Ethnographic Observation

Ethnographic Observation

I chose to do my Ethnographic Observation at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. I chose this location because I thought it would be the best place to observe different behavior and cultures. It is also close to my home, and I had never had a chance to explore it. The Hare Krishna temple is a very interesting location to observe. The grounds are very large, and the temple itself is beautiful. There is a sort of corral next to the temple that houses a few different types of animals, mainly llamas. These animals are considered holy to the Hindus. There is also a large gazebo where they hold festivals outside during the summer time. The temple itself is by far the most striking feature though. The front has a large staircase that leads up to the main entrance. There are also four tower type things on the four corners of the temple with large rounded steeples on the top. The steeples are painted gold and are very beautiful. The rest of the temple is painted white. The first floor of the temple is a type of gift shop that sells all types of Hindu and oriental objects. There is also a parrot in a cage in the corner of the shop. I thought this was interesting, but unfortunately nobody seemed to know why the parrot was there. In a small room right off the gift shop is a buffet table. There are many different types of Indian foods, and it’s all free. They just ask that if you eat there too often, you pay five or ten dollars the next time you visit. The man that I talked to seemed very sweet when he was describing the people who come there to eat and are never able to pay. He told me that most of the money for the food comes out of the temples private funds. I thought this was a very generous thing for them to do. It seemed to be a common theme with everyone I talked to at the temple. They all seemed to be very open and kind. After eating at the buffet I went to explore the