Golden Nugget

Yes, I am wearing my grandmother's apron.  This was my attempt at making an interesting and somewhat entertaining video on my project on Venda Ravioli.  My concept was to relate my project to creating a delicious meal.  

Two main findings for my final paper:

1.  Venda Ravioli was once a small family business, but now it is a large community.  It is a main component of Federal Hill and a thriving business.

2.  The stereotypes of Italian Rhode Islanders are proved and disproved.  Also, the stereotypes of this subculture have changed from when the business first began, to where it is today.

Mind Map

Yes, it is a hot mess.  The center is supposed to be an Italian flag with a ravioli on top of it (think in an abstract way if it helps).   I tried to keep the same Italian color scheme throughout, of red and green. I have a few branches of different directions I have gone with my research.  It all relates and comes back to Venda.   

I have never done a mind map before and it was an interesting experience.  I did not focus on keeping it net because my thoughts on this project is not net.  I tried to keep it basic and not include long phrases.  I wanted to keep it direct and only include the main and important points.  

By doing this mind map, I realized I have a lot more different directions I can take my project than what I originally thought.  I think the hard part now is going to be trying to pick a specific branch I want to talk about.  Or will I want to involve multiple branches together?  More organization of thoughts needs to happen.  But this did help me for the future of this project and other projects to come in other courses. 

Marissa + Venda + Research + Mind Map = SUCCESS

Artifacts

top left: magnet with basic information about Venda

bottom left: Cookie Place Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip bag 

(previously mentioned company that is a nonprofit organization)

right: Venda's Catering & Deli Menu

(list of foods offered and their prices that vary due to market conditions)

"Quality of unsurpassed standards is attained by using only the inset ingredients. 

Quality is out way of saying we care.

Everyday is Sunday at Venda Ravioli."

plastic bag logo

First Interview with Julie Silva

After putting the interview off for a while I ended up taking the easy route.  I decided to interview someone that I have known for my whole life. 

Julie Silva is like a second mother to me and a huge role model in my life.  I know I got a lot of the same humor and attitude as her from growing up around her.

I was still extremely nervous to interview her.  I was afraid that the interview would go horribly wrong or that my phone would not record any of the interview at all and I would have to ask her the same questions over again.  

As the interview went along the nerves disappeared and the conversation was flowing.  I was excited and she was happy that she could be involved in my project for college.  She was honored that I picked her to be interviewed.  But I could not think of any other customer that knew Venda as well as she does.  

All in all, the interview was a success.  I learned a lot about Venda that I did not know previously.  She gave me insight on the history, business, and a positive customer review on Costantino's Venda Ravioli.  I was thankful for her great responses and time that she spent with me, for my interview.

Christmas Came Early

outside between in front of the water fountain

Ethnopoem

They have the best stuff
        to make
        delicious Italian
        homemade food.

Share a great love for
        Italian heritage
        and culture.

Since the move,
        food is still good,
        there is something for everyone,
        one stop shop for food.

It used to be more family run,
        now you can find any nationality.

It had to happen.


Writing a ethnopoem was not easy, but it was interesting to create a piece that was strictly words from the interviewee.  I tried to incorporate her voice and present themes about the newer Venda compared to the old and how much she loves Venda.  By going to Venda I can understand why she feels this way and made these statements about Venda.  My interviewee had great phrases that I could include in this poem.  I am not a poet and usually do not like writing poems, but this one was more intriguing considering I am actually interested in my study about Venda.

A Waitress and Bus Boy

I went to lunch with my mother on a Wednesday afternoon.  We sat inside because the outdoor seating is now closed due to colder weather.  I asked the waitress a few questions about the restaurant.  She told me how the outdoor seating is is closed for the season and will not open again until next spring.  The waitress also mentioned how she usually would work every day during the summer on the outdoor patio, but now since it is slower she will only work two to three times a week.  She said she has worked at Venda for a long time and loves it there.  I was glad I had some guts to talk to her because she was excited to give me a little bit of an idea of what it is like as a waitress at Venda.

While talking to her I noticed she had a white dove on the left-hand side of her black shirt.  This was stitched into her shirt along with "Costantino's Venda Ravioli".  I asked her what the dove meant and she explained that it represents the holy ghost.  As an Italian restaurant it is not a surprise that the Catholic religion was incorporated into the design of the uniforms for all workers.  Since I am Portuguese I know that the dove represents the holy ghost as well.  The dove is important to me as a Catholic Portuguese person because when I go to feasts or parades at my church the white dove is everywhere.  So, I thought it was interesting to see a distinct similarity between the Italian and Portuguese culture.  

