Note: This is a paper which I originally prepared for my English Composition I class regarding everyday observations we make. My topic was on Foreign Cultures In An American Society, hence the name. I choose this after observing how we interact with people of foreign cultures everyday and how they live in the American society. It was completed in MLA format.
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The smell was intense as we walked through the door, the contrast of fresh air to the thick aroma of the wide variety of foods that were spread throughout the restaurant.
I walked up to the wooden booth inside Tailgater’s near the University of Central Florida’s arena and sat down on the thick hunter-green seat, after choosing out favorite foods from the enormous buffet. As I began to chow down on a delectable dish of bow-tie pasta with an amazing Alfredo sauce, I realized that there was a bustle of activity going on around me.
I took notice to the various cultures and languages being spoken around me. They were mixed among the English speakers as though there was no comparison to be made. It was somewhat astonishing. There was a great mixture of foreign cultures and languages in the American restaurant on a college campus in Central Florida. This may not have been the case just five years earlier in the schools history. In fact, “according to UCF’s Office of Institutional Research, the minority population is one-third of the overall undergraduate population, but the enrollment rates among minority groups have increased” (Cristobal).
It seems as though there are more minorities on campus then there are of normal American citizens. However, this is most likely because those that we might consider a minority are actually American citizens. We tend to see people by the color of their skin and how they look. But this doesn’t mean they are foreign, they are often times born inside the United States.
In the booth behind me there was a new couple in their early twenties. The gentleman had a daughter. The young daughter was distant from the woman across from her daddy. They were of Hispanic decent. The women, whom I knew I had seen before somewhere on campus, spoke in Spanish to the young girl. Other than the few times the woman, who was very attractive, spoke to the little girl, there was no interaction between them. It was very obvious that there was no relation between the two.
The room buzzed with the sound of people chattering and enjoying the company of friends and family. People moved about without a care in the world. The fast paced atmosphere typical to college campuses was noticeably slower inside.
Another couple sat at a square wooden table enjoying their pasta while speaking to each other in Italian. The woman was older, and the man was a stereotypical Italian with a large figure, thick black hair and a foreboding look to him. They both seemed to be enjoying their conversation.
Such as diverse population in a single restaurant was not always the norm in America. Even the “land of the free” has had its problems. There has been extreme racism, sexism and numerous other prejudices throughout the history of the United States. All of the hatred that has taken place in the past goes against the basic principles that our forefathers laid out in the Declaration of Independence. The forefathers wanted freedom for all, and in that spirit they proclaimed, “we hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence).
The mistakes America has made in the past seem outrageous, and many of them are, but lets not forget that many of these mistakes have been paid for. America has been maturing as a child would, it started out doing bad things, but gradually began to see what was right and do it. We no longer keep women from voting, African Americans now have equal rights and Asians are a normal part of our society. Throughout the years we have become a much more accepting and diverse nation as a whole and that is surely evident in our universities.
Just behind the Italian couple was a double date of married couples. They were in no hurry to leave, slowly eating their various foods while speaking amongst themselves about everything from family ties to the Internet and how they used it when it first came out. This dinner date seemed to be the norm for the couple that casually spoke amongst themselves.
There was never a lack of entertainment around the room. The kitchen door swung around with people moving in and out. You could see the food being brought out, steaming rising from each dish. The lights, which seemed nonexistent from the walkway outside, were dim but still bright enough to see everything going on around the restaurant.
The young Hispanic woman was eating and chatting about her time at UCF when the little girl tugged on her father’s shirt.
“I need to go potty,” the girl whispered into her father’s ear.
The seemingly single dad excused himself from the table and gently grabbed his daughter’s hand. He walked with her at his side toward the men’s room. The men walking out of the room after the father entered with his daughter seemed unbothered at the little girl’s presence.
