Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Julie, Julia & Audrey

With all the hype about the new sensation Julie & Julia, about a month before the movie came out, I began scouring the internet for anything I could find on Julia Child. My findings not only had me falling in love with this Amazon of a woman, but it had me realizing I wasn't so very different from the great American French Chef herself.

Although I am excellent at what I do, my cooking falls short of Julia’s. Or does it? Now don’t get your knickerbockers in an uproar. I am not saying that I am superior to the great Queen of Cuisine. I do not feel worthy of touching the hem of her signature navy blue skirt. However…the biggest difference between many great chefs and Julia is as she would say “the courage of your convictions”.

My daughter and I, as well as half of Beaverton, went to see the new movie Julie & Julia on opening day. We both found the movie absolutely delightful and, as were all seated in the audience; amongst the sound of grumbling stomachs; ooohs and aaahhhs; and ‘I’m getting hugry’s’, we found ourselves salivating over the visually presented feast.

It was fascinating to watch the famed Julia Child go from gourmand to gourmet. We wept at her tragedies, and laughed at her culinary faux pas. We, as did everyone else in the world, drooled over her gastronomic masterpieces. And we both commiserated with Julie Powell as she lay weeping on the floor after dropping her well stuffed capon on the floor, remembering a turkey dinner or two that met with the same fate.

After deciding the movie was a keeper (meaning it was one that would become a part of my limited video library when available) we both decided Julia Child’s book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ would be a book worth buying. Dream on.

Being the internet addict that I am, I did some research and was blown away to discover that used copies of the book were selling for as much as $125.00. Although I know it happens all the time, it still amazes me to find people taking advantage of the success or tragedy of others, but…I’ll leave those thoughts for another day. For today I will say I did unearth copies of the book that could be ordered for much less than $125.00 however there would be a bit of a wait for its delivery.

So…while waiting for Barnes and Noble to announce our long awaited find has arrived at our local location, I thought I’d check the library. In all of Washington county there are 3 copies and 59 people in line to borrow the in demand book. If I am doing the math correctly at 3 weeks per library loan, my turn on that long awaited list would come up sometime around Christmas, 2011.

I sighed with disappointment of course, and as I continued my web search I found that others who had seen the movie, thought just as my daughter and I. If Julie Powell can do it so can we! We all, even world renowned chefs, want to cook like Julia!

Somewhere in the back of my little pea brain I thought I remembered Julia being huge. Well she was. She was 6 feet 2 inches. But she was also slender and carried her weight well, even with all of that butter and cream! I think it was her odd way of moving and her deep unusual voice that gave us the impression she was different than she truly was.

So where are the similarities between Julia and me?

Julia believed that people have become so fearful of elevated cholesterol levels, and other problems of vigor, that they have become obsessed in eliminating butter, cream and salt, which she considered essential ingredients for good quality cooking. She loved food and wasn't afraid of it. Neither am I.

“People are so fearful of what they eat,” Mrs. Child has said, ''they are no longer enjoying food the way they once did, and the dinner table is becoming a trap rather than a pleasure. We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life.''

''In the old days, there was a great deal of exaggeration with cream and butter,'' Mrs. Child said. ''And it was delicious,'' she quickly added with a hearty laugh. Today, if you know how to cook, it is easy enough to make a sauce and swish using only a tiny bit of butter,'' Mrs. Child said. ''Those new sauces, made out of a puree of vegetables, are pretty boring. I like food to taste the way it should. You should enjoy every mouthful.”

I share those same beliefs as does the whole of France.

Julia’s trite eccentric sense of humor is much like mine, using dancing chickens; sweeping a dropped omelet from the counter back into the pan, instructing us never to apologize for our culinary mistakes; and of course there is her signature ‘when you’re alone in the kitchen, whose to see?’.

Julia was true to herself and if you didn’t like who she was, well…that’s your problem. She had this go get ‘em personality with this larger than life Joie de vivre. It wasn't that she could do no wrong, but rather she made making mistakes seem like fun. In front of a live audience, she once dropped an entire leg of lamb on the floor and chuckled about it. She failed to carve a suckling pig even while using a hack saw; She un-molded her mousse with a splat. The more she erred, the more the viewers loved and trusted her. Thus Julia gave us permission to do what we were already secretly doing…screwing up! I do that all the time! Screw up I mean. I haven't had too much occasion to saw a suckling pig.

Julia also had the courage and conviction, in mid-life, to go to the most famed culinary institute in the world and even though every one scoffed, no matter what hurtles she had to leap over, she honed her craft as no one else could have or has done since. I mean even the great Emeril Lagasse emulates the great Julia.

And that is where our similarities end. You see, everything I ever wanted to know about cooking I learned from Audrey Hepburn. How can you possibly learn about cooking from Audrey Hepburn you ask?

Do you remember the movie Sabrina? Yeah, I know. Who doesn't? Although if you really don’t, you may want to rent it, and if you haven’t seen it, well…I am so sorry you led such a deprived life. It too is a keeper! Now, if you watch it carefully you will discover that there are really only three things you will ever need to know about cooking.

1.) Any idiot can learn to cook
2.) You can make anything from almost nothing at all
3.) Don’t be afraid to experiment

No I am not nuts. Well, maybe I am actually, but not about this.

Take the scene when Sabrina is trying to learn to crack an egg. She’s the only one in the class who can’t seem to get it right. The cracked egg is oozing in between her fingers onto the floor and the chef is looking at her as if there is no hope. HE IS WRONG!

In just a little while we discover that not only is there hope, but you can make anything in the kitchen if you’re not afraid to try. Remember she tries to show off her newly found culinary skills by making something for Bogey out of just tuna and tomato juice. She wasn’t afraid to experiment and she made something out of almost nothing!

I did go to culinary school and dropped out after first term. I couldn’t wrap my head around paying $34,000.00 to learn proper presentation. Of course I never thought that there was anything else I could learn. I was already an excellent cook. In my arrogance, I had forgotten that I did not know how to de-bone a chicken or a fish. I can not make bread, or should I say patience is not in my vocabulary so having to wait for that yeast is like having to wait for the results of a test. Excruciating!

Anyway, here I am a wedding cake aficionado and I failed roses. Even though my wedding cakes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, they are ugly as sin! But I did take Julia’s advice on never apologizing for them and that you can always cover your mistakes. I cover the fact that I suck at confection decorating by matching the brides bouquet. Whatever works!

In any case, as Julia desired with her first cookbook, my hopes are, by the end of this blog you too will be able to cook just about anything. Even if you are an idiot.

Julie & Julia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNpZsL1W1Ho&feature=related

Never apologize. No excuses, no explanations
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi77595161/

Courage of your convictions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeSgtWw7zEo&feature=related

The worlds most beautiful chicken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Xopz0BpTc&NR=1

