Human Diversity Portfolio
Running head: FIELD OBSERVATION PAPER 0
Field Observation Paper
Thao Nguyen
Amy Lam, MA, LPC
Midwestern State University
Human Diversity
April 19, 2020
Observer: Nguyen Field Location: Outside Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
Date: April 18, 2020.
| Time | Observation |
| 7:56 AM 8:02 AM 12:37 PM 1:24 PM 1:40 PM 1:52 PM | I observed an American and a Japanese nationality purchasing coffee from a coffee shop. The American nationality immediately starts consuming his coffee while walking while the Japanese seemed to carry the coffee to potentially her office. The American nationality seemed less formal addressing other people he met on the way, the Japanese nationality was more formal with other people. For example, she bowed when greeting people and smiled at them. The American employee and the Japanese employee arrive at the restaurant again for their lunch. When eating, the American employee does not care about space and allows other people to occupy space around him. Contrary to this, the Japanese employee seems to be space-conscious and seems not to respond to other employees who want to share the table with her. It looks rude to most Americans. After eating on separate tables, the American employee leaves after tipping the waitress. The Japanese employee sees the tip and picks it up, runs after the American employee over “forgotten item.” The Japanese disapprove of how teenagers openly make out in public. The Japanese employee hurries back to work after eating. She seems to observe punctuality down to the second. Onboard the train, the Japanese national put her phone in silence mode. On the other hand, the American national kept texting and calling while moving about on the train. |
Kentucky Fried Chicken Observation: First Day
My observation occurred outside Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC, located along Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park, on Glasgow Road, in Dumfries. This food store is strategically located to serve employees from various companies with breakfast and other meals. I chose this restaurant because it offered a diverse culture where people from all cultures dined due to its diverse menu serving both local and foreign foods. This restaurant would allow me to study the different cultures that came to the restaurant.
7:50 AM I arrived at KFC as people of all backgrounds, cultures, and socio-economic status flocked to a piece of the sumptuous meals. My target population was at least two people from different cultures: one was a Japanese female employee and the other was an American male employee. Fortunately, I spotted two employees working from the same firm just across the road opposite KFC. I decide to use them for comparison to identify the diversity between the American and Japanese cultures. I kept my eye on them as they strolled into the restaurant in the morning. The two employees are hardly talking to each other despite working from the same firm.
7:56 AM They both enter the restaurant to pick coffee and then return to their work. The Japanese national seems to keep to herself while the American national looks like the complete opposite. He greets people, shakes their hands, and even spares a few minutes to talk to them. On the other hand, the Japanese seem to smile courteously and bow to other people when greeting them, avoiding shaking hands. She seems to be in a hurry to be in the office.
8:02 AM The American national seems less formal in the way he interacts with other people. On the contrary, the Japanese seem to be very formal in all she does. For instance, she carries her coffee to her office while the American starts consuming his coffee as soon as it is handed to him.
12:37 PM The American and the Japanese employees arrive at the restaurant again for lunch. They both take separate tables to enjoy their lunch from their favorite meals. The American enjoys his local food while the Japanese seem to order food from her country. The Japanese seem very sensitive about the space around her. For example, when another customer asks her if they could share a table, she politely leaves for a different table. The American seems to enjoy the company around him.
1:24 PM The American tries to leave after tipping the waitress. The Japanese employee sees the tip and picks it up, runs after the American employee thinks that the American had forgotten his change. It seems that the Japanese might have a different perspective about tipping, perhaps it is considered rude and an insult to the waitress.
1:40 PM The Japanese seem to leave earlier back for work after lunch. She disapproves of how teenagers openly make out in public, although she does not show it openly. She seems to observe punctuality down to the second as the American continues to pass time with other people before returning back to work.
1:52 PM The situation is also different when the two employees board the train back work and to their home in the evening. For example, the Japanese are seen to put her phone in silent mode to avoid disturbing other people while the American speaks on the phone and sends text messages all the time. He also constantly moves within the train making people stare at him.
