Bon Appétit! What I Learned from Julia Child
I just finished watching Julia, the biographical drama on Max (I still call it HBO) about how Julia Child rose to notoriety as pretty much the first ever television cooking star. In 1962, the year that The French Chef first appeared on Boston’s public television station WGBH, I imagine that Chopped, Top Chef and The Food Network seemed well, unimaginable.
I knew a bit about Julia Child before watching this show. I saw the 2009 film Julia and Julie, which chronicled blogger Julie Powell and her self-imposed year long challenge to cook all 524 of the recipes included in Julia Child’s first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I also saw the replica of Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian, and I have watched the SNL skit of Dan Aykroyd playing Julia de-boning a chicken while somehow hilariously slicing his hand wide open. And yes I am speaking Julia Child voice in my head as I write this. I can’t seem to get her voice (and really so many things about her) out of my head and also, my heart.
Since watching the show, and doing a rather deep dive on all things Julia, I have come to admire (quite possibly love!) and also aspire to be more like Julia. I know that these dramatic series do take liberties, but my research department here at Real Life with RLL (headed up by moi) can conclude that the basis of who Julia was and what she did were pretty true to real life.
Like so many women in the second half of the 20th century and the nearly first quarter of the 21st century, I was inspired by Julia to take on French cooking. I’ve made her French omelette, her Coq au Vin and most recently her chocolate soufflé. Julia has given me confidence in the kitchen much like Ina Garten did in 2022 when I cooked my way through several of Ina’s cookbooks for the better part of that year.
I relate to Julia in ways I never expected to. Julia was tall (same!) Her husband, retired diplomat Paul Child, played by David Hyde Pierce AKA Niles Crane, designed her kitchen countertops to suit her tall frame. My grandfather designed high countertops in the house that I grew up in for our tall family. Julia lost her mother young (check) and grew very close to her father while caring for him - me too (or as Julia would say, moi, aussi.)
Julia was a late bloomer. She enrolled at the famous French cooking school Le Cordon Bleu in Paris when she was 37. She published her first cookbook when she was 49 and her television show first aired when she was 51. I wrote my first book when I was 36. I launched a baking show at age 47 and a podcast at 49. Julia liked to work with her friends, and she trusted them implicitly. Julia’s best friend Avis DeVoto, played by Bebe Neuwirth AKA Lilith Sternin-Crane actually crouched down below Julia’s television set kitchen countertops to help her out during the taping of her shows. I may or may not have had friends texting me tips and directions as I interviewed guests on my live baking shows. I also adore working with friends on my podcast and doing book events together.
Here’s the part where I would like to be (and if I may be so forward s’il vous plait) I think perhaps we can all learn to be more like Julia. Julia Child saw the best in everyone. Even when her cookbook co-writer Simone Beck (Julia called her Simca) played by Isabella Rossellini AKA Isabella Rossellini became jealous of Julia’s television success, Julia gave Simca the benefit of the doubt. She propped Simca up even more, appreciating all that she was and meant to her.
Julia asked for what she wanted, firmly and directly. She was a buster, and I use that word as a term of endearment. She negotiated and advocated for herself in the 1960s male dominated WGBH workplace. I think so many of us, particular le femmes, need to do this, demandér what we want, negotiate the bigger, better deal. We must not be scared of what the answer may be, and also as I learned in a negotiations class in business school, not be scared to walk away. Can you tell I am giving myself a pep talk here? In my head. In Julia’s voice, and also un peu in French.
Julia was a woman ahead of her own time. She marched to the beat of her own drum, carved out her own path…. really feel free to insert any like catch phrase here. I’m still shaken a bit by Julia’s run in with Betty Friedan which was covered in the show. It’s unclear whether the two women met in real life, but let’s go with they did. Betty told Julia she was doing a disservice to women — that her cookbook and television show kept women in the kitchen where the men of the 1960s thought they belonged. Betty told Julia she “was not helping things” implying that Julia was doing wrong by the feminist movement. If I may quote another woman who I admire , and BTW also consider to be a feminist, Cher Horowitz from Clueless……AS IF!!
Julia was a feminist in every sense of the word. Yes she helped women become better cooks in their kitchens, but not in the way Betty implied. Julia gave women confidence to be creative, to go way beyond the Swanson frozen dinners of that era. She led by example showing women that they could have careers — write books, create and host shows, develop iconic brands and more. Julia asked for and fought for what she believed in. She also fought against McCarthyism and supported Planned Parenthood, so there’s that.
I do not mean to speak ill of Betty Friedan because reading The Feminine Mystique during my senior year in college in a class I took called Literature of the 1950s was a game changer for me. I still have the nearly 30 year old copy of the book dog-eared and marked up as well as the paper I wrote on the book. I will read it every now and then as a I measure of who I have become and still hope to be. So thank you for that Betty and also Julia.
Julia ended each of her shows in her television studio dining room with her signature Julia pitched “Bon Appétit.” I recently learned that a true Parisian cook would never utter those words, and guess what? Julia was not a true Parisian cook. She knew it. She owned it and she ran with it.
I will miss you Julia. I am feeling something I learned about also in a college English class. This one was on noted American Southern writers. When reading William Faulkner, I first came across the concept of the loss of a loss in that one of his characters grew to miss a relationship he never had with a parent. Is it too much of a stretch to say here that I am now missing the loss of not being around for Julia’s era? Of never having the joy of watching each episode of The French Chef from week to week on TV wondering what Julia would do?
I somehow feel that Julia is with me as I wipe my hands on a kitchen dish towel tucked into my jeans (Julia tucked hers into her skirt) as I make the recipe du jour feeling more confident in my cooking skills and really in all my skills, having hope and excitement for what is next to come.
Bon Appétit! Oh and please upgrade to a paid subscription for exclusive recipes and more coming soon. I had to ask here. Julia so would have. Also please share this newlsetter with others!
Professional fundraiser and author Sami Greenfield is a human joy burst! What exactly is that? Listen to this episode of Life’s Accessories and you will find out. We covered Bermuda bags, pompom socks and Sami’s accessory of choice, a cufflink turned into a necklace. I am all about converting treasured pieces into items you will wear - pins into necklaces, a key into a charm and more. Let me know what you think after you listen. What are your joy bursts? I can think of a few.
Freelance writer and writing teacher (head of Zibby Classes and the Zibby Writing Community) Darcey Gohring brought along her birks, as in her birkenstocks, as in the comfort and might I say fashion sandal of choice these days here at Life’s Accessories HQ. Darcey shared with us her story about being diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown and how writing about that for Newsweek helped her to heal. Darcey is a gifted writer and an amazing writing teacher. Listen to this episode right here.
You know I share your love of the show, but I appreciate it even more now with your personal connection-- so many of them!! Loved your take.