A typical day for Mr. Gomez is exactly like this one, just the right amount of customers. He works in a Deli on Jackson Height/ Roosevelt Avenue, something that he describes as “too noisy!” Mr. Gomez came from Ecuador back in 1994, because his uncle kept calling him here to help out with his business. “You know, I think that it is a vary big business! That when I come here, I will be a manager. I don’t want to be no farmer! That’s what I would have done if I stayed back in Ecuador. Become a farmer.” Acting upon the opportunity given to him to make his life a little better, Mr. Gomez did not hesitate to pack his bags and hop on the airplane and come here, of course after being sponsored by his uncle. “My uncle don’t have children, so he wanted me to take care of his business, you know?” Mr. Gomez explained, as he served some tuna salad sandwich to an impatient customer.

Mr. Gomez can definitely be grouped with those people who excel at what they do. The swift slicing of bagels and rolls, tossing them into the oven, cutting up the meat, everything is done with rapid movements, and we see him turn around just as swiftly and then call out, “Next!!” “ It gets too boring sometimes, because I finish everything so quickly, then there are no more customers to serve”, said Mr. Gomez when asked to describe a typical workday. Even though it gets pretty loud in the street, Mr. Gomez does enjoy people- watching, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, since “that’s when a lot of people come out to do their shopping.” However, Mr. Gomez didn’t always work at this Deli. After immigrating and then discovering that his uncle wanted him to work as a cook, Mr. Gomez wasn’t exactly pleased, as he said “I run away when I see I am not manager. I am his nephew, you know! How can he treat me like this? So I found a job at a gas station close to here. After that I come to my senses. I say to myself, ‘At least he brought me here, so I should work for him for a little bit’. And then I started cooking here. Few days later I see that I like making these sandwiches! It become fun then.” Mr. Gomez used to live with his uncle, but his constant interference forced him to find his own place. He narrates, “I don’t like when he keep asking me questions. He always want to know where I go and with whom so I think to myself that I cannot live there no more. Then I find a small apartment. It was hard to make money for that place but I think I did good.”

Something that is very noticeable is Mr. Gomez’s energy while working, which attracted me to interview him in the first place. He doesn’t simply take orders for sandwiches, but after putting them in the oven starts talking to the customers and asking about their day. Having a fast pace often leaves him with a lot of free time, but in justification he says, “ It’s not like I don’t try to work slowly, I try! But then I start working fast again. So I give up”, embarrassed on being complimented on his speed. On being asked about how he feels to be still working here, he answered, “I don’t know what else to do! I been working here for 17 years now. We move from our earlier place because someone bought that land. So we set up here. My uncle has died now. The only good thing he done is brought me here, then leave this place to me. Now I am manager! But I am also cook because I like cooking. Without this, I feel useless.”

Mr. Gomez often brings his son with him to the store, as he feels the need to teach “something useful” to his son. It doesn’t really matter that his son is barely 8, because “ you need to teach them when they young”.  When the other employees (there are only two) fail to show up, Mr. Gomez is helped by his wife. “ She is the one taking care of money. She says, ‘You don’t even count properly!’ which is true”, Mr. Gomez narrates with a smile, and then adds, “ She is smart when she talk about money, other times, not so much.”

I feel lucky that I discovered Mr. Gomez while scouting Jackson heights for a person to interview. People like him are hard to find, as not many are willing to talk about their lives to a stranger. Getting hungry and deciding to go into Mr. Gomez’s deli seems like a pretty great idea now. Not only was I able to see and experience how he interacts with his customers, but I also got him to start talking about his past and present. Since customers started coming in towards the end of the interview, I cut the interview short so as to not be an obstruction in his work. It was definitely a pleasure interviewing Mr. Gomez and listening about his workday, and to be honest, I have hardly seen anyone work as fast as Mr. Gomez.