A behind-the-scenes look at the dynamics of class, race, and economics in a suburban eatery"Erickson's study makes a novel and important contribution to our understanding of interactive service work. Service workers at the Hungry Cowboy are deeply embedded in personal relationships and community with their customers. Written in a vivid and engaging style, The Hungry Cowboy joins the list of must-read books in the sociology of work and identity."-Vicki SmithProfessor and Chair, Sociology, University of California, DavisKarla A. Erickson is assistant professor of sociology at Grinnell College. She is coeditor of Feminist Waves, Feminist Generations: Life Stories from the Academy. Her research has been published in Qualitative Sociology, Symbolic Interaction, Ethnography, and Space and Culture.