Ethnography

Ethnography:

Background:

Cox Hall is a cafeteria located on Emory University’s campus near Asbury Circle. It is open from 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM on weekdays (breakfast - 6:30 AM to 10 AM, lunch - 11 AM to 3 PM, dinner - 5 PM to 7 PM). The cafeteria consists of ten eateries: ITP Deli, Freshens, Maru, C3, Green Bean, Twisted Taco, Pasta John’s, Beltline Pizza, Dooley’s Farm, and Char’d House. 

Observation:

I visited Cox Hall for the first time on September 23rd at 6:30 PM. 

My first experience going to Cox Hall was to meet up with someone. Not so great of an idea! How so? The seats, though cushioned with vivid padding and clean, were tightly-spaced. The dinner time was a rush and I couldn’t seem to locate a single familiar face among the crowds of people either seated or waddling like penguins through the sea of conversations. In fact, I barely recognized my friend when he came towards me; my eyes could not sort through the crowd fast enough. 

That brings me to my second point. Cox Hall is packed during its hours. Part of this reason is because many students are tired of eating at the Dobbs University Center (DUC). Another reason is because many professionals and students from the Medical School also come to Cox Hall for their meals. All these total up to a large influx of more than just students trying to grab a bite of food at this dining location. 

Indeed, the variety of food choices was better than the regular cafeteria. The Cox Hall eateries served tacos, pizza, different cultural dishes, and fresh salads. However, even with those choices, I was not able to pinpoint anything to buy. I ended up settling for the last box of sushi which only turned out to be satisfactory. It felt strange that with so many choices I still ended up buying something that I could have bought elsewhere on campus. 

Interview:

I interviewed Ben He, a freshman who frequents Cox Hall twice a month, about his thoughts on Cox Hall. He says that he does not believe Cox Hall promotes a culture of sustainability, saying, “they are using plastic bowls and other non-recyclable items.” He says most of the food isn’t very good, and that his favorites are the “Asian dishes and sushi.” When asked about the environment, he says it is “crowded and the lines are too long. A zero to one out of ten stars on the ‘would you take someone on a date there’ scale.” Overall, he was not very impressed. 

Conclusion:

Cox Hall is a cafeteria that offers a different variety of food. However, with the new variety, there comes the cost of long lines and longer waiting time. Although I was anticipating some better food at Cox Hall, I was left feeling empty. Perhaps I am an exception and just didn't find my tastes to match those of the eateries.