There was also a bus boy that was extremely nice and genuinely happy to be working.  He was explaining to the couple behind us and to my mother I how his parents were divorced and he is in college.  He said he is working as much as he can to pay for school and studying hard to keep his GPA up.  His aspiration is to eventually become a physical therapist, which is a difficult degree to obtain.  Along with other employees that I have encountered, I can conclude that him along with other workers are determined, motivated, and hard workers.  All of the employees seem to be enjoying their job and realizing that in these tough economic times it is important to keep a steady job.  Venda appears to be a good business that provides a good outlet for workers to have a decent job.

Wednesday's Lunch

Involtini di Melenzane 

Pan fried eggplant stuffed with spinach, ricotta cheese, ground prosciutto, topped with tomato basil and Parmigiano Reggiano

Gnocchi Sorrentina

Potato gnocchi tossed with tomato basil and fresh mozzarella

Saturday Afternoon Visit

Each time I go to my field site I get more comfortable.  Today Venda had free sample tastings of apple crisp.  They were promoting an apple peeler and a friendly gentlemen was passing out samples to everyone that seemed curious about the tray of apple crisp.  A decent amount of people were there, but most visitors and customers were there to do their food shopping or enjoy Venda's food.  I was able to stroll around the room multiple times to really get a sense of the space.  Each time I circled around the room I would notice something that I had never seen before.  It was exciting to explore the room and see all the options to pick from.  I spent my time taking visual snapshots of the room to be able to map out my field site for later use.  I over heard a lot of different conversations.  One family was getting food for the week and they were just as overwhelmed with the space as I usually am.  They all seemed to love being there even the two young children, who excitedly would show their parents the foods they found and wanted to buy.  Towards the end of my time there I picked up a white package of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to share with my roommates when I got back to RIC.  I noticed that they were not Venda Ravioli brand, but Cookie Place.  After doing some research online I discovered they are sold by Eastside Marketplace and RIC bookstore and cafeteria.  This is interesting because Eastside Marketplace is one of the main distributors to Venda as I later unveiled in other visits to Venda.  It was also a fun fact that the same cookies are sold at RIC.  These cookies are made from a non-profit organization to give job training and job opportunities to people with disabilities.  Here is a link to their website to learn more.  I know there will be more to find out with more visits and asking more questions about how Venda always has a full stock of a variety of products.

Front Outside Windows of Venda

Search for Venda Online

If you thought the first link that appears when you search Venda Ravioli is the actual website for the market, than you were right! After clicking on the link, it lead me to the homepage of Venda Ravioli where viewers can order almost all of the products offered in-store or learn more about the store itself. Different tabs are listed across the top and the right side of the main page, which can bring the viewer to a variety of categories. There are not a lot of distractions on the website and colors of green and orange are recurring. Pictures of food and other products are bright against the white background to make them pop. In my opinion, the visuals are to give the viewer a little taste of what they can actually get by going to Venda. Through their website, Venda engages the viewer to explore the website and makes it convenient for the viewer to order online, if the customer can not actually go to Venda in person. I think it is a welcoming and warm website for anyone to understand. Any sort of information about Venda Ravioli is posted somewhere on the website, it is just up to the viewer to navigate their way through the easy set up. Generally this website focuses on viewers buying items, but there are links on the website to discover the history, open hours, and recipes available. But this website is not the only one that can reveal more information about Venda Ravioli.

Restaurant review websites are the most common links that appear on online search engines. Yelp, Urbanspoon, Tripadvisor, Foursquare and others all have their own ratings for Venda Ravioli. Each one gives a brief description of Venda and give it two dollars signs for the price range. Star ratings are at either four or five stars. Customer reviews are listed with their honest opinions, criticizing service, food, and apparence. These websites for intended for viewers that are curious or interested in an Italian restaurant or market. The websites are very useful and give an overall sense of the space, but not in too much detail. Not many pictures are posted, but still give the intrigued viewer an idea of Venda. The review websites are helpful and accurate in giving information about Venda.

As a broader search, I looked up Federal Hill on the search engines. I found their website and discovered more about the history of the area and the other Italian business other than Venda. I learned a lot about how Federal Hill originated from the Federalists in the 1700s, but really gained an Italian culture when all the immigrants arrived to America in the 19th century. I enjoyed getting more of a background about the community surrounding Venda. It struck me that these digital field sites had so much information about Venda considering it is only one business and not a huge corporation. Venda Ravioli has a lot to offer and these digital field sites guided me through many components of their restaurant and market.

