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American terminology on TV: "bodega"

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RichA

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:36:24 AM12/15/20
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Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans, why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.

Adam H. Kerman

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:49:29 AM12/15/20
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American Heritage says it means it carries products from the Carribean
and Latin America; that's not what I'd call a convenience store.

If those are the ethnic groups or nationalities in the area, if the
shopkeeper wants to stay in business, that's what he'll sell.

The stores we typically see on tv shows shouldn't be called bodegas
unless the set decorator includes the specialty items.

Of course, the answer is that some tv writer heard the term on another
tv show or movie and copied it. It's not like they have life experience
enough to know things.

RichA

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Dec 15, 2020, 3:05:50 AM12/15/20
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Convenience stores, in my understanding are places you can buy basic groceries, candy, drinks, pseudo-prepared foods, etc., at higher prices than normal, 24 hours or so a day. Hence, "convenience."
If that is what a bodega is as well.

Adam H. Kerman

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Dec 15, 2020, 3:15:12 AM12/15/20
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It's safer to assume the tv writer misused the term. Typically what we
see on tv are convenience stores, not bodegas.

I'm agreeing with you that tv gets it wrong, but because they don't sell
groceries found in a bodega and nothing to do with the ethnicity of the
storekeeper.

shawn

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Dec 15, 2020, 8:48:41 AM12/15/20
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I'm a bit surprised that the term is being misused unless that's
common among New Yorkers. I assume most of the writers are residents
of the city and would know what terms are used to describe the local
stores. So do NYC residents tend to use bodega to describe all local
convenience stores or do they stick to those with the
Hispanic/Caribbean influence?

suzeeq

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Dec 15, 2020, 11:10:31 AM12/15/20
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Since most tv is written by LA residents, they wouldn't know what New
Yorkers call these stores.

shawn

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Dec 15, 2020, 1:31:07 PM12/15/20
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That's true but I was thinking in terms of movies (where many are
written by New Yorkers and set in NYC) and shows like LAW & ORDER
where I recall them always using the term bodegas.

suzeeq

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Dec 15, 2020, 1:38:26 PM12/15/20
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L&O was still written in Hollywood, not NYC.

shawn

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:01:52 PM12/15/20
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Really? I would have assumed given the franchises long history in NYC
that that's where the writing would have been done also.

suzeeq

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:35:30 PM12/15/20
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>>>>>> groceries fosund in a bodega and nothing to do with the ethnicity of the
>>>>>> storekeeper.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm a bit surprised that the term is being misused unless that's
>>>>> common among New Yorkers. I assume most of the writers are residents
>>>>> of the city and would know what terms are used to describe the local
>>>>> stores. So do NYC residents tend to use bodega to describe all local
>>>>> convenience stores or do they stick to those with the
>>>>> Hispanic/Caribbean influence?
>>>>
>>>> Since most tv is written by LA residents, they wouldn't know what New
>>>> Yorkers call these stores.
>>>
>>> That's true but I was thinking in terms of movies (where many are
>>> written by New Yorkers and set in NYC) and shows like LAW & ORDER
>>> where I recall them always using the term bodegas.
>>>
>>
>> L&O was still written in Hollywood, not NYC.
>
> Really? I would have assumed given the franchises long history in NYC
> that that's where the writing would have been done also.

Dick Wolf wrote the pilot, and probably headed the writing team, but
though he was born in NYC, he moved to LA in the 1980s. He also wrote
for Hill St Blues and Miami Vice so the writers were probably Hollywood
based.

Your Name

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:37:45 PM12/15/20
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Here in New Zealand such shops are called a "dairy".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_(store)>

The owners are often Asian families. They're also often greedy scum who
go into the big supermarkets buying up all the products on discount,
and then re-selling them in their dairy for a massive mark-up. They
also buy the multi-packs of things like Coca-Cola or potato chips and
then split them up to resell (again at higher price), despite the fact
that the multi-packs specifically say you're not allowed to do that.

Petrol stations also usually have a store selling some of the same
items at similarly over-bloated prices. A small chocolate bar costs
$2.00 there instead of $1.00 at the supermarket. A meat pie costs about
$5 when they are only $2.50-$3.00 at the local bakery shops.

BTR1701

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:45:46 PM12/15/20
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In article <rrb3a2$13em$1...@gioia.aioe.org>,
Your Name <Your...@YourISP.com> wrote:

> On 2020-12-15 07:36:21 +0000, RichA said:
> >
> > Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience
> > store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans,
> > why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.
>
> Here in New Zealand such shops are called a "dairy".
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_(store)>
>
> The owners are often Asian families. They're also often greedy scum who
> go into the big supermarkets buying up all the products on discount,
> and then re-selling them in their dairy for a massive mark-up.

How does that make them scum?

> They also buy the multi-packs of things like Coca-Cola or potato chips
> and then split them up to resell (again at higher price), despite
> the fact that the multi-packs specifically say you're not allowed to
> do that.

