Julia Child is a mystery to me. It would probably be more accurate to say that I have read lots about her - and one of her books too - but to be honest, around me nobody knows about her or mentions her. I first heard about her via one of the blogs I read, I am afraid I cannot remember which one at this stage. I think the reason for all this is that she's not as famous in Europe as she is in the USA - at least, that's my guess.
This is probably also the reason why I decided to watch the "Julie and Julia" movie. Boy, am I happy I finally took the final jump and went for it! The movie is no masterpiece, but it was just perfect for the Christmas mood that permeates me every single year. It is funny, interesting if - like me - you don't know much about Julia and her story, and the ultimade feel-good movie to watch in your kitchen while the babies are asleep ; a rare moment of peace, brilliantly led by a great actress, Meryl Streep. I felt so utterly inspired and exhilarated once I finished watching it, that I was literally ready to redesign the entire kitchen and write a recipe book, even though I cannot say that the Julia character is exactly my cup of tea, and that I still cannot fathom why on earth anyone would want to make all the recipes contained in any book, and what's more, with a deadline of 365 days. Argh. I feel brave enough to admit this given that this is the end of the year and "tomorrow" will be another, well, year.
Every so often in the movie, the characters read aloud excerpts of their correspondence with friends and/or family members. I have enjoyed the witty contents of those letters so much that I have decided that this will be my next step in an attempt at grasping more details of the Julia galaxy: the epistolary exchange between the main character and Avis ranks now high on my list of must-read.
Have you read a book about Julia Child? Have you read the book gathering the letters of Julia and Avis? I'd love to know your thoughts and for now, happy cooking to all of you.
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Julia oh Julia! I highly recommend the book of letters between Julia & Avia. Their friendship and exchanges are warm and honest and admirable... there are some wonderful Julia quotes in there too, bien sûr. She's one inspiring lady for sure :)
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
DeleteOk, I get the message, the letters it will be then on my next book order :-) I find it funny to think that the few times they read those in the movie, they totally fascinated me... After all, I always end up with a book in my hands ;-)) Thanks for the advice! One question for you: have you ever used one of her books to cook a recipe? If so, which one? (ok, TWO questions...)
Daydreamer, you may or may not recall that I'm not so courageous in the kitchen! As much as I adore Julia, I find her recipes far too advanced for a lightweight like me... the closest I've gotten is buying her friend, Jacque Pepin's cookbook "Fast Food My Way." The recipes were fairly simple :)
DeleteQuante di noi ha ispirato questo film? :-) Io l'ho visto alcuni mesi prima di aprire il blog, in qualche modo credo mi abbia guidato verso questa direzione...
ReplyDeleteE quando preparo il manzo con il vino ci penso inevitabilmente... :-)
Ma veramente, dai?!!! Si', la scena del manzo bruciato è mitica. Ti diro' che le ricette non mi affascinano più di tanto, almeno credo... Sono molto tradizionali ed è vero che a me piace una cucina un po' più, come dire, pazzerella?!
DeleteHai letto uno dei suoi libri? Tu quale mi consiglieresti? Un abbraccio parigino :-)