Summary: Observation In Local Culture

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Today I am eating lunch alone, so I have decided to visit Aurolec to participate and observe in the local culture. I picked this location specifically due to it the fact that although the restaurant is an Aurovillian restaurant and recognizes the Auro card, the restaurant is located outside of Auroville. Based on my previous observations since being in the field, I have noticed that there is definitely a difference in visitors to Aurovillian restaurant and local Tamil restaurants. I am curious to see if in the context of an Aurovillian restaurant outside of Auroville that takes both aurocard and alternative forms of payment, whether or not there will be a difference in my observations of the individuals visiting the restaurant and the interactions I observe there.

As I have mistakenly skipped breakfast and have only had several cups of coffee, I am more than excited to participate in consuming Tamil style cuisine. After researching the restaurant online, I have found that they are supposed to open for …show more content…

Instead, it was the color of the individuals skin. As I have noticed in other Aurovillian restaurants and shops, there is an uncomfortable division between those who attend and those who are working. At Aurolec, all of the employees that I was able to see appeared to be Tamil. One man one appeared to speak very eloquent English while the rest either did not choose to interact with me verbally or spoke little English from what I could tell from our interactions. However, all of the people around me who were eating at the restaurant were Caucasian foreigners. I am wondering why this division of labor between Tamil and non-Tamil individuals is so common. I had anticipated that because this restaurant served traditional Tamil food that I would see more locals from outside of Auroville at AUROLEC. However, this assumption appeared not to be the case, at least during the time that I was at