Francophone countries’ food is talk of town

Dancers from the Ivory Coast-based Troupe de Blaise perform Friday. By Julien Allegrini

The French language received top billing at the International Day of Francophonie celebration in Seoul last Friday, but it seemed the food of French-speaking countries was the talk of the town ― at least as the event began.
“I heard there would be French food and performances,” said Park Jun-han, 18, during the event at KT Art Hall in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. A freshman in the French language department at Seoul National University, Park decided to attend with classmates on invitation of his professor, Shin Eun-yeong. So how was the food?
“There wasn’t any,” Park said. Sure enough, less than a half hour into the event, the crowd had depleted the food tables, which earlier were heaped with dishes such as cous cous from Lebanon, Swiss chocolates and French wine. But all was not for naught for Park, or the 300 other guests.
The event included a full program of cultural performances, which kicked off with the panpipe stylings of Romania’s Oana Lianu.
In the buzzing audience was Constantin Soare, the charge d’affaires of the Romanian Embassy in Seoul. “The language, culture and history provide our connection to France,” Soare, 62, said. He explained that Romania is a member of the Organisation Interationale de la Francophonie, which began the International Day of Francophonie in 1998. He paused to listen to Lianu’s chirpy music before adding, “We brought some Romanian wine. You should try it.”
After the music, a petite Korean schoolgirl, Kim Min-kyung, took the stage. As if spellbound, she began an impassioned recitation of a French poem, “Le Lac” by Alphonse de Lamartine. Although she blushed and covered her face once offstage, Kim, 19, seemed proud of her flawless pronunciation. “I wasn’t nervous,” she said, despite having studied French only two years. “I just had a short time slot.”
Responsible for setting the program and drawing the crowd was staff from the French Embassy. “We contacted the other embassies of French-speaking countries in Seoul, such as the Congo, Morocco and Laos,” explained Julien Allegrini, French communication officer. “Then we asked them to recommend artists who were most valuable to perform.”
Among the performers was Troupe de Blaise, a dance group from Ivory Coast. The troupe’s short, frenetic dances punctuated the day’s following acts ― in between, of course, the caterers’ replenishment of the food tables.

By Hannah Bae Contributing Writer [hannahbae@gmail.com]