Why I love Julia Child

There is much more to her than cooking and a funny voice.




I knew nothing of Julia Child while I was growing up. In fact I only learned about her about a year ago. I grew up in a tiny town in Alberta (less then 3,000), my family did not have cable and our parents were not interested in social ions let alone French cuisine. When I was 26 years old I watched a PBS documentary about Julia Child's life. I found her story so amazing an inspiring.

She was born in 1912 and was raised by a wealthy family in New England. She was a grand 6'2" tall and became a writer after she finished school.

She was still single at age 29 when Pearl Harbor was hit. This event inspired her to leave her family and the comfortable life, to join the Navy. Surprisingly she was rejected by the navy for being too tall, so she joined the OSS (Officers of Strategy Services)which she stayed with for years. Ultimately the OSS took her to Sri Lanka, where she met her husband. They didn't get along at first since they were both strong minded, but this similarity/obstacle was no match to their intense connection.

They were married when Julia was 34 years old. They honeymooned and lived the first few years in France. Here her life really took a turn. She fell deeply in love with French cooking.

She started at home trying to learn. She failed and failed over and over (burnt things, things exploded!). She joined a cooking school where her teachers didn't have much hope for her. Through her curiosity and determination she finally started succeeding.

While at her school she met Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, two French women who were writing a french cook book for Americans. She joined their team. They perfected their recipes so that any American person would be able to cook French cuisine. Their book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, ended up being 734 pages long, and rejected twice by the first publisher they went to.

The second publisher took the gamble on the new idea, and came out on top. Mastering the Art of French Cooking became a best seller, and received critical acclaim. The book is still in print today.

Julia went on to create her TV show, where she was the first to utilize a new idea: she had each recipe prepared in advance at the different stages, so there was no need to wait for things to rise or bake, or fry. Also this was a wise choice because Julia still made mistakes. Which is what I LOVE. After over coming so many obstacles and achieving so many dreams she was still Julia. A life loving, honest, approachable person who has a passion that she wants to share with any one!!! I am not a fancy cook, or a fan of French cuisine, but I am a fan of people (especially women) who dare to keep going against obstacles and set backs. Don't get discouraged when things get difficult or seem impossible!!! You can do it!!

watch a portion of the documentary.