[Last modified: November, 26 2024 09:50 PM]
This week I will be writing about the mini field work I carried out during the Friday seminar at the food market on Tottenham Court Road. The focus will be on an ethnography based on senses, making it an exploration in multimodal anthropology.
The nice smell of food was perhaps the most powerful element of the food markets, extending its existence beyond the corner where the food market is situated. That is perhaps one of the reasons that made me choose it in the first place.
The moment I arrived at the market I felt relaxed. It was the American jazz music in the air as well as the hospitality from those who work at the food stalls. A man working at the Turkish food stall was giving away free samples to passers-by. Though a business strategy as it is, the fact that they talked to me definitely made me feel more positive towards this place than a common enfranchised food shop. The layout of the space definitely helped fostering the friendly environment. The food market is situated along the alleyway into another street, with food stalls standing back to back. All that makes it spontaneous and cozy, making it definitely an attraction in the city and contrasting with the fast moving vehicle on the orderly road. On a cold but bright winter day, it was a choice by many to have the lunch or breakfast at.
I ended up buying a vegetarian Turkish filled pancakes which cost me £10. This was not that affordable, which helps explain the demographics of the customers here. At the time when I was there, the customers were made up of a white majority and a significant proportion of them also seem to be either finance professionals and university students from nearby universities (most likely UCL). The humanistic atmosphere and nice arrangement of the public space may have made the space attractive for consumers. But at the same time, the space entails different meanings for different people.
One can easily identify the radicalisation in the buyer-seller relationships, in addition to the economic power held by the consumers. There was a significant proportion of people coming from the Middle East amongst those who work at the food stalls. And I did not have time to understand more about the meaning of the food market for them. It would be great to know what travelling far from home and working in a London ‘world food’ market is like and what kinships are like for people who work and live together in the communities.