As the little girl went to the bathroom the older Italian couple continued to enjoy their meal with friendly conversation. Some of the differences in the cultures were apparent while others were more hidden. Whenever they spoke they leaned in really close to each other as if to convey a secret. They either had a lot of secrets or just enjoyed being close to each other.
The rising number of ethnicities on college campuses is extremely apparent and the University of Central Florida is no different. There are some benefits though, “UCF’s maturing diversity would prepare its students for a diverse workplace and population” (Cristobal).
Today, anyone can succeed in the workplace if they work hard enough. College campuses throughout the country are the starting line for these successful people of varying races, sexes and ethnicities.
The double date across from us continued with their meal while they chatted about the poor economy. The debate seemed to heat up as talks of the economy turned to talks of politics and whom each one supported. Even with Barack Obama being so popular on college campuses, the couples were split. There was one couple for Obama and the other couple was for McCain.
There was an obvious debate, which ensued from the political chatter, and there were points that the debate was quite heated.
“John McCain admits he knows very little about the economy,” the male Obama supporter exclaimed.
“What does Obama truly know about the economy, what experience does he have, and why hasn’t he released his medical records or his congressional voting records,” the female McCain supporter asked.
“Why should he have too, he is nowhere near as old as McCain and obviously has less medical problems to worry about,” the Obama enthusiast replied.
“Fine, you don’t want to give a real answer, I understand; But what about his relation to domestic terrorist like Ayers,” the McCain fan inquired.
This contest continued for some time before the wives in each couple decided to put an end to it and begin their normal friendly, yet ultimately meaningless chatter.
The 2008 presidential election is further evidence that American has moved on from its prejudice ways and become a more accepting society. For a great deal of time in our country a black person couldn’t drink the same water as a white person. But now we have a black presidential candidate with an amazing chance of winning the election. This election also serves to further inspire minorities on college campuses to work hard to make their dreams come true.
Both men seemed to still be annoyed with each other but after a little time had passed they regained their demeanor and then began to converse again. The women and the men held their individual conversations while finishing up their meals.
Walking back from the bathroom with his young daughter the father smiled at the woman who was sitting waiting on them before she resumed eating her meal. He sat down and she casually grabbed his hand from across the table, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company, despite the distractions of a child.
Throughout campus there is a feeling of unity among students because they support the same team, the UCF Knights. That feeling is very similar to the cultural unity that many ethnic students and Americans feel. It is that unity that is evident in the daily lives of scores of ethnic Americans, and it’s evident in the multicultural activities and organizations that are gathering steam on college campuses throughout the country. “At UCF, the multicultural ‘groups’ rates have risen faster than the white population within a year” (Cristobal).
We also seem to be seeing minorities stand up and band together to not only get what they want as a group but also for personal success. There is something that connects these people and they are coming together because of that.
The Italian duo finished up their meal and continued their conversation as they waited for the check. They each paid for their own meal, which shows that they probably are old friends. The check came and went and came back again, the waitress thanked the couple for coming. They then got up and headed toward the door.
The young couple got up and left after the man paid for the meal for everyone. The woman left out the door in front followed by the man who was holding his daughter’s hand as he walked out the door.
I finished my meal and asked for the check. The double date across from me continued to enjoy each other’s company as we walked toward the door. It was an amazing meal with great conversation for all who where there, no matter their culture or the language that they spoke.
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Copyright ©2008 Dustin Mooney. All rights reserved. This paper should not be republished as the work of someone else. Any use of this content without the written expressed consent of the author is prohibited.
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Work Cited
“Declaration of Independence.” Library of Congress: American Memory. 15 October
2008.<http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/bdsdcc:@field(DOCID+@lit(bdsdcc02101))>.
Cristobal, Mary. ” Diverse Culture Rises On Campus “. Central Florida Future.com. 9 June 2008.
15 October 2008. <http://media.www.centralfloridafuture.com/media/storage/paper174/
news/2008/06/09/News/Diverse.Culture.Rises.On.Campus-3379638.shtml>.
