El Burrito Mercado

For our CIS ethnography, my friend Maria and I our observing a shop called El Burrito Mercado. When we first entered the store, we were a bit concerned. Motorcycles lined the street outside, their black seat covers gleaming in what little light shined from the store. The bikers themselves sat silently outside of the store, their long legs sprawled in front of them and their dark hair slicked back with bandannas. They watched as Maria and I tiptoed past into the store. The workers didn't seem to realize who we were, not even when we introduced ourselves. Pinatas lined the ceiling and hundreds of types of food lined the shelves. We sat in hard metal chairs and awkwardly directed our attention towards the cafe. After an hour of staring down the workers, we finally rose to leave. Steam rose from the various foods behind the counter as the workers emptied the leftovers into bags. Blinking as the lights dimmed, we wondered for a moment whether or not we should say goodbye. Exchanging a glance, we bolted instead. We rushed for the door, pushing out into the dark street and the safety of Maria's truck. Her dad was waiting patiently for us as we scrambled inside and immediately burst into nervous laughter. "How did it go?" he asked. We looked at each other and just kept laughing.