Community Fieldnotes - 2

October 14, 2008

Fieldnotes - 2

5:15 p.m. : I arrive at my community the restaurant El Compa. I park in the rear, walk around to the front and enter. I am greeted by a beautiful young girl with a pleasant smile. The girl tells me her name is Karen and asks me if I would like to dine or did I come for the store. She is speaking English so she too is bilingual. I tell Karen there is a picture in the store I would like to purchase that I saw when my husband and I were here last week. I get the picture and I was really glad it was still there. The same woman was behind the counter running the cash register as last week. I ask Karen if she will help me through the purchase? She is very helpful and the purchase goes smoothly. During the transaction I try to talk with the woman with my broken Spanish so after the transaction I tell the woman my name and ask hers. It is Sopia, and she too owns the restaurant. It appears she is Rudy's aunt.

5:35 p.m. : I am seated now in my sturdy booth by the window with the red cushioned seat and back. Karen my waitress brings out my diet Coke and wonderful homemade tortillas. Again I get to enjoy the great sauce that comes with them. Karen takes my order.

5:39 p.m. : Karen brings out warm tortillas that are wrapped in foil that go with my meal. We chat for a moment.

5:41 p.m. : Karen brings out the veggies part of my ordered Veggie Fajita. And yes it has Nopales cactus in it. The veggies are sizzling on a platter. Along with this I also received what is called a salad. It consists of a row of cut up lettuce , some sliced tomato, homemade guacamole, refried beans and sour cream. It looks really nice how it is arranged.

5:45 p.m. : While I am eating I watch a guy pass by the restaurant on his bike. Rudy comes in the back door, singing and lively as ever.

5:47 p.m. : Still enjoying my very delicious meal. As I said last week it is hard to eat and take notes, but it is exciting. I notice a picture I missed on the wall of a man at a street market washing big clay pots. He is off to the side and there is a water fountain with it's foundation painted with rainbow like colors in the center of the picture. There appears to be a cute house in the background.

5:49 p.m. : I hear conversation coming from the back area of the restaurant, two of the workers seem to be having separate conversations on the phone. Karen comes to check on me and make sure everything is okay. I tell her things are just perfect.

5:50 p.m. : The phone rings and then I hear Karen's voice, she is conversing in Spanish it sounds so pretty. I look at the woven square shapes on the wall and remember that earlier I had asked Rudy what they were and he told me they were fans.

5:51 p.m. : Outside a man walks by dressed in white clothes walking a black dog which looks like a pit bull mix. The beautiful singing and music combo coming from a program on the T.V. tonight draws my attention back in.

5:54 p.m. : The sun is shinning so bright outside right now it is so pretty. I hear a beautiful voice singing along with the woman on the T.V., I discover it is Karen. She then comes by and checks on me again.

6:03 p.m. : I get a phone call from one of my sons. It is about his health . I am surprised I can stay focused at all.

6:10 p.m. : Karen comes over and asks me if she can take any of my plates. We chat a little. I find out she moved to Jackson when she was five years old. Before that she was born and lived in a place called Jalisco, Mexico. I mentioned the cactus in my dish and she said she knew how to clean the cactus and she shared how she was taught. It sounded pretty much the same way I described how in one of my source reports. She said it is easy to do. I mentioned the sauce that tasted like it had cinnamon and nutmeg in it to Karen. She asked me to show her what I ordered last week in the menu. She said they have three types of Mole and it was probably one of them. We chatted a little more and she shared with me about a Spanish speaking church and the time of the service.

6:15 p.m. : My cell rings again, it is one of my daughter - in - laws. She is the wife to the son who just called. I hear Karen telling someone that she graduates in 2010.

6:25 p.m. : I notice that behind some of that white lattice work on the walls is gunny sack. I mentioned the lattice work decor last week. Workers are talking in the back ground and someone just put a lot of ice in a machine. The T.V. is showing another show with a Mariachi Band playing. I like this part of the show better it is more lively than the other show. It is called: Rocio Durcal.

