Just a small town boy
I have found yet another reason why I enjoy smaller cities, as opposed to larger ones. Smaller cities tend to have more "mom & pop" type stores, meaning an establishment that is owned and usually operated by the same few folks. Not that I am opposed to Capitalism. If towns allow Starbucks to come into town and run all smaller coffee shops out...we'll, that is the town's fault, not Starbucks.
Today, as I was walking to Kroger from work to get some lunch, I noticed a Chinese man driving through the lot. This man works everyday at the Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant. Because Jin Jin is in the same shopping center as my office building, I usually eat there once per week. Everytime, it is the same people working. I have even gone in the evening before and it was still the same people working. Today, the man driving the car waved at me with recognition as he passed me in the Kroger lot. It felt nice that someone recognized me from my patronage at their establishment and took the time to wave and greet me outside the restaurant. The Chinese folks that run the place don't speak a lick of English and I can't speak a lick of Chinese. But, they do have one guy there that can speak a little English (enough to take orders) and an evening delivery driver that is fluent in English and Chinese. Usually, I order beef or chicken Lo Mein, cooked in Saschuan (sp?) sauce, which is unusual for them. However, to simplify ordering, the delivery driver has wrote that order in Chinese on a slip of paper for me and I give it to them when I order my food. Now, I don't need to give the slip. I just say "tóng" which means "same" in Chinese and they laugh with me and get the food. It's nice, depsite the lanhuage barrier, that we can understand each other and even get a few laughs.
Although this situation would make just about anyone at any business, no matter how larger, recognize someone, it is still different. When I come into the restaurant, everyone that sees me waves at me and says hello to me. They all recognize me. I have read that most stores in times passed were like that in that the operators knew all the people who shopped there, because the stores were smaller, as were the towns. That, I think, is the type of place I need to find to settle down for the rest of my life.