Analyzing a Place Worksheet Project One: The Memorial Union Cafeteria

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: The Memorial Union Cafeteria

What are the intended functions of the place?                      

-The purpose of the cafeteria is to provide a place where people can get food. People can choose from a variety of fast food outlets. It allows people to pick and choose their favorite foods from more than one different place. It also serves a place where people can meet friends, do homework, or even just relax.

What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

-The cafeteria sends a message of chaos. Everybody goes through the cafeteria.  However, it also sends a message of relaxation because people can just sit down and watch the TV screens or use their laptops whenever they please.

What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)?

-The cafeteria sends a message of openness. Basically anyone can go into the MU cafeteria to get food. It also sends a message of community because some people go there often and create relationships with people they meet there and the people that work there. The workers are friendly and there is a sense of camaraderie between the people that work there.

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

-People always leave behind their trash. Sometimes you will see crumbs on the table or dirty napkins scattered around on the floor. Additionally, there are some people who forget their personal belongings on the couches or tables.

Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

-The cafeteria serves as a place to eat food, but people often sit in an open chair to just surf the web or do their homework. There are also people who go into the cafeteria to just watch football games.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

-The cafeteria is a pretty casual place and sometimes it gets very loud with people yelling at the TV’s and people laughing at other peoples’ jokes. There aren’t really any set customs or established norms in the cafeteria. The only rule I can think of is that one must pay for the food they get. There are even people clapping at the TVs.

Who has access to the place?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

-Everyone has access to the cafeteria – faculty and students visit the MU and even people who are in no way affiliated with ASU can go inside the cafeteria to get food. The insiders are the workers and the people who regularly go to the cafeteria and the outsiders are just the people who don’t really go into the MU cafeteria.

Who owns the place?

-Arizona State University owns the Memorial Union Cafeteria – along with the businesses and corporations that own the specific food outlets that are located in the cafeteria.

What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

-It has sentimental value to those who regularly visit the place and to those who like getting their food at the cafeteria.

Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it?

-There is a section for the MU on the ASU website but there are very few pictures and you can’t really tell what the place is like unless you go there yourself and see it. They have promotional brochures and posters on display but the pictures don’t really give you a feel for what the cafeteria environment is really like.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

-The physical environment itself doesn’t really change, but the people who visit the cafeteria change.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

-There aren’t really any conflicts or tensions in the cafeteria – only when there are people actually there arguing or yelling at each other.

What is the place’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

-Over the years the cafeteria has replaced some of the food outlets. The only evidence of the past I see are the stains on the carpet and the scratches on the furniture.

How does this place differentiate itself from other places?  What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places?

-It is different from other places on campus because it offers such wide variety of food outlets and not many other places on campus offer the same amount of food options. The only similar places on campus are the dining hall, but the cafeteria offers more options and you have to use your meal plans at the dining halls whereas you can use cash or M&G’s at the cafeteria.

What questions do you have about your place?

-Why is it so dead on weekends?

-Why is there no Panda Express in the cafeteria area?

-Why did the people in charge choose the specific chains that are in the cafeteria?

-Why isn't there an outlet that offers home-cooked style dishes?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

-It is a very busy place and you can basically do whatever you please. Something ordinary would be the stores located in the area, but each outlets caters to a specific kind of eater.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers?

-The only background information I think I need to include to situate readers is the menus and types of food each food outlet offers so that people will get an idea of what to get at the cafeteria. I also think describing the furniture and atmosphere of each area in the cafeteria will give people a gist of what they need to know about the place.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use?

-I will try to use a more abstract angle describing the things that people would usually miss when observing the area.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

-Yes, I did interact with people. I brought along some friends while I was observing the place and I also talked to some random people around the area asking them random questions about the MU cafeteria. I also spoke to some of the people who worked at the food outlets and cashier registers.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

-I must describe the physical environment as well as food offered by the food outlets.

-Sensory images: Descriptions of the place may give other people an idea of the cafeteria such as the overall ambience of the area and what kinds of people go there.

-figurative language: I can compare the cafeteria to other food places on campus or other similar food places in Tempe.

-Dialogue: Give people a vague description of some aspects of the area so they will spark dialogue with the writer and with one another.

-Anecdotes: Give the audience a personal account of some of the things that I have experienced at the MU cafeteria.

-I want people to like my description and I want them to want to go to the cafeteria after I share with them the observations that I have made. 

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

-I found it interesting because it seems so alive and everyone seems to go there at least once a day. I knew that people got their food at the cafeteria. I also knew that people watched TV there too

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it?

-How is in charge of the place?

-How much did it cost to build the cafeteria?

-Why were these specific food chains chosen to be a part of the cafeteria?

-How can I get a job here?

Do additional research.  Does your place have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

-Yes, there is a section for it in the ASU website, and I can also research each food chain individually through each of their websites. 

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

-I found design patterns in the overall design of the area – the color scheme and furniture in the cafeteria. I found that each food outlet was different from each other and I also found that all kinds of people go to eat at the cafeteria.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

-The most memorable thing about the cafeteria is the amount of people that go there to eat or hang out. I think that the descriptions I made about the area will interest the audience the most – I observed things that most people would miss.