Julia Child, 91, RIP

[sisyphusshrugged]

A former codebreaker for the OAS, Julia Child made inventive, sensible and satisfying gourmet food accessible to Americans who had thought it was beyond their reach.

Raise a fork.

"Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food do to the digestive system? ... I, for one, would much rather swoon over a few thin slices of prime beefsteak, or one small serving of chocolate mousse, or a sliver of foie gras than indulge to the full on such nonentities as fat-free gelatin puddings."

"The pleasures of the table - that lovely old-fashioned phrase - depict food as an art form, as a delightful part of civilized life. In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."

Comments

[ebonbird.livejournal.com]

"we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."

Here here.

[joxn.livejournal.com]

She was a former OAS codebreaker? I knew our spirits had more in common than food!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Her voice always left me a tad non-plussed, but the content.

And such a wealth of sensibilty. She once dropped something, and her response was to pick it up, and put it back where it had been.

"What happens in the kitchen, is between you and the kitchen."

Tonight, I suppose, I'll pull the cork on that Grgch Hills Fume Blanc split, cook up a steak, make some tarragon butter and enjoy.

TK

[snuh.livejournal.com]

She had style and great sense of humor.

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal" - I couldn't agree more.

I'll miss her.

Julia Child, 91, RIP

[(Anonymous)]

It wasn't until I got out of school that I learned how to cook, but it was Julia who got me rolling; "Mastering, Vol 1" was the first working cookbook I'd ever purchased, and the first thing I made was a covered roast chicken with tarragon, to be shared with friends. It's now 30 years later, and I still use the techniques I learned from that book - they're rock-solid. Of course, I now have a mile of other books on cooking and food (it's become my hobby of choice), but the BEST thing is that no one ever turns down an invitation to my table, and I know I will never stop enjoying making good food, serving it, and sharing it with the people I care about.
To the degree that Americans take the pleasures of the table more to heart now than they did before Julia (and I would suggest a comparison of what any supermarket stocks now to what it did 40 years ago to underline the change), she made us a more civilized country. As a culture, we seem to distrust sensuality, and are unsure about the virtues of art - all the while fretting about sex and dirty pictures and being fat. Julia put appetite in balance with craft and the integrity that craft requires; there's more to eating than hunger (and more to hunger than satiation).
Bless her.