Amanda and I approach a deli plastered with an overwhelming number of pictures of typical deli foods like sandwiches and burgers. The glass windows are so full of these images that I can barely see what is going on inside the deli as a person walking by. My eyes did not know where to look since their were so many appealing images of food. To be completely frank, it looks like your typical neighborhood deli with a typical deli name, “Deli & Grocery.”
Inside, the space felt very tight with shelves packed with snacks and household necessities. At the cash register, right beside the door, stands a young man named Abdul. It turns out, Abdul is a student, just like Amanda and I, at a neighboring CUNY school, City Tech. He is studying Computer Systems, which explains why he is only able to work on Saturdays and Sundays. The business is family owned, and he got the job through connections with cousins and friends. Abdul says that his favorite part about working at the Deli is “the money”. I was a little shocked by Abdul’s bluntness, but I appreciated that he was being honest. It made connecting with him much easier because as a student myself, needing pocket money to spend on just stuff like food is something I face with everyday as an American college student. I mean the phrase “broke college student” has to come from somewhere. He also added afterwards that he liked the job because he gets to see his neighbors. His answer also helped me realize that finding a job that I love is important, but at the end of the day, we all need money to just live. That is just reality.
Interestingly enough, the deli operates 24 hours. They manage to do this by hiring people who typically do not have families (children) to operate the deli during night shifts. The deli was also pretty unique because it had a grill tucked away in the very back of the store. At first glance, I did not even notice it was there. But at a second look, my eyes were fixed on the impressive menu. The number of choices was overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. From hamburgers to breakfast platters, they seemed to have all the staple greasy foods I usually crave at night. My eyes lit up, when I saw that they even had buffalo wings and onion rings. The deli has not only hot foods, but also stocks wide variety Boar’s Head cold cuts and cheeses.
Walking around the deli, I noticed some familiar childhood favorite snacks like Andy Carp’s Hot Fries, which brought back wonderful memories of elementary school, as well as more unfamiliar snacks. The deli decides what to order and how much to order based on who their customers looking at things like ethnicity. Abdul says most of the deli’s customers are Mexican, which is why they have a good selection of specialty Mexican snacks. Most of the employees are also Mexican. Abdul says they also get a good number of Russian and Chinese customers. Their customers typically reflect the demographic of the neighborhood. Many of the customers do not speak English.
One of the delis main priorities is keeping everything clean for the customers and well as figuring out what the customers want to buy. If the inventory is not all sold, the employees have the split whatever is left over. Although Abdul is not the manager or owner and could not really speak about the operations in depth, it was clear that maintaining the deli was quite difficult.
As we were getting ready to walk out, I was very curious what Abdul’s favorite specialty snack was in the deli because I was hoping to try something new. He recommended Takis, so I picked up a pack of Takis minis, which he so kindly let us take for free. On the train ride back to Brookdale with the Takis still in my jacket pocket, I became very curious about what they tasted like. I opened the package up and I saw small bright red rolls. I started to munch on them. Takis are these fried tortilla chips rolled up and covered in several different flavorings. The chips are extremely flavorful. They are a bit spicy with a lime kick. After just eating two chips, I felt like I needed water. Although Takis probably will not be my new favorite snack, it was fun trying something new. Overall it was really fun getting to interview someone around our age and hearing his view on the business.
