Jorge Verduzco

Professor Rodrick

ENGL 115

12 Oct 2019

Ethnography Prompt

I am currently located at a new Starbucks that was recently built in Koreatown. This

Starbucks is very big and modern so I would assume it attracts people. When I first walked in I

first noticed two ladies in line, I believe one was a mother as she was pushing around a baby

stroller. After I had placed my order another man walked in with a Starbucks hat. He seemed lost

at the contents on his phone. He was well dressed and ordered a cup of water. Based on what he

was wearing I believe he was getting ready for his shift to start. This Starbucks has Jenga on one

of the tables free to use for customers. As I sit down at a different table I see this couple walk in.

They place their orders and sit down at the Jenga table to start a game. As the male builds up the

Jenga pieces, the female dozes off on her phone. A lady in an all-black dress walks in pushing

luggage, she places her order and suddenly starts dancing? Not sure what the significance of her

dancing might mean. She might just be happy at the fact that she’s getting Starbucks. Across

from me, there is another woman with her laptop out and her backpack on the chair next to her.

She looks very concentrated and lost in her work. Near her, is a group of three older people.

There's a conversation happening between only two of them. The other older gentleman is

looking out the window with his hand over his chin. He seems lost in his thoughts, the

conversation happening next to him does not seem to faze him. Two more people walk in, a

mother and a child. The Jenga table has been left alone. The child that walks in gets attracted to
the Jenga table like a magnet and proceeds to sit down meanwhile his mother goes to make the

order. He starts stacking the Jenga pieces so that he could play with his mother once she gets

back. Once she got back they started playing. The kid was getting ready to take his turn, once he

took out a piece, the Jenga stack fell over and one of the pieces fell in his yogurt that his mother

had ordered. His mother starts smiling and laughing at what her kid had done. The kid continues

to stack the Jenga pieces back up for another game with his mother. His mother starts taking

pictures of her playing with her child. A group of three boys walk in with their skateboards. One

of them is holding a pizza box and the other is holding a soda. They go straight towards the table

instead of heading towards the line to order drinks. It seems as if they just wanted a place to hang

out while eating their pizza. A big family walks in, three children, parents, and what I would

assume the grandparents of the kids. The kids start running towards the line. After the family

finishes ordering their drinks they head towards the biggest table at this Starbucks so everyone

could fit. Another group of three older ladies walk in. Their face expresses instant confusion. It

seems like they are unsure where the line starts to make their order. One of them accidentally

goes towards the front of the line, I would not blame her for going in the front as the Starbucks is

built somewhat weird. I focus my attention back to the child and his mother who were playing at

the Jenga table. I had not noticed but the child had disappeared and it was only his mother at the

table and on her phone. After a while, her mother stands up with a bit of wariness as if she does

not know where her kid had gone or why he was taking so long to return. She stands up and later

walks back with him from the bathroom. They head back to their table, clean up the Jenga

pieces, and head out the Starbucks.

 A constant theme that I noticed is that people come here with friends and family to hang

out and have a fun time. I mostly noticed people interacting with one another rather than being

stuck on their devices as I first kind of imagined would happen.