A couple of weeks ago I had an assignment in another class (MGT 355 - Diversity) to go somewhere I would be the minority. Somewhere like a African-American church or go to the mall in a wheelchair. Well, as evidenced by the title of this blog, I chose Mexican food. This does not mean Qdoba, Adobe, or Taco Bell. Instead it was a place that I could not pronounce or even remember the spelling. There was no ethnic memorabilia, no caricatures of what Mexican life is like on the walls, and no crunch wrap supremes. 
Instead, the menu was in Spanish and it was almost empty except for two paying customers sitting together and the four daughters of the owner. The man was the waiter and the wife cooked in the back. I would probably not see 4 children of a Taco Bell employee encouraged to jump around, playing with coloring books and watching movies right with the customers. It was a very different atmosphere than I was used to. All the people in the restaurant (total of 9, until the two paying customers left 5 minutes after I arrived) were speaking Spanish for the most part, but they could switch back and forth to English seamlessly. The radio was also on a Spanish station. I ended up having a great, inexpensive meal and had a fun time talking to the owner who explained the menu. Granted, his attention paid to me could be attributed to me being the only paying customer for at least an hour, but either way it was completely new experience that may just bring me back there soon. I wish I could tell you where I was so you could go there, but all I know is that it is somewhere down Division on the east side of the road…Taqueira something….
Instead, the menu was in Spanish and it was almost empty except for two paying customers sitting together and the four daughters of the owner. The man was the waiter and the wife cooked in the back. I would probably not see 4 children of a Taco Bell employee encouraged to jump around, playing with coloring books and watching movies right with the customers. It was a very different atmosphere than I was used to. All the people in the restaurant (total of 9, until the two paying customers left 5 minutes after I arrived) were speaking Spanish for the most part, but they could switch back and forth to English seamlessly. The radio was also on a Spanish station. I ended up having a great, inexpensive meal and had a fun time talking to the owner who explained the menu. Granted, his attention paid to me could be attributed to me being the only paying customer for at least an hour, but either way it was completely new experience that may just bring me back there soon. I wish I could tell you where I was so you could go there, but all I know is that it is somewhere down Division on the east side of the road…Taqueira something…. 
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