Non-Frenzy Friday

I decided to come to my field site a little earlier this week, and the atmosphere is much calmer here at ten then it is at eleven. I guess ten seems to be a little too early for lunch but past breakfast for most. There are not many people in here right now. A man in a black shirt and shorts works quietly beind me while eating. About seven people wait for their orders at the Hispanic restaurant. They have already ordered and are just waiting for their food to be ready. It’s always a good time to get a burrito because you can easily eat it on the go in short amounts of time. Mostly everyone in the room is sitting alone today. I see only two sets of girls sitting together, one set to my left and the other set on the other side of the room. The set to my left laugh while they eat. The laughing set is eating Hispanic food, they take turns talking and eating. While one talks the other eats her burrito and listens inventively. This is definitely different then the men previously observed who talk over each other loudly, talk with food in their mouths and use a lot of hand gestures. The use of hand gestures by these woman are less frequent and much smaller. The other set of girls is eating burgers and fries. One girl sits alone in pink talking on the phone in the middle of the food court. Unlike one of my previous observations, this week almost all the men are wearing shorts while most woman are wearing pants. As I observe the Hispanic restaurant I notice that almost every man gets some form of chili for their food while only about half of the woman decide to get chili. It also appears much easier to work while eating a burrito then to work while trying to eat a burger. The Chinese restaurant has yet to open, and the coffee house is much more popular today, likely due to the time of day. It being around ten thirty now I guess the college students that don’t have early classes are barely getting breakfast. It also being Friday can also be a factor on students waking up later than usual. A side note I feel that is worth making is the use of credit/debit cards. Almost all, if not all, of the students I see pay are paying with a debit or credit card, the only times I do see cash being used is when what appear to be a worker or professor buying food, and even then it is a rarity I feel should be noted. The two girls to my left finish up there burritos and continue conversation occasionally drinking what is safe to assume are sodas. I assume this because they are drinking out the Styrofoam cups restaurants give, it could also be ice tea or water but I can definitely rule out it being coffee.  A new girl sits in front of me and eats her burrito while staring at her receipt. She looks at her watch and quickly packs up. I assume she is late for class or something and decide I too should finish up on this slowing Friday.