Yes, the packages say that but once the pack is purchased, it belongs to
the purchaser, who can then do whatever he wants with his own property,
which includes selling it in any manner he wants. Those printed
restrictions are just greedy corporate scum trying to do an end-run
around the First Sale Doctrine. They're legally meaningless.

Adam H. Kerman

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Dec 15, 2020, 4:07:52 PM12/15/20
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It doesn't comply with markings required on retail food packages. That's
why it's illegal. The retailer would have to use stickers for
compliance with standard terminology to label it for retail sale.

I agree the manufacturer cannot impose such a requirement if the
retailer has already made the wholesale purchase. However, a lot of
goods sold at retail aren't paid for by the retailer in advance, so that
would give the manufacturer more control of packaging integrity.

Lots of stores make the vendor stock chips. I've never understood why
certain grocery items are like that.

ZZyXX

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Dec 15, 2020, 5:26:06 PM12/15/20
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On 12/14/20 11:36 PM, RichA wrote:
> Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans, why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.
>
exactly what difference could it possibly make

Ed Stasiak

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Dec 15, 2020, 6:30:08 PM12/15/20
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> Adam H. Kerman
> > RichA
> >
> > Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience
> > store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans,
> > why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.
>
> American Heritage says it means it carries products from the Carribean
> and Latin America; that's not what I'd call a convenience store.

American Heritage is run by old and out-of-touch White guys.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bodega

A hispanic/spanish/latin mini-mart, kind of like a 7-11, but usually smaller
and more like a liquor store atmosphere. Commonly used term on the east
coast, especially in the New York City region, where you will find many of
these. The word came from the actual spanish word for "grocery store"
- la bodega.

"Go to the corner bodega and get a couple of 40s."

Adam H. Kerman

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Dec 15, 2020, 7:16:15 PM12/15/20
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Ed Stasiak <edstas...@gmail.com> wrote:

>>Adam H. Kerman
>>>RichA

>>>Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience
>>>store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans,
>>>why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.

>>American Heritage says it means it carries products from the Carribean
>>and Latin America; that's not what I'd call a convenience store.

>American Heritage is run by old and out-of-touch White guys.

I'm out of touch too!

Barry Margolin

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Dec 16, 2020, 2:51:18 PM12/16/20
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In article <rrbd5o$1eb4$1...@gioia.aioe.org>,
I'd expect the term to be dependent more on the population of the area
than who operates them. And since there's a sizable Latin-American
population in NYC, it's not surprising that a Spanish word would spread
like this.

Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".
I've never understood this one.

--
Barry Margolin
Arlington, MA

Your Name

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Dec 16, 2020, 2:53:40 PM12/16/20
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"Sucker-Priced Asian Supermarkets" ;-)

shawn

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Dec 16, 2020, 3:13:03 PM12/16/20
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On Thu, 17 Dec 2020 08:53:32 +1300, Your Name <Your...@YourISP.com>
wrote:

>On 2020-12-16 19:51:09 +0000, Barry Margolin said:
>> In article <rrbd5o$1eb4$1...@gioia.aioe.org>,
>> ZZyXX <zz...@CampSoda-Restoration-Project.tv> wrote:
>>> On 12/14/20 11:36 PM, RichA wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience
>>>> store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans, why
>>>> call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.
>>>>
>>> exactly what difference could it possibly make
>>
>> I'd expect the term to be dependent more on the population of the area
>> than who operates them. And since there's a sizable Latin-American
>> population in NYC, it's not surprising that a Spanish word would spread
>> like this.

Yeah, I like the explanation here for the origin of the term and how
it has come to be used to commonly describe any convenience store in
the NYC area: https://streeteasy.com/blog/what-is-a-bodega/

The name bodega originates from the Spanish word, which can mean
“storeroom,” “wine cellar,” or “grocery store,” because these shops
first started popping up in the 1940s and ‘50s in Hispanic
communities. The majority of them were opened by Puerto Ricans, and
sometimes by other Caribbean and Latin American immigrants, who came
to New York in large numbers after World War II and wanted more of a
local convenience store that they could run to daily. New Yorkers as a
whole took to the idea, and these small shops multiplied. Nowadays,
owners are not exclusively Latin American, but the name has stuck.

>> Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".
>> I've never understood this one.
>
>"Sucker-Priced Asian Supermarkets" ;-)

Found a couple of suggestions for an answer:

They really are not called 'spa's, but rather 'SpA's, the Italian
equivalent of the American 'Inc.' Most of these stores were owned by
Italian immigrants.

"Giovanni & Maria's Market, SpA" might be "John & Mary’s Market, Inc."
in the US.

Sometimes there were misinterpretations, giving us such gems as "Town
Spa Pizza"
in Stoughton, MA. [Still in business.] As pizza isn't usually
considered spa-type food,
it likely began as "Town Pizza, SpA."