Pictures of Food Inside

Windowed Refrigerator for the Meats Section

Windowed Refrigerator for their Home-made Pastas

Home-made Stuffed Ravioli's 

Prosciutto Stuffed Peppers 

(handmade stuffed cherry pepper with a chunk of provolone wrapped in a slice of prosciutto)

First Experience as a Researcher

Before walking into Venda Ravioli for the first time as a researcher, I had to go through a maze of  Italian dressed people.  I picked a good day to do my research because there was a parade on Atwells Avenue where Venda is located.  All along the street there was restaurants, stores, and businesses set up at booths along almost the entire strip of Federal Hill.  It made me excited to know that there was going to be a lot of action inside Venda.  I had never been to Venda when they had this parade, so I was curious about what I was about to observe.  As I settled into a seat near the door, I was prepared for the typical Italian guidos and guidettes to fill up the room.  I also expected it to be loud and smell like I had entered an Italian grocery in Italy.  I was ready for my first observation as a researcher at Venda Ravioli and could not wait to start writing.

What surprised me? I saw a large amount of people that were just standing around and not really doing anything.  There was less customers than I expected that were actually buying something from the grocery.  I found that most people were just waiting and talking with their group before the parade started.  Also, the workers were standing around because they looked like they were full staff for no reason, considering the lack of customers buying their food.  Out of these employees I encountered the six younger ladies at the register who seemed to be completely miserable.  I was surprised because they were not busy, all the customers appeared happy, and they were getting paid to stand around.  I was shocked at how the people were not doing too many interesting actions.
What intrigued me? As I looked around the room, I realized I had not seen a quarter of the amount of decoration in the room as I usually did.  I was curious if the design of the market kept building over the years or if they always had so much stuff everywhere.  It was interesting to find “hidden” decorations that a regular customer would not see, but as an observing research I noticed immediately.  I was intrigued at how many times I went to Venda and it was only this past Sunday that I acknowledged how many trinkets and art was displayed to give a real Italian feel.
What disturbed me? One of the workers standing directly in front of me in the inside of the huge connected rectangular windowed fridge in the center of Venda, that showcases fresh foods, was texting.  He was working near the deli meats section and had gloves on.  I thought it was wrong that he was not only texting while getting paid, but the fact that he had the same latex gloves on that he used to cut meat and give it to customers.  It must have not been a big deal to anyone else because no one said anything to him, and I wondered if this happens a lot.  Another observation that disturbed me was how there was only one person I saw with a gold chain around their neck.  He was a middle-aged man and had a white muscle shirt on and walked with a lot of confidence, but it was disappointing to only see him wearing the typical Italian gold chain.  Although small disturbances, those are the two that stuck out to me.

Positioning Myself

The things I will notice in my fieldsite will be different from everyone else in the world, but that is what will make my research interesting. Although I only have a small history with Venda, I know it will impact my findings. The somewhat outsider position I have with Venda made me curious about it enough to choose to study it as my fieldsite. Rhode Island Italians is what really drew me in. At Venda I always felt that there was an invisible line between the people who belong there and the people who are outsiders. This line separates the Rhode Island Italians and basically everyone else. I am part of the everyone else because I live in Massachusetts and I am 100% Portuguese. In some ways people from Rhode Island and Massachusetts are similar, but in other ways they are completely different. Accents, manors, and driving records are some things to compare and contrast. Italian and Portuguese people are also sometimes considered alike. My nationality and the state I am from will definitely effect my research considering the sub-culture I am studying. Another position that will effect my research is how I am an eighteen year old girl. Most of the people that go to Venda, either for the market and/or restaurant, are middle aged and elderly. I do not have a lot that I can relate with them other than comparing them to older people that I know. When I go to Venda and see elderly people I tend to think of what my grandparents look like when they go to their favorite Portuguese market. Going to Venda I will have this perspective and it will in turn result in certain things that I will pick up on in my observations. I will most likely record customer conversations, but they will not be the same types of conversations my friends and I will have. This is what I am expecting, but there is no guarantees about what will happen as my research continues. The typical stereotypes of the Rhode Island Italian may be changed or proven further, but either way I hope to “blow it up.” Positioning myself with Venda is complex and I know it will bring intriguing data to my research.

CIAO

My name is Marissa and this blog is for my fieldstudy about Costantino's Venda Ravioli. This restaurant and market is located in "Little Italy" of Providence, RI. I have been there multiple times with my mother and we usually buy the delicious fresh food there. Some things I am hoping to figure out more about the sub-culture within this business. Who knows what I am really going to find out, but either way it will be an adventure. I am extremely excited and curious about the information I will discover with my research.