Grocery ethnography project
“Ethnography” is a word that anthropologists use for writing about other cultures "based on detailed observations of what people actually do," as a writer in The Journal of Socialomics put it. For this project, I want you to think about food culture as if you were an anthropologist. At the core of this assignment is the question: How are decisions about what kinds of food we buy -- and when, where, and with whom we buy them -- influenced by cultural factors? You will write a formal 750- to 1000-word ethnography by watching, taking notes, and reflecting on three different places places where people procure food. Try to reflect on the experience as a whole, thinking about the environment and the atmosphere. What values and tastes and socioeconomic factors are reflected in the food for sale? What do the prices communicate – or who do they exclude? What about the customers: how are people dressed? What codes of etiquette do they use while shopping? How do customers interact with store employees and with each other -- if at all? What other social processes are going on? What decisions have store/market designers or managers made to make their products more appealing to their target audience, and why? Are there any messages about ethical concerns, or are ethical factors that might influence food-buying decisions obscured?
You will visit one store or market from each of the three categories below. Then, in your papers, you will describe each location and compare them, relating the discussion to our class readings.
Choose one store or market from each category below to visit:
1. A big "standard" supermarket:
Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, etc.
2. One of the following farmer’s markets:
* Meridian (aka Okemos) (10 am – 2 pm, Saturdays / 1995 Central Park Dr, Okemos)
* Allen Street (3 – 6:30 pm, Wednesdays / Allen Market Place/ 1629 E Kalamazoo, Lansing)
3. One of the following smaller, local grocers:
* Sunset Food Market (618 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing)
* Fresh International Market (2800 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing)
* Foods for Living (2655 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing)
Reminder: Make sure to refer to at least two class readings, films, or other sources in your essay.
You will visit one store or market from each of the three categories below. Then, in your papers, you will describe each location and compare them, relating the discussion to our class readings.
Choose one store or market from each category below to visit:
1. A big "standard" supermarket:
Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, etc.
2. One of the following farmer’s markets:
* Meridian (aka Okemos) (10 am – 2 pm, Saturdays / 1995 Central Park Dr, Okemos)
* Allen Street (3 – 6:30 pm, Wednesdays / Allen Market Place/ 1629 E Kalamazoo, Lansing)
3. One of the following smaller, local grocers:
* Sunset Food Market (618 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing)
* Fresh International Market (2800 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing)
* Foods for Living (2655 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing)
Reminder: Make sure to refer to at least two class readings, films, or other sources in your essay.