Midtown Market
Today I went to the Midtown Market, and even though I didn't see as many people as I expected to, there was still a lot of energy circulating through the market. The energy I observed though came in two very different ways. The first way I saw energy is through the most literal meaning of the word, which for humans is food. Food is the energy source for humans and while I was at the market the majority of the people were either eating food, serving food, or standing in line to get food. It was clear that food was the main reason why people came to the market, and since food is the literal meaning of energy for people it was energy itself that brought these people together in the market. The other type of energy I observed though is the energy that people give off when they interact with each other. Now obviously whenever you get people together they will interact with each other at some level whether it is body language, verbal or physical communication, or even just a look that only lasts a second. All of this is human interaction, but I noticed a big difference for the level of energy that I saw at the Midtown market compared to the level of energy I see during one of my lecture classes. The reason for this is because people don’t just come to the Midtown Market to go shopping or get a quick bite to eat, but also because of all the different people and cultures that are at the market. My first impression of the market after walking through it for the first time was that this market was just like the idea of the American melting pot. You had all of these different cultures, languages and styles that came from all of these different places, and you can find them all in this one market. It is this idea of a melting pot that creates so much energy between people. When someone goes there they are able to experience their own cultural heritage, what they are comfortable with, while at the same time better understanding the culture and heritages of people all around them. People are able to find their old identity, which is their heritage, as well as progressively developing and new identity where they incorporate other cultures as well. There is so much energy in this place because people are teaching and learning from each every time they go there. The market isn’t just a place where people go to get food but it is also a place to better understand your neighbor as well as yourself, and I think that is why there is so much energy with the way people interact with each other at the market.