What's up with this word bodega?

[Zedtom]

So this friend comes by last weekend and says he had to stop at the bodega on the way over to my house. I look at him and I'm thinking he's talking about an Italian bakery or something. He then tells me he's referring to the 7-11 store.

He thinks he's being clever, hip or trendy but I had never heard the word until he said it.

I saw the word used at a Target store to designate some bargain aisles that are set up like a dollar store.

 

[MrChad]

I'm guessing "Zedville" isn't close to a major city?

EDIT: It's a common term in NYC, not sure about other metropolitan areas.

 

[Printer Bandit]

same here. i heard it on a tv show recently and i was like wtf is that.

 

[Wyndru]

When I lived in the city I heard people call corner stores this, not so much outside of NYC though, I've never heard the term upstate.

 

[Drako]

It's Spanish for store. Is your friend of Spanish origin?

 

[Zedtom]

It's Spanish for store. Is your friend of Spanish origin?

No, but he works at the airport so he meets up with all kinds of people.

 

[Vic Vega]

In Chicago the term is used to define a small grocery and/or general store. These shops might be the size of the inside of a typical fast food restaurant but I've seen some of them that aren't larger than an airport kiosk (maybe 15'x15').

You might find fresh meat, dairy and produce along with fresh baked goods and housewares here, along with odds and ends. Every store is different. I used to go to a place that was like a Walgreens and a corner grocery store condensed into a space the size of a bedroom. It was awesome, I loved that place.

I've heard people from New York use the term as well. I haven't heard this term used anywhere else in the US, but that doesn't mean it isn't.

 

[ElFenix]

saw this usage on law & order last night and wondered why someone out for exercise on his bike would be stopping at a wine bar. now everything is clear.

 

[rcpratt]

Never heard it used around here, although I know what it means.

 

[Zeze]

Non hispanic people using Bodega is as pretentious as that stupid word 'Cantina' for describing trendy euro-themed bars.

 

[vshah]

by the bodegas and the lights on upper broadway

 

[Gibson486]

i only know the word b/c i grew up in a community with spanish people.

 

[manimal]

Non hispanic people using Bodega is as pretentious as that stupid word 'Cantina' for describing trendy euro-themed bars.

Its perfectly normal to use the word cantina when talking about star wars though.

 

[Blackjack200]

Non hispanic people using Bodega is as pretentious as that stupid word 'Cantina' for describing trendy euro-themed bars.

Not really. Bodegas are unique, they're like mini supermarkets with produce and everything, and they have hispanic food. What else would you call them? BTW, a 7-11 is not a bodega.

The term has been around forever. Didn't you guys ever see Half Baked?

 

[Perknose]

It's of Spanish language origin, and grew out of the practice in urban hispanic areas of some locals opening small, often very small, "little bit of this 'n that essentials" stores, often enough w/o any license -- selling cigs, some foodstuffs, and sometimes liquor to their immediate neighbors.

This has expanded into the pre-existing urban tradition of licensed but small corner "groceries" that carry the same mix of "high-demand" stuff much like a 7-11 or Wawa does in the burbs.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodega

 

[AstroManLuca]

Its perfectly normal to use the word cantina when talking about star wars though.

This, I literally don't think of anything other than Star Wars when someone uses the word cantina.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Not really. Bodegas are unique, they're like mini supermarkets with produce and everything, and they have hispanic food. What else would you call them? BTW, a 7-11 is not a bodega.

The term has been around forever. Didn't you guys ever see Half Baked?

Came in to say this.

 

[bobdole369]

I'm near Miami, where the "hispanic-origin" population tops 60+%. They call places like 7-11 either tienda, almacen, and grocery is usually just the name of the store in english. Never heard bodega till I was in NYC.

 

[alien42]

definately a common word in NYC, never heard it used here in Atlanta.

 

[shiner]

It's a perfectly cromulent word.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

It's a perfectly cromulent word.

That's only because it embiggens the person saying it.

 

[KeithP]

What else would you call them?

Grocery store, supermarket or either of those two with the words "small" or "little" in front?

-KeithP

 

[Broheim]

here in denmark a bodega is a type of bar and what you apparently call a bodega we call a kiosk...

 

[alien42]

here in denmark a bodega is a type of bar and what you apparently call a bodega we call a kiosk...

a kiosk is smaller than a bodega and we usually call kiosks, either booths or stands.

 

[slayernine]

In Western Canada nobody says dumb crap like that, its a corner store or convenience store.