SpA is a "Società per azioni"; approximately a "business with shares"
in Italian



Then there was this suggestion:

To be a "spa" you had to have a soda fountain. Even in the Worcester
area where I grew up they were frequently called the spa. "A
Massachusetts-specific term (found most often in the Boston area) for
a small convenience store is "spa," referring to the once "healthy"
bubbly soda-fountain drinks first served around the turn of the 20th
century."

Neill Massello

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Dec 16, 2020, 4:54:02 PM12/16/20
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On 2020-12-16 at 12:51:09 MST, "Barry Margolin" <bar...@alum.mit.edu> wrote:

> Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".

I've heard that Michiganders call them "party stores". Almost anything is
better than the awkward mouthful "convenience store". I think of them as
"quickie stores", although I realize that treads on some trademarks.



Ed Stasiak

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Dec 16, 2020, 7:01:16 PM12/16/20
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> Neill Massello
> > Barry Margolin
> >
> > Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".
>
> I've heard that Michiganders call them "party stores".

We do and at least in metro Detroit, they’re all owned by Arabs,
as party stores are the traditional business for new immigrants
to start up, pooling the family’s money with mom, dad, cousins
and such working there and their kids then go on to “real jobs”
while the grandkids go to college.

https://i.postimg.cc/hPKxYPbh/party-store.jpg

suzeeq

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Dec 16, 2020, 7:21:06 PM12/16/20
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Heh, in the Lansing area, they're owned by blacks. That was over 15
years ago though. The Arab families ran Middle Eastern restaurants which
is the only thing I miss about Michigan.

A Friend

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Dec 16, 2020, 10:24:43 PM12/16/20
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In article <rre89e$kj2$2...@neodome.net>, suzeeq <su...@imbris.com> wrote:

> On 12/16/2020 04:01 PM, Ed Stasiak wrote:
> >> Neill Massello
> >>> Barry Margolin
> >>>
> >>> Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".
> >>
> >> I've heard that Michiganders call them "party stores".
> >
> > We do and at least in metro Detroit, theyąre all owned by Arabs,
> > as party stores are the traditional business for new immigrants
> > to start up, pooling the familyąs money with mom, dad, cousins
> > and such working there and their kids then go on to łreal jobs˛
> > while the grandkids go to college.
> >
> > https://i.postimg.cc/hPKxYPbh/party-store.jpg
>
> Heh, in the Lansing area, they're owned by blacks. That was over 15
> years ago though. The Arab families ran Middle Eastern restaurants which
> is the only thing I miss about Michigan.


In Baltimore, black merchants with horse-drawn carts full of produce
are called "street ayrabs" or just "ayrabs." (That's "Arab" with a
long "a.") "Arabber" is also used. As you'd expect, there are only a
handful of them left.

suzeeq

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Dec 17, 2020, 1:15:44 AM12/17/20
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On 12/16/2020 07:24 PM, A Friend wrote:
> In article <rre89e$kj2$2...@neodome.net>, suzeeq <su...@imbris.com> wrote:
>
>> On 12/16/2020 04:01 PM, Ed Stasiak wrote:
>>>> Neill Massello
>>>>> Barry Margolin
>>>>>
>>>>> Here in New England convenience stores are frequently called "spas".
>>>>
>>>> I've heard that Michiganders call them "party stores".
>>>
>>> We do and at least in metro Detroit, they¹re all owned by Arabs,
>>> as party stores are the traditional business for new immigrants
>>> to start up, pooling the family¹s money with mom, dad, cousins
>>> and such working there and their kids then go on to ³real jobs²
>>> while the grandkids go to college.
>>>
>>> https://i.postimg.cc/hPKxYPbh/party-store.jpg
>>
>> Heh, in the Lansing area, they're owned by blacks. That was over 15
>> years ago though. The Arab families ran Middle Eastern restaurants which
>> is the only thing I miss about Michigan.
>
>
> In Baltimore, black merchants with horse-drawn carts full of produce
> are called "street ayrabs" or just "ayrabs." (That's "Arab" with a
> long "a.") "Arabber" is also used. As you'd expect, there are only a
> handful of them left.
>
I think that's an old term from the late 19th century, though they
weren't always blacks.

Micky DuPree

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Dec 30, 2020, 11:39:37 PM12/30/20
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One of which featured in an early pivotal plot line on _Homicide: Life
on the Street_.

-Micky

RichA

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Dec 31, 2020, 3:12:31 AM12/31/20
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On Tuesday, 15 December 2020 at 02:36:24 UTC-5, RichA wrote:
> Spanish derivation referring to what we'd call a variety or convenience store. So, given most New York stores are run by Indians or Koreans, why call them by a Spanish name? Seriously.

Follow-up. I just heard a Swede (in Sweden) use the word bodega to refer to a pub!
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