Anthropology Notes Date: March 29, 2013 Location: Food court in a shopping center Setting: There are several different types of establishments in the food court. Here are some that I see as an example: - Japanese takeaway - Burgers and fries - A smoothie bar - An Indian fusion restaurant - Several fast food franchises - A pastry café - A café Among the different places to buy food and sit, almost all establishments had a common seating area, a space that resembles a cafeteria. The café and pastry café seemed to have their private seating areas. The dining room seems to be more than just a place to eat. It seems to be more focused as a multi-purpose room. There were several types of groups. Some appeared to be there with many friends who just wanted to have a place to hang out while others seemed to just be there waiting for their female partners to finish shopping. More information will be covered in the scene notes below. The cafe - most of the people I see in the cafe were either alone or with what appeared to be a partner. - those who were alone didn't seem to spend much time in the cafe. coffee. Gradually, they took their drinks and left. There may be several reasons for this. For example, they may be uncomfortable hanging out alone in a coffee shop, or they may be very busy. The other common scenario I saw at the cafe was the presence of couples. Many of these couples were carrying shopping bags, a baby, or both. It looked like they were at the cafe either relaxing after shopping or taking a shopping break. There were also whole families with older children at the cafe, but more often than not it was the parents ordering for themselves. . They were also on the move... middle of paper ...... The different types of characters and demographics present in the mall's dining halls was an experiment that demonstrated how people adapted to their circumstances . There were people who didn't want to participate in the shopping experience, so they chose to wait in the food court, as seen with bored men. There were others who may have been feeling tired, so they stopped at the cafe to get a caffeine boost, so they could fuel their shopping habits. Finally, there were many other younger age groups, who weren't there to shop at all. They were usually teenagers looking for a place to hang out, like a food court. Thus, the aforementioned demographics help demonstrate how people adapt to their environments and circumstances. More importantly, it shows how people can easily learn to optimize their situation by making do with their resources and environment...