Signs

This past weekend I took another Saturday night trip to Flo's. Again, like the first week, it was very busy and full of life. I did notice something that I haven't noticed before, however. Most patrons at the shack are families. I also noticed that there wasn't a cell phone in sight. In an age where most of our lives are attached to a cellular device ( I am typing this post from my phone as we speak), it was very odd for me to not see any. I also noticed all of the signs on the walls. "No unsupervised children allowed on deck", "No fishing", and many others that are not only witty but fit with the nautical theme of the space. Along with signs, there are many photographs on the walls of the owner deer hunting and fishing as well as various patrons. The fish tank is still a main attraction upstairs, with plenty of little kids watching in awe as the multi-colored fish swam laps around the large tank. Most of my time at Flo's this weekend was spent noticing the fish (I even made a fish friend named Bullet). I also took the time to look at all of the signs. Even in the hour I was there, I couldn't even make a dent in all of them. I would have to spend multiple hours there and possibly even days to read all of the various signs hanging on the walls and ceiling and even more time would have to be spent in order to look at all of the pictures.

Searching for Third Source Information

This week I was asked to use multiple search engines and multiple keywords to find third sources to help with my final paper. I first went to trusty Google and searched the most obvious choice: "Flo's Clam Shack". I mostly came up with reviews and different websites such as Yelp and Urbanspoon, both sites which are dedicated to giving reviews of various restaurants. There aren't very many pictures and its very boring. Nothing on the sites scream Flo's, which is a very upbeat, happy place. I also found an article with a video attached on Food Network from when the show  "Best Thing I Ever Ate" came and tasted the fired clam roll and Fish and Chips. Next I moved on to the search engine Duck Duck Go and searched with the key words "Seafood Shacks". This search led me to many other seafood shacks around the country including ones in Boston, New Jersey, and even one in Louisiana. Each website was filled with pictures of customers, various foods, and contact information. I then moved on to Dogpile and searched "Local Owned Businesses Middletown, RI". the search results from that were mostly bland websites listing many local businesses in the Middletown, RI area.  It also brought me to the Middletown Webpage which has a stream of pictures of various areas in Middletown and also has links and important info for the town on it. It is brightly colored and gives an overall feel of peace and happiness with pictures of the St. George's campus and surfers on the beach. The final search engine I used was Mahalo (surfer/ beachy... perfect for a Clam shack right?). Wrong. When I typed in "Clam Shacks", it gave me Google ads to buy  a Clam Shack and Bing videos as well as pictures from Google, Bing, and Flikr.  Not a very original search engine. I also found Flo's Facebook page, which has many pictures of patrons, the owner's son, the staff, and most importantly, the food. I also found the actual website (there are many fake websites that the owner cannot get taken down with wrong menu items and prices) which has many pictures of the patrons, food, and staff as well as links to a menu, the history and awards, both locations (Middletown and Portsmouth), a photo gallery, and links and reviews. After trying all the new search engines, I think trusty old Google was the most helpful.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flos-Clam-Shack/245316810509 (Facebook)

 

http://www.flosclamshacks.com/home.html (Restaurant Website)

 

Sturday Night's Alright

My first night at Flo's was very successful. Located near the beach, it is in an area very popular with tourists and locals alike. The food is excellent and the staff is very friendly. The atmosphere is homey and very nautical. This month it is decorated with pumpkins and leaves and is very fall.
       What Surprised me? What surprised me most was that the upstairs was completely full at 7:30, which was excellent for my fieldstudy, but a bit unusual because the downstairs wasn't quite full yet. Another thing that surprised me was that Chris was watching the game on the TV from the end of the bar. This is unusual for him and I was curious as to why. It turns out that he is leaving in less than ten days and is kind of "checking out". Another thing that surprised me was that not as many of the regulars were there as normal. I'm not sure if it was the time or the night, but they weren't there. The final thing that surprised me was that Lisa was openly imitating Chris when he turned around. I think it is because it is the end of the season and that they live together during the season as well.
     What Intrigued Me? The most intriguing thing I found was the large fish tank teeming with many colorful fish, rocks, and decorations. It intrigued me because of how clean it is and how all of the fish are alive and well. I am curious as to how it is kept that clean and how they handle dead fish, especially because the tank attracts many children. The other thing that intrigued me was that Chris and Komes, the owner, have lively conversations at the end of the bar. I was curious as to what they were talking about.
     What disturbed me? Thankfully, nothing disturbed me during my visit to my field site.

Exercise 10 of the Fieldworking book

I am an 18 year old girl that is from a middle-class family. I am white. I have lived in the same place my entire life: Middletown, Rhode Island. I have traveled to Greece and England and hope to one day travel to Ireland. I am currently an undergraduate student going to school for nursing. I have grown up in a community where I know almost everybody. I have recently moved to Providence to live on campus for school. My subjects are mostly in their 30's or higher, and are from all over the world. There are also some subjects that have lived on the island longer than I have and have a deeper understanding and different attitude towards life. Being younger than most of the subculture as well as the fact that I am still a college student and now living in the city can affect how my subculture views me as well as how I view them. My subjective opinions are that I have known the owner since I was a little girl and that may affect some of the views I have of the restaurant. I also carry with me many happy memories from that field site so I may want to convey those into my research (I will not however). Knowing these subjective and fixed positions I will be able to walk into my research knowing my biases and knowing what I am bringing, making me more objective in the long run.

Welcome

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! I am going to blogging about Flo's Clam Shack and the culture within it. I work at the Clam Shack and I have noticed a lot of locals that come in on a regular basis. I am interested in studying the culture and getting to know it better. This project is for my Honors writing class at Rhode Island College and it is my first research project. Hope you enjoy!