Still needing lunch, we walked over to Nino's Pizzeria, one of the only other restaurants in town. The only other people inside were one man sitting alone at a table by the window and the employee of the restaurant. She took our order and we poked around while waiting for the pizza. They still had a life-size green witch next to a vending machine, presumably from Halloween, but when we pressed the button, she didn't move or make any noise.
Next to her was a wooden cabinet with a plexiglass front which included a set of framed photographs and newspaper clippings. I almost walked past it, but realized upon closer inspection that it was a memorial for a young man who had died in a motorcycle accident in 2010. He had tried to swerve to avoid hitting a deer, hit a telephone pole, and ran off the road. There was a baby picture of him, one of him playing tennis, and several of him just smiling. He was 18 when he died. The memorial also included a poem written about him after his death, his keys, and smashed pieces of his electric green motorcycle along with the newspaper clippings detailing the accident and his obituary. His name was Kyle A. Walker and he had worked at Nino's before he died.
While we were sitting down and strategizing our game plan for this current research visit, one of our members of the group was really excited. And someone in the group caught on to why he was excited… he saw the first Black person in Attica after all of the research visits we have done. We encouraged him to talk to the man because he it was like finding a needle in a haystack. So, the our group member went out to of the restaurant to speak with him. This man is very important for our research because he was the first black person to be seen within the town of Attica. We have been in the town of Attica since the beginning of October and the first person of color we saw was in November. The main question that was asked was “where are all the Black people?” He responded and said “they’re around, you just “gotta know where to look.” He splits his time between Attica and Buffalo, but I really didn't gain any other information from this exchange. I think it is a good example of each individual member of our group using aspects of our identity-- whether it be our gender, race, sexual orientation etc. to approach conversations differently.
Our own identity is weaved in to every part of this project. There is information and interactions that we are “allowed” to have in Attica because of the color or our skin, or what we are wearing.
What is a Food Desert?
According to the USDA a food desert is defined as “... parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.”
Within the town of Attica, NY there is not that many restaurants to select from. Individuals only are able to go to these select few restaurants to get a reasonable meal. However, these restaurants that are in this area does not necessarily have healthy food options; the restaurants such as Nino’s Sub/Pizza shop have a select few items on their menu for individuals to eat healthy.
What is a Food Desert?
According to the USDA a food desert is defined as “... parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.”
Within the town of Attica, NY there is not that many restaurants to select from. Individuals only are able to go to these select few restaurants to get a reasonable meal. However, these restaurants that are in this area does not necessarily have healthy food options; the restaurants such as Nino’s Sub/Pizza shop have a select few items on their menu for individuals to eat healthy.