 |
| Emilie Montgomery is ready to serve Timothy’s customers on the Jan. 13 Francophone Friday. While the French-themed food is popular, the coffee is still important. Daniel Brown photo. |
By Daniel Brown
Jan. 16, 2017
It was Friday, Jan. 13, and
Timothy’s Cafe in Charlottetown had a steady stream of customers all morning.
Blue, white, red and yellow
balloons decorated the cafe. Shortly before lunch, musicians set up instruments
in the back corner, where Acadian flags hung.
Tyler Gallant of Gallant’s
Shellfish & Seafood took up his position opposite the cash register. He
offered non-menu items like oysters, croissants, seafood chowder, lobster
quiche, and pets de soeurs - pastries similar to cinnamon rolls.
Meanwhile, Emilie Montgomery
had been serving bagels and pouring coffee since 9 a.m.
The clock struck 11:45 a.m.
A customer walked through the
front door. Montgomery was posted on the front lines.
She turned to greet them.
“Hello bonjour.”
Francophone Friday had begun.
Montgomery is the only worker
at Timothy’s who speaks French, having grown up in an Acadian family. She plays
an important role in Francophone Friday, an event focused on gathering the
French-community to celebrate its heritage.
She appeared in all the
promotional material for the event and she headlines customer and sponsor
relations. Her focus during the event is to let customers know she speaks
French on Fridays, she said.
“A lot of people come in here
and say ‘Oh hey, you’re the girl from the commercial.’ People just start a
conversation with me now, and they recognize me as being French. So a lot of
people will start speaking with me in French.”
The event started in November
and has grown rapidly. On Jan. 13, about 200 were expected, with every table
near the musicians booked.
Montgomery said many French
people find it difficult to be in their own culture, especially in cities.
Cashiers at grocery stores only speak English, so it’s nice for people to know
they can speak their own language when they’re at Timothy’s.
“I find a lot of the time,
you’re sitting in a circle of all French people and there’s one English person.
Everyone will start speaking English to accommodate that person.”
Before Francophone Friday,
Montgomery noticed customers with French accents and she wanted to speak French,
but they spoke to her in English. The environment at Timothy’s breaks that wall,
she said.
Montgomery has had summer
jobs where she spoke French, but this time of year she doesn’t have much opportunity
to practice it. Francophone Friday has allowed her to diversify, learning the
dialects of francophones in Charlottetown, including people who are from
France, Quebec and Belgium, she said.
“That gives me an opportunity
to speak, I guess a more standard French.”
It’s not just French people
who visit during Francophone Friday. It has sparked in interest in the overall
community, and many are coming in just out of curiosity, Montgomery said.
“People are coming in around
11 o’clock saying ‘is the seafood ready yet?’ ‘No, not yet, it’s coming.’”
Montgomery has learned many
of Timothy’s regulars speak French, but they didn’t realize she could too.
“So that’s really neat, you
know, just being able to recognize faces as they come in throughout the week
and just have a conversation with them in French.”
Francophone Friday has helped
Montgomery, as an Acadian, celebrate being French in an English community. It
has also been important for the French population in Charlottetown, she said
“It’s like getting a little
taste of home. Especially those who are traveling, who work here from abroad,
just to be able to come in and speak their native language.”
No comments:
Post a Comment