Oh Julia

I am big fan of Julia Child. I have Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 and 2 (Though I have to say they intimidate me a little). I read “My Life In Paris”, her memoir about living in France and Europe with her husband Paul. I grew up watching her on Saturday mornings on PBS, oh how I miss The French Chef. And of course, I’ve read and watched “Julie and Julia”.

August 14th would have been her 99th birthday and over on Leite’s Culinaria a list of quotes were published from an old interview with Julia.

I just had to share some:

• The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile. I think of my strawberry soufflé. I did that at least twenty-eight times before I finally conquered it.
• There is nothing worse than grilled vegetables.
• I’m awfully sorry for people who are taken in by all of today’s dietary mumbo jumbo. They are not getting any enjoyment out of their food. (Something I should remember)
• If you’re in a good profession, it’s hard to get bored, because you’re never finished—there will always be work you haven’t yet done.
• Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know? Oh Julia, thanks for the encouragement.

One of my favorite bits of wisdom from Julia came not from this interview, but from her book “My Life In France”. In the book she talks about not having fear of making mistakes and that one must just get into the kitchen and cook. That message really stuck with me and has helped me get over my fear of failure when it comes to cooking.

Julia has taught me a lot, and will continue to do so. Hopefully soon I can get up the guts to try out some more of her wonderful recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.