Learning Scenario
French: A Francophone Dining Experience
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Author: Cynthia Capps & Andrea
Henderson |
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In this scenario, students learn about the culinary culture of a Francophone country as they plan for, establish, and design their own “restaurant.” They learn about appropriate menu items, décor (including art and music), and advertising in the target culture. A culminating activity provides for the possibility of a “grand opening” of the restaurant. In completing research for their project, students make extensive use of Internet resources as well as other library resources (magazines, books, maps), information obtained by writing regional chambers of commerce and restaurants (addresses obtained from the Internet), and interviews of native speakers living in the community.
ACTIVITY SET 1: Menu
These activities enable learners to plan a menu for a francophone
restaurant. Working in groups, students identify as many French-speaking
countries as they can using maps, library resources, and the Internet.
From the established list, groups select a country (one per group)
for further study. Each group identifies dishes common to their
region and selects several different recipes that will be the spécialité
de la maison in their restaurant. Students learn vocabulary
words for the different ingredients and convert metric measurements
to the English standard in order to plan their “shopping lists”
and determine the quantity of each item needed to serve thirty customers.
They make a field trip (treasure hunt) to the local grocery store
to look for the ingredients to determine if they are available locally
and to estimate the cost. Based on their investigations, groups
create a menu, determine appropriate prices (in regional currency),
and include cultural details such as whether or not the tip is included,
whether or not fixed price menus are offered, etc.
ACTIVITY SET 2: Ambience
In order to create an authentic atmosphere for their dining establishment,
each group researches regional art and music, selecting examples
to use in the restaurant. Information on regional décor can
be found at some restaurant Web sites, by writing to local chambers
of commerce to ask for brochures, and by interviewing native speakers
in the community when available. Once relevant information is gathered,
groups decide on a name for the restaurant and design an interior
that is both culturally appropriate and inviting, paying attention
to details such as table height, whether to use chairs or cushions,
table settings, seating arrangements, etc. as relevant.
ACTIVITY SET 3: Staffing the Restaurant
In this activity set, students examine differences in French and
American perspectives on a variety of restaurant-related work issues
such as professional status and training, customer expectations,
and even family expectations regarding part-time or summer jobs
for students. From classified ads in francophone newspapers and
online job agencies, students discover that special training and
experience is usually required for restaurant servers. French exchange
students and French community members who are invited to speak to
the class may share that teenagers seldom are expected to find a
job because their studies are viewed as their work. And French-speakers
or others who have traveled abroad share their experiences in French
restaurants, pointing out, for example, that the wait staff doesn’t
make “small talk” with customers or bring the check to
the table without being asked. A graphic organizer is used to compare
and contrast these expectations so that students can behave in culturally
appropriate ways as they roleplay the proprietor, customer, server,
etc.
ACTIVITY SET 4: Advertising for the Restaurant
Each group develops an advertising campaign for its restaurant.
To do so, students study French-language commercials in order to
determine common elements. (http://Adeater.com
has video clips from a large number of countries.) Students compare
and contrast the francophone commercials with American ones; as
they share with other groups, they also note similarities and differences
in advertising among the various francophone regions. Groups may
choose to develop a print ad for a local newspaper, a taped commercial
jingle for a radio station, or a short video “spot” for
television.
ACTIVITY SET 5: La Dégustation
Groups can choose from a variety of culminating activities that
provide an opportunity to share what they’ve learned from their
research. All groups share their advertising strategies along with
their final project. Groups/the class may decide to:
- Present a “cooking show” highlighting a recipe from their country, which they then share with classmates either individually or as a group.
- Prepare a francophone banquet (as a class) sharing specialties from each of the countries researched.
- Design their own cookbook of regional recipes illustrated with regional art.
- Roleplay the Grand Opening of their restaurant with classmates acting as the customers. Some students roleplay entertainers who sing or play regional music for restaurant customers; others are servers who use culturally appropriate table manners, etc. Photocopied local currency is used to pay and count change. Alternatively, students can invite other French classes to attend the Grand Opening.
- Communication: Interpersonal, Interpretative, & Presentational Modes
- Cultures: Practices & Perspectives, Products & Perspectives
- Connections: Access to Information, Other Subject Areas
- Comparisons: Concept of Culture, Influence of Language & Culture
- Communities: Within & Beyond the School Setting, Personal Enrichment & Career Development
- Computer with Internet access
- Print, audio, and video examples of French and American advertisements
- Copies of authentic menus from a variety of francophone countries
- Art supplies for menus, signs, and/or computers with desktop publishing software
- Camcorder/ video camera
Communication: The interpersonal mode
is used in conducting interviews and roleplays. The interpretive
mode is used when watching French commercials and reading source
materials, and the presentational mode is used when students present
their ad campaigns and other final products.
Cultures: Students understand practices and perspectives
(greetings, restaurant courtesy, table manners) and create
culturally
authentic products (menus, dishes, ads).
Connections: Students use French language resources to
gain access to information on French ads, menus, and recipes.
They use
French to connect to other school subjects: math (metric conversions),
business (budgeting, planning, pricing), art and interior design
(menus, restaurant décor), music (as a part of the restaurant’s
ambiance), geography (francophone regions and cultures), and
home
economics (following recipes, cooking).
Comparisons: Students compare French language with English
(food and counting vocabulary, questions and answers, present
and
passé compose tenses) and make cultural comparisons regarding
advertising, food choices, and food etiquette/manners. They notice
the influence of French-speaking cuisines on American cuisine.
Communities: Students write letters or send e-mail to
request information on francophone restaurants and they interact
with native
speakers in the community. They use French for personal enrichment
and career development: they appreciate diverse foods and understand
how to prepare them; they understand how their talents in different
subjects might relate to a career choice in advertising, interior
design, business, cooking, etc.
- The French or International Club sponsors a multicultural feast in the evening or during a multicultural fair.
- Students work with the business teacher and develop a prospectus and a profit/loss statement to determine whether their menu prices were appropriate.
- Students consolidate the recipes from all of the restaurants into a bilingual (French and English) cookbook.
- Teacher’s Discovery Catalog
(1-800-832-2437)
This catalog has print and video examples of French advertisements.
Webliography
NOTE: These Internet resources may have changed since publication or no longer be available. Active links should be carefully screened before recommending to students.
Recipes and Menus
- http://www.chefpaul.com/ (Louisiana)
- http://www.allrecipes.com/directory/864.asp (Canadian)
- http://www.auchatnoir.ch/mets1.htm (French)
- http://www.feelingscafe.com/ (Louisiana)
Other
- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001729.html
This site features a metric conversion chart. - http://www.adeater.com
