Ethnography of Speaking
The Midday Rush
Chicory Café at 1:30pm on a Saturday is not for the faint of heart. Having gone to this vibrant café a number of times before, I was unfazed by the frenzied tenor that was the near-end of the lunch rush. Grabbing my steaming latte at the counter with little wait, as a lull was settled on the floor when I entered, I settle into a corner for my observations. The line of people who are quickly perusing the menu of a variety of Cajun-style foods, written in bold elegant letters on the chalkboard above the barista, begins to pick up after I take my seat. The rush complemented my initial observations of the vibrant café. With orange and red painted walls across the two dining rooms, Mardi Gras beads hanging…show more content… They’re taking turns holding up a cutout of a mustache in front of their faces and making funny sounds. Everyone is quiet while the mustache-holder speaks, enthralled. Their shoulders all release and some elbows slip off the table as the tension breaks when someone at the table guesses the right answer. Head nods, finger guns, and giggles break out between rounds.
As the room empties with the end of the lunch, an employee comes out to clean up. She wipes down the table formerly occupied by the family and separates the two tables they had pushed together. She has her work set out for her as she collects dishes, placing them in the tub she carries in front of her, a rag hanging off the side.
Those who came for a bite are gone. The stragglers have laptops in front of them and are generally sitting by themselves (three are in a row, with their backs to the window. They are facing the rest of the room. Ironic, since they aren’t paying attention to the room). Others are engaged in conversation still. (the college students, a few tables with small groups speaking in softer tones). A few people have come in since the end of the rush. A couple stands, his arm around her back, their heads leaned against one another as they speak quietly. They look at the menu together unperturbed, deliberating their options calmly as there is no one in line behind