6:35 p.m. : Rudy talks with a guest who entered in through the back entrance. The guest is asking questions about what is on the menu. They were speaking in Spanish but I understood most of what they were saying. One of the guests questions was about one of the dishes they serve with eggs in it.

6:40 p.m. : My cell phone rings, it is my oldest son. We chat about his birthday party coming up. As we are chatting three women come in, they are a mixture of races. They are laughing and talking loud. I smell expensive perfume. It smells good, I have smelled it before and I am trying to figure out what it is.

6:42 p.m. : Rudy comes over and introduces himself and asks them what they would like to drink. Rudy leaves to fill their drink order. The woman are looking at the menu and discussing what they will order. One woman keeps saying she wants something with steak in it.

6:47 p.m. : Rudy comes back with the drink orders and the homemade tortillas and sauce. Getting their order takes awhile as one of the women is being fussy. Some how during the order taking food stamps are mentioned. I notice out the window there is a steady flow of traffic going by.

6:52 p.m. : At the Crank - n - Go across the street the garage door is still open. It did not open at all last week. I can see inside. It looks well kept.

6:53 p.m. : Karen comes and I pay for my bill and include her tip, she shares it is time for her to go home. I have her ask Rudy if there is a way for a wheel chair to come in to the restaurant? He says yes, we have a very nice entry way from the rear entrance. Then I said good because I have a friend that loves Sopapilla's ( a really good puffy pastry dessert). He says good bring her in we will take care of her. I tell Karen thank you for all of her help and what a good job she has done. She says good bye. I hear her say Adios as she goes out the door to her co-workers.

6:55 p.m. : Outside two teenage girls are walking down the sidewalk, one is with child. Back inside a singer is on the T.V. singing this singer has blonde hair.

6:57 p.m. : I hear first a worker that is putting supplies in a refrigerator. Then I watch him for a moment it does not take him long.

7:00 p.m. : Yet another couple comes in to dine. They seem to be a middle aged couple. They sit in some of the seats that are along the wall to the right of where I am seated. Rudy talks with them and takes care of them. My cell phone rings again, it is my other daughter -in - law. We discuss the time my granddaughter will come over the next day.

7:01 p.m. : Across the street again at the Crank - n - Go a car pulls in. It is a flashy black Corvette! One of the workers is sweeping the pavement in front of the garage doors. It is nice they keep things clean.

7:05 p.m. : I have been picking at my meal all this time. Now I ask for a box for my food I could not finish. They give you generous portions of food here.

7:07 p.m. : I hear honking in the street. I look out the window and there is a car stopped in the road with a lady hanging out the window waving. While I am just beginning to look, the table behind me gets loud as all the women notice the lady in her car. But they start waving back and talking about their friend and are wondering what she is doing. Cars come so the lady in the car drives away.

7:10 p.m. : A woman and a child that is a girl come in to get something to eat. The woman is blonde and the girl has pretty red hair. Rudy waits on them. They order taco's and pops.

7:12 p.m. : Lovie, my daughter calls me to see if I am coming. I am supposed to meet her when I am done taking observation notes. One of the women eating behind me is talking but it catches your ear, she has been whining on and off since they sat down.

7:13 p.m. : The woman, I think mother of the girl with red hair just yelled at her, "Get out of there!" And something about you are not a pig. The other guests along the wall laughed. I can hear food frying loudly in the kitchen and it smells very good too. Rudy just mentioned to one of the guests in Spanish about needing more cream (creama). I just picked that out of all that is going on. I am so full.

7:15 p.m. : The woman that was in her car that was parked in the street and she was hanging out the window waving just came in. All the women are talking to her. They seem to be having a good time and appear happy. This is for the most part a happy, busy, lively place. I like it here, but I have to leave now. The man who knows the price of the figurines is here now so I go to purchase them. He is running the counter in the store part of the business. He is so kind, Rudy had grabbed the figurines for me from behind the check out cash register for the restaurant. The man takes extra care to dust off and package the figurines. Rudy stood by to help interpret just in case. I tell all Adios as I am leaving. They say Adios and to come back soon! Adios! Mustang Sally