Reflection
There are a few notable differences between the Japanese and American cultures. First of all, it is quite clear that Americans can eat from anywhere: whether walking on the streets, in the office, in the office, etc. However, the same cannot be said about the Japanese. The Japanese may prefer sitting in a quiet place, preferably a restaurant to eat or take their drinks. It is also evident that the Japanese are very sensitive about time ad they are formal, especially when they are in public places. For instance, they may switch their phones to silent mode in public places like in shared public transportation, while Americans might answer phones or text from anywhere. Furthermore, the Japanese do not approve of the young making out in public like other cultures, while this is perfectly normal among Americans.
Observer: Nguyen Field Location: Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant
Date: April 19, 2020.
| Time | Observation |
| 8.00 PM 8:20 PM 8:50 PM 9:40 PM 10:20 PM | I arrived at the restaurant and noticed that one of the tables was being reserved for a couple. I had been quietly waiting for over an hour. The couple arrived and in no time, they are served. They rarely spoke a lot and barely maintained eye contact. They both seemed not to be very comfortable with each other, perhaps it was their first date. The couple seems to be enjoying their desert when the male receives a call. He tells her that it is work, and had to be allowed to pick the call for a just a second. When he comes back, he apologizes and says that he was wanted at work. The female seems upset but seems understanding. She says something about carrying phones during a date, but the man promises to be back in a few minutes. The female employee seems irritated after about half an hour of waiting but and sits there waiting for the bill so that she can leave. After she pays, she is about to leave she bumps into her friend. Her friend is the first Japanese employee that came to the same restaurant for breakfast and lunch. They talk and go to a table for drinks. They seem to talk more compared to when she was with the male friend on a date. They enjoy their drinks as they talk and then eat a meal together. The male employee drives in at the restaurant and heads straight to the table where she sees his date with her friend speaking. He asks to join them and they agree, although the Japanese bows respectfully and leaves. The male employee explains that an incident had occurred at work that needed his attention. They continue eating in silence with one or two quick glances and compliments as they ate. Finally, they leave for home, and the male says he will have to drop her at her place before he went to his apartment. The female employee bows to her Japanese friend and tells her “bai bai," which I presume was the bye-bye. |
Kentucky Fried Chicken: Second Day
The first day was quite uneventful. Maybe it was because of the timing I had gone to the restaurant or maybe because of the coronavirus pandemic. That could explain why there were few people in the restaurants. I arrive at KFC at around 6:50 PM so that I could perhaps track any couple from different cultures on a date.
8.00 PM The couple arrives for their date and is served but they consume their dinner in utter silence. I can notice quick glances at each other and there was some tension in the room. The fact that the restaurant had few customers made it look like the restaurant had been reserved for them.
8:20 PM The man among the couple on a date received a call and has to leave hurriedly out of the restaurant although he promises to be back in a few minutes. The lady seems disappointed as her night out has been ruined
8:50 PM The female on the date seems irritated for waiting and wants to leave after paying her bill. The moment she steps at the door, she bumps into her friend and they return to the table for “a few more” drinks. They seem to talk more when compared to the time she was with her date.
9:40 PM After almost an hour and a half, the man returns hurriedly to the restaurant. He seems more composed now and requests to join their table when he spots them. The two continue to enjoy their dinner before they leave. They talk less after the man explains that there was an emergency at work that required his approval before the task proceeded at work.
10:20 PM The man tells his date that he will take her back to her home before he heads to his home. She bows to her Japanese friends and says “bai bai” to her. They leave for home.
Reflection
The purpose of this is to observe two employees from different cultures going out. The male employee was American while the female employee was a foreigner, probably a Japanese. The two rarely spoke, one could assume maybe it was due to the cultural differences between the two, or the face masks they were wearing. This observation was fascinating and helped me note cultural differences in dating between the Americans and the Japanese. The restaurant is almost deserted following the government regulations to observe social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. But it was clear that the Japanese culture speaks less on a date, especially with someone from the opposite sex. However, they are likely to open up to people and friends from their country.
