Social Situation Observation-Price

The social situation I chose to observe was a visit home to Libertyville in a old family haunt called "Bill's Pub". Now, Bill's pub is more than a pub it is actually a local favorite for pizza. Having grown up in Libertyville, I have been coming to this place since I was 8 years old. It is dark but it is not completely challenging to see. Which is good because the whole place is "decorated" with stuffed animals, like as in taxidermy. Gross, I know, but it has been this way since 1957 when it opened. The animals range from large game such as moose and bears to squirrels, mink and raccoons. It is furnished in all wood with large family seating and an arcade to spend your quarters. One of the things Bill's Pub is well known for is peanuts. They serve peanuts to all the guests and after you crack them out of the shell you throw the shells on the floor. The noise level is medium with classic rock on in the background and the lively chatter of people.

The actors in this social situation are the patrons both at the bar and in the restaurant and the people who worked there. The patrons made the most of the crowd with over 80% being families and almost all of the families being white. This was something I had never particularly paid attention to growing up in the area but now observing from an outside perspective I find mind-boggling. After living in very diverse communities it is strange for me to return and see such a euro-centric dominated culture. The families did not really interact with other families. A couple came in later in the evening and it was obvious that they were regulars. They chatted up the waitress and new what they were going to order as soon as they sat down.The employees varied in ages. One lady, I assume probably was there when I was visiting the place with my family 25 yrs ago. The hostess was a girl about the age of 20 who was working her butt off busing tables, wrapping food and seating people who were waiting. I interacted with her, letting her know that I noticed how hard she was working and she seemed genuinely appreciative of my noticing. Overall, the rest of the staff was somewhat cold, just doing the same thing that they had done many nights previous. Because I saw this as a place of my youth, I had certain memories of the decor. The sign on the exterior as well as some of the stained glass seemed different. I approached the bartender about the way the place looked awhile ago. After stating he had only worked there four years, he did confirm the missing stained glass piece that hung behind the bar that depicted a bar-wench, well endowed and holding two steins of beer. This was how I remembered the place and according to the bartender, people had complained of it being inappropriate for a family establishment so they removed it. Even the sign on the outside had been replaced, all to cater to the needs of those who frequented the place and society.

Even though most of the people didn't interact with others around I did observe something interesting. Babies and kids allow for a common ground to open communication. I was with my nephew and we were all together for his 1st birthday. We sang to him and the table next to us were all smiling along with us and at Sebastian when he clapped at the end of the song. Interaction in the arcade also included a child but more on my doing then theirs. Other than those two instances people stayed pretty close to those they new.