Literacy Dig

Our group met today at 5:30 at the mall food court. My main focus was what reading and writing knowledge people need in order to fit in to this particular environment and what type of vocabulary was used in customer conversations. I tried to get a basic visual of the layout of the food court as well as what people were there, why they were there, and what they were talking about.
The first thing I noticed about the location was the large signs above each food vendor's counter. There was Stir Fry, Little Tokyo, Chick-fil-A, Luca Pizza, and Sweet City where there were over 20 candy dispensers of different types, each one labeled with the name of the candy inside. I also saw the sign for the restrooms and 3 big department stores: Dick's, Target, and Macy's. Some of the written words were less noticeable in this place because of the sizes of the fonts and placement below most adults’ eye level. There was a hand sanitizer station below eye level that said, "Protect your shopping hands." I also saw small signs about what credit cards the vendor's accepted on glass panes above the counter tops. The menus were large and very legible. The prices were easy to decipher as well. An interesting aspect of the menus was the various pictures that were beside the names of each meal. Pictures would help foreigners know where they can get food and clarify what they want to order even if they didn’t speak English.
Next, I observed that the people in the food court varied in ages from babies to an elderly couple. There were a few students, most likely college level, and some Asian people as well. Many of the workers were of different races. Some spoke different languages. Many vendors were working alone, so there were no spoken words other than those with the customers at the counter. Walking around, I heard a baby say, “gah gah gah” and I also heard a small portion of a conversation in Chinese. A young man my age ran into someone he knew and he said, “What have you been up to?” I heard someone at a counter ask their friend for 6 cents to help with the bill. I watched a mother read math homework story-problems aloud to her son while he wrote down answers. At one point, I stood in front of a vendor’s counter and looked at the menu. She automatically said, “What can I get for you.” It was interesting to see that just looking at the menu meant I was hungry or was planning on eating to the vendor. A group of girls were talking about how people get away with shop lifting. The conversation made sense especially since we were in a location where shop lifting is prevalent. I also heard about an evaluation given to a secret shopper. Once again the word shop was incorporated into a conversation.
In order to be comfortable in a mall food court one doesn’t have to know even how to speak English, although it would be a big help. Pictures conveyed the main message that food is sold here. However, if someone who didn’t speak English had a question about what comes with a meal or if they have to get their own tray, they may have some trouble. Literacy would aid those who have questions about how to pay, or help in making sure that receipts are correct, or even if what they ordered is correct. Literacy at the mall is a big help because if you’re a smart shopper you want the best deals. The only way to know what the specials are is if you can read the signs!