Reading Response #3

In Casassa’s essay, “The Coffee Shop”, she provides an entertaining and vivid look at how interesting an ethnography paper can be.  She not only writes about her research on the little coffee shop and it’s forgoers in Hopkinton, Massachusetts but also provides first-hand experiences and intimate details that you could only acquire if you were an employee at the Gourmet, which she indeed was.  She plays out the essay like a story; starting at six a.m. when the coffee shop is being prepared for the busy day ahead, “Brisk New England winds tumble into the coffee shop as I open the back door.  The warm aura of cranberry scones and dark roast beans confronts the frigid air.” And the employees are getting ready for the daily rush, “I fold a green apron around the waistband of my jeans; for three years as an employee at the Hopkinton Gourmet, I know too well the hazards and stains capable from steaming coffee.”  Andrea goes on explaining the different events and rituals that take place throughout the day at the Gourmet, providing colorful details and stories about the many “townies” and groups that come in and out of the coffee shop on a daily basis; which gives the reader a good insight to the way the coffee shop operates and it’s regulars.  Casassa effectively establishes the fans and workers as a sub-culture by describing their ardent passion and daily visits to the coffee shop.  After returning back to her hometown from a couple months away at college, Andrea sits down to interview Dennis, an old Gourmet regular, and finds that he believes “it’s not the building, but the coffee and the people” that make him return everyday.  I believe that Casassa effectively describes the culture that she is studying by following two of Ballenger’s main features of the form; “The bulk of the research takes place in the natural settings where group members gather.” And “Ethnography depends on close observation over time.”  By being an employee of the Gourmet Coffee Shop, Andrea was able to closely observe and experience what it was like to be part of the little shop and its sub-culture first-hand.  She has different names for the regulars that come and go everyday like “earlys”, for the eager coffee fans or passionate businessmen, and “soccer moms”, for the crowd that tends to take over the shop towards the early afternoon including young children and their busy mothers.  She reinforces how closely knit and how much of a group the people of the coffee shop are by providing her encounters with regulars throughout an average day at the coffee shop like with Paul.  “…The day would seem empty without them…Paul, with a scruffy beard and mustache, slaps three dollars on the counter for his large cup, leaving an extra dollar for my tip.  He tells me to wake up and grins.”  She then continues to recite his order, which seems to come naturally to this experienced employee.  Another example of when Andrea establishes how much of a ritual the people of the coffee shop have is when Martha comes into the storyline, a religiously attending member of the Gourmet subculture.  “…I see Martha in the crowd and I prepare her order before she reaches the counter.”  Casassa does a wonderful job enacting what we learned about ethnography in Chapter 10.  Dudley, on the other hand, provides more of an outsider’s prospective to his subject, nevertheless conjuring an intriguing essay about the values of laws governing Marijuana while focusing on a popular “head shop” in Boston called The Hempest.  He describes the sub-culture of the people that gather around hemp shops and indulge in marijuana paraphernalia as mainly “high-school or college-aged kids…Young adults are less likely to be frugal with their money, and will throw away a ‘C note’ ($100) for a piece of glass and the opportunity to “have a little fun”.”  Matthew also explains that the Hempest appeals to wide variety of customers including, “the legalization activist…the vegetarian naturalist…[and] the culturally fashionable teenager.”  Although Dudley attempts to write his ethnography essay in a different way than Casassa did, I don’t really like his piece as much and feel that it didn’t provide enough first-hand observation or interview material and also found it much less interesting.  Mathew effectively describes the culture that he is studying by providing descriptions of the peaceful store; “The smells of sandalwood and lavender waft from the constantly smoldering incense stands, calming the nerves, pleasing the spirit, and perhaps covering up any unpleasant smells.”  And also by offering descriptions of the types of people that might work in a Hemp Shop; “A set of bells jingles as someone enters, alerting the laid-back workers of incoming customers. …Cool, mellow jazz plays softly out of the raised speakers, further enhancing the stress-free, casual atmosphere of the store.  The clerks are always very polite, and never force a purchase, making The Hempest a very pleasant place to shop.”  Dudley sums up his interpretation of these types of laid-back yet somewhat edgy head shops by explaining that “most head shops thrive on the shadowy edges of American mainstream culture.”  I think that the main thing I can do to provide the kind of specific evidence necessary for a successful ethnography essay is to put in the hours and observe first-hand the topic that I am interested in.  I will need to go to the gatherings and take lots of notes.  Also perform in-depth and engaging interviews and really find out what it means to be part of that sub-culture.  The whole trick is to actually do the work and not just sit on the sidelines!