Fast Food Restaurant Communication

Today I am blogging about my experience at the local fast food restaurant Subway. I realized at this restaurant how communication is inescapable and happens all the time even when we do not realize it. As I walked through the doors I noticed that my friends were already there at the table eating. Without thinking I nodded my head acknowledging their presence and almost saying "hi". It’s crazy how a simple little head nod can communicate for you. As I walked on line to order my food I turned to ask my friends "Is the burrito bowl good?", and immediately they all put their thumbs up, signaling to me that the burrito bowl was good. In a restaurant so packed and loud my friends were still able to convey a clear message without saying a word. It is astonishing how just sticking your thumb up is a universal gesture that can be understood by all no matter what language one may speak. Ordering the food was my experience with communication as action. In this scenario I acted as the speaker conveying a message to the man behind the desk who was preparing my meal. I began to say all the things I wanted added into my bowl, and somewhere in between I began to point before words came out of my mouth because it was very loud in the restaurant (the restaurant was the medium, the channel, from which all the noise from people having their own conversations came from). The man behind the counter, who was preparing my food, was adding food that I wanted before I was able to say it. I realized that even though I was not speaking to him he was able to read my hand gestures and pick up the message of what I wanted added to the food. It shows how communication is inescapable, and happens even when we may not realize it.