Going out to eat at the Food Truck!

Kameron Moshier

Alex Karl

Our Genre Examples

Where is the genre used? What kinds of activities happen here? What kinds of people come here?

Do these people have shared objectives?

-The food truck is centered in the middle of the academic buildings located here on campus. Students and faculty come to the truck to eat and mingle. The people who come to the food truck often are looking for something to eat or an opportunity to socialize with others.

What is the interaction it accomplishes?

-The menu at the food truck is a social interaction and it allows customers to see what can be ordered and for how much. The contact information allows

people to gather information about the food truck and it advertises for the business itself. The ordering of food

accomplishes the actual social interaction of purchasing and selling

food.

Who uses the genre and to do what? Does the user change for each genre piece?

-The menu and contact information on the truck

are used by both the food truck operators to

communicate their operation to customers and

they are used by the customers to obtain

information about the business and understand

their buying options. As mentioned above the

genre pieces are used by the operators and the

customers but everything involved with the truck

is used by the customers.

What subjects does the genre discuss?

-The menu communicates price and items to order, the truck itself gives contact information and business

name, and the ordering accomplishes the interaction

between the truck operators and the customer, it discusses how

much the order is and what exactly the customer is ordering.

What relationships does the genre suggest?

The person reading the menu is the reader

and the menu is a genre piece, the

relationship is that it makes the person

reading a customer. When a person is

ordering food this also makes them a

customer, and finally a person reading the

truck’s contact information and name creates

another relationship and it creates a

“perspective customer.”

What roles does the genre suggest?

-The person creating the menu is the

food truck operators role, the contact

information is also a role or

responsibility of the truck operators and

the ordering and communicating of

what is needed/wanted is the role of the

customer.

What kinds of languages are used within the this situation and genre

piece?

-Writing the menu and the contact information on the

truck alone is a language because it is a way of

communicating ideas from the food truck operators to

the customers. Also an obvious one is the ordering of

food, the verbal language used by the customers to

order their food is a kind of language as well. The

food truck itself is also a language because the food

options on the menu branch out to many people.

How does the situation shape the genre pieces?

-Ordering food at a food truck really

creates a “need” for the menu and the

contact and basic information on the

truck, therefore shaping the genre

pieces. Without the actual situation (the

food truck,) there is no ordering or

customer worker relationship.

How do the genres shape the situation?

-The menu of the food truck is on a chalkboard in

front of the truck, so it really is the attention

catcher for the truck and it helps people decide

whether they want to eat at the truck or not. The

contact information on the truck helps decide

where the truck goes and what kinds of customers

visit it. Finally, ordering actually makes the truck

exist. This means without the action of ordering,

the food truck would cease to exist.

What does the genre allow its users to do and not do?

-The menu allows customers to see the options and

it allows them to decide if they want to dine at the

food truck, it does not allow users to set their own

price. The contact information allows potential

customers to get in touch with the food truck

operators and even lets people see the name of the

business. Ordering food allows the customers to

actually request, receive, and pay for their food. It

does not however allow the customers to choose

what goes into the food exactly and it still does not

allow them to change the price.

Whose needs are most served by the genre? Whose are least served?

-The food truck meets the needs of both the

operators and the customers, but ultimately it

meets the food truck operator’s needs more

because it is there business and way of life. The

menu, contact info, and ordering aspects are

what helps both the customers and operators. In

comparison, the customer’s needs are least met.

Does the genre enable its users to represent themselves fully

-Using a menu to order which is a set list of options

to us really shows that the customers cannot

represent themselves fully. Maybe since the

operators created the menu, they are representing

the food that they like to prepare and serve to the

public, therefore representing themselves.

Does the genre create inequalities amongst its users that lead to

imbalances of power?

-The only real imbalances of power we

can see is that the operators of the food

truck control the making of the food and

the choices of food that is sold (the

menu.) All the customers control is the

ability to order what they want off the

menu.