Julia, was in her 30's when she decided she wanted to learn to cook. She and her new husband, Paul found themselves living in Paris when Julia took her first cooking class. This unleashed a passion in her that she pursued the rest of her life.
A few years back I found myself in Washington, D.C. with my sister-in-law. We were beyond delight when we found Julia's kitchen in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. It is the very kitchen from her Cambridge, MA home where her TV shows were taped. It is a rather ordinary looking room, but it was built for her, with higher than normal counters to accommodate her height, ovens that will hold 2 large turkeys, and a peg board wall full of copper pans.
To this day I enjoy watching her bake or cook on her Saturday morning PBS show. I find wisdom, entertainment and inspiration every time I watch her or read something she has written.
So, how will I celebrate her life today? I am baking bread and later today I will go cook a great meal with good friends, some halibut in parchment packages, a mix of garden vegetables, some fruit and of course, my bread. I think Julia would approve.
I have always enjoyed and chuckled over quotes by Julia. Here's one of my all time favorites. "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." Oh, boy! Isn't that a choice piece of advice!?! For me, one of those passions is cooking, but there are others for me, too. For Sam, it was golf and the great out doors. What about you?
In celebration of Julia's 100th birthday, I lost myself for a while in some of her great quotes, some of which I know you will enjoy. Here goes . . .
"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." I won't lie, that one made me cry a little bit.
"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate."
Look out! Learning to cook will change your life! Bring it on!
"You learn to cook so that you don't have to be a slave to recipes. You get what's in season and you know what to do with it."
"If you're afraid of butter, use cream." Tehehehe!
"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."
". . . small helpings, no seconds, no snacking and a little bit of everything." Great philosophy for healthy eating if you ask me! Remember, she lived well into her 90's!
"Ye gods! But you're not standing around holding it by the hand all this time. No, the dough takes care of itself. While you cannot speed up the process, you can slow it down at any point by setting the dough in a cooler place. Then continue where you left off, when you are ready to do so. In other words, you are the boss of that dough." Now, imagine that being said in that throaty full Julia Child voice!
And last by not least . . . "Bon Appetit!"
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