowds that were there identified themselves with the people they associated themselves with. One girl must have been popular, because she associated herself with three people that came in. Identity can also been shown in our clothes. Identities will always have different meanings. I saw a little bit of radical romance. One couple didn’t even look like a couple. They instead, were more focused on getting drinks. Another couple seemed like the typical love birds. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. I’m not too touchy feeling, so it made me feel uncomfortable. He rubbed her back... I guess, assurance that she belonged to him. I saw
only a few couples, but not many. It was later on in the night and people just wanted to chill for a bit. I had fun on this project. We should do another one.
Works Cited: Chris Barker. Cultural Studies. Sage Publications. London 2008. Also inc. Gramsci and Raymond Williams.
