Beyond My Cultural Space

I decided to visit an ethnic restaurant to become more familiar with a cultural space that is not my own. The restaurant I chose is called, Irazu and specializes in Costa Rican food and is located in Bucktown, a neighborhood in Chicago. Although the neighborhood is not known to have a high population of Costa Ricans, the restaurant is one of the most well known and highly rated in the Chicago area. Upon my arrival there was a long wait, which gave me time to observe my surroundings. Since the restaurant was a ‘bring your own booze’ (byob) many people seemed very loud, talkative, and outgoing. The atmosphere seemed to be very free and friendly oriented. The wait for a table was taking much longer than expected so I gave the hostess my phone number and asked him to give me a call once the table was ready. The hostess replies by saying if he forgets to call just be back within 30 minutes and he will seat us. I thought that was a very interesting interaction and gave me the impression that he was either unprofessional or the restaurant is more relaxed than others in the city and strict rules is not part of their persona. I feel like in restaurants that I familiarize myself with wouldn’t have replied in that manner. Restaurants that I have been to would have either had rules against calling customers when their table was ready or they would have taken the phone number down and made sure to call once a table opens up.

While I was waiting in line for the restroom, a waiter asked me where I was from in Latin America. I was confused because I am Greek and Irish. I responded by telling him I wasn’t actually from Latin America and the conversation ended there. I wondered where he thought I was from and if that would have initiated a longer conversation than it did.

 The restaurants ambiance/setting was less personal and was more for larger groups and parties. I felt like, as I mentioned before, rules were not enforced and even people that were eating there felt they could unload and somewhat forget their manners. Putting napkins on your lap, using appropriate language, and watching how much you drink all seemed irrelevant.  It was a fun atmosphere, but was different from what I am used to.

It is clear that the restaurant has expanded from a small “hole in the wall” to a larger indoor and outdoor restaurant. With that being said, it shows that the restaurant is a popular establishment for people of many different backgrounds. I feel like if some people were not welcome it would create a much different atmosphere than it does now, maybe even negative. There is the possibility that the restaurant wouldn’t have the funds to expand and would still be a smaller establishment. People of other backgrounds wouldn’t have the opportunity to become familiar with the Costa Rican cuisine and food is a great way to have different cultures come together.