Oriental shop: an ethnography of material communication inside an Asian grocery store in Madison, Wisconsin

Abstract

This thesis examines the creation, maintenance, and functions of social networks at an Asian grocery store located in Madison, Wisconsin, through an analysis of foodways and decor. The Oriental Shop is a family-run store that carries Japanese and other Asian foods, which has served the population of Madison and its vicinity for nearly thirty years. Like many small businesses, the store owes its success to the support of faithful customers with whom the owners establish personal relationships. -- By describing the uses and functions of foods and store decorations among the owners and regular customers, I explain how these two aspects of material culture enable nonverbal communication among those who frequent the store. The objective is to research how personal relationships at the store-on the part of the owners as well as that of their customers-is cultivated by such material means.