The Social Concept of Interaction
IN A FOOD HALL SETTING
In the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia where we frequented the twice-weekly farmers market, we got to learn more about alpaca farms through a couple who sold alpaca socks, gloves, and shawls in one of the stalls. They invited my husband to visit the farm itself, in the outskirts of Blacksburg. Wednesdays after class at Virginia Tech, I looked forward to buying my weekly supply of pork bones for our dog, from the vendor selling fresh meat. We also got to compare notes on the best way to cook lamb roast. My Blacksburg friends and I decided that the best place to meet up, weekly, was at the same farmer’s market, so we can shop, enjoy our lunch on one of the benches, and listen to outdoor music featuring a local musicians, especially nice on breezy summer days.
Looking back, I remember multiple personal social encounters in public markets and food halls.
Blacksburg Farmers Market
Meeting up with friends and buying some fresh flowers
“As they stroll up and down the aisles, stopping at the shops and the kiosks to examine what is for sale and perhaps make purchases, they experience other people up close, and they generally seem to extend their trust to others. There is little cause for worry or alarm. People stop and buy items or just walk around, “getting into the mix” and enjoying “being out and about.” Sometimes they spontaneously greet one another, verbally or with gestures; some bump into friends, who may well hang out here on a regular basis. A feeling of being involved with others who are present here emerges, creating a remarkable ambience.”
What differentiates familiarity from interaction, in a social setting?
In “familiarity,” the social action is primarily observation. People in public places whose paths and activities interact develop a familiarity with each other. Because of this, they develop a social concept of themselves (vis-a-vis others in the community) and also a feeling of comfort and safety [2, 10].
In “interaction,” there is direct contact and sometimes an exchange of communication between people. It can be an exchange of smiles or greetings, a short chat about something which interests both parties, or a more intimate exchange of stories, as shoppers get to know vendors for example, in a market setting.
Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia
Shoppers happily strolling down the aisles
The most significant amount of research on public markets has been on their positive impact in increasing social interaction and integration in the communities which they serve [3-9].
Several studies highlighted the complex web of social interaction which happens in markets [3-6, 9]. Morales recognized markets as neighborhood amenities, which serve as attractive places where people can congregate and interact with each other [5]. Morales linked markets to the concept of “Third Spaces,” a sociological phenomenon introduced by Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 seminal book “The Great Good Place” [3, 5]. In detailed observations of public markets, a Rowntree Foundation study identified the various levels of social interaction that are happening in markets: among the traders; between shoppers and traders; and among different types of shoppers [9]. Shopping for food indeed makes one more open to conversations.
“Cooks come from all cultures and walks of life. They are often curious about new ingredients. I frequently have spontaneous interchanges while shopping in the crossed produce stall, cheek by jowl with other cooks, picking up an unfamiliar vegetable and turning to the person next to me — “Have you ever cooked this?” — or telling someone which one of these bunches of greens is the Italian parsley. These conversations require no preliminary formalities…just ask the question, exclaim over the beautiful tomatoes, or catch a frown and whisper that the green beans at another stall are better. This exchange between food vendors and food lovers is the foundation of the atmosphere at the market.”
— Reading Terminal Market
The Cosmopolitan Canopy [1] page 34
Granville Market, Vancouver
Shoppers checking out the variety of fruit selection at the fresh produce area
Elijah Anderson identified the Reading Terminal Market as an example of a “cosmopolitan canopy,” where various forms of social interaction, from familiarity to increased comfort and direct engagement were occurring [1]. In the ethnographic study that he conducted in this market, he observed different kinds of interaction, not only among the shoppers but also between the shoppers and the vendors, and among the workers.
“I stop at the bookstore and find the clerk happy to chat. She’s quick to smile and enthuses, “I love to come here to work. This is just a wonderful place to work. People are just so nice … The casual conversation that is common in many bookstores occurs elsewhere in the market as well, as customers and vendors trade ideas about food and the other wares on display. The confidence that everyone is ‘so nice’ is contagious”
— Reading Terminal Market
The Cosmopolitan Canopy [1] page 52
Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia
The Cookbook Stall
“Along the market’s back wall, near the restrooms, black shoeshine men work and socialize, keeping up with one another. They share personal stories and seem always ready for a good laugh. Italians, Jews, Asians, and blacks sit nearby, snacking on baked goods and coffee while enjoying melodious piano sounds played live for tips.”
— Reading Terminal Market
The Cosmopolitan Canopy [1] page 33
Food halls bring people of a community together. Prepared food, fresh produce, artisan items, and local crafts are natural conversation starters. From what country is this cuisine? What was the special seasoning which you used for this dish? What is the best way to cook this vegetable? When will the next batch of this herb be available? Where did you learn this craft? At the very least, an encounter around food will elicit a smile and a nod. If a community does it right, conversations will flow and stories will be exchanged.
Sources:
Elijah Anderson, The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life (New York, New York, W.W. Norton & Co., c 2011. 1st ed., 2011).
Talja Blokland-Potters, Urban Bonds : Social Relationships in an Inner City Neighborhood (Cambridge, UK, Polity Press, Malden, MA, Distributed in the USA by Blackwell Pub., 2003).
Alfonso Morales, 'Marketplaces: Prospects for Social, Economic, and Political Development', Journal of Planning Literature, 26 (2011), 3-17.
———, 'Planning and the Self-Organization of Marketplaces', Journal of Planning Education & Research, 30 (2010), 182-97.
———, 'Public Markets as Community Development Tools', Journal of Planning Education and Research, 28 (2008), 426-40.
Alfonso Morales and Steven Balkin, 'The Value of Benefits of a Public Street Market: The Case of Maxwell Street', Economic Development Quarterly, 9 (1995), 304.
'Public Food Markets: Build Cities, Regions, and Revitalize Communities', (Toronto Public Food Markets Working Group, 2017).
'Public Markets as a Vehicle for Social Integration and Upward Mobility', in Phase I Report: An Overview of Existing Programs and Assessment of Opportunities (New York, New York, Project for Public Spaces, Inc. & Partners for Livable Communities, 2003).
David Studdert and Sophie Watson, Markets as Sites for Social Interaction: Spaces of Diversity, Public Spaces Series (Bristol, UK, Published for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation by Policy Press, 2006).
Gwen van Eijk and Radboud Engbersen, 'Facilitating ‘Light’ Social Interactions in Public Space: A Collaborative Study in a Dutch Urban Renewal Neighbourhood', Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, 5 (2011), 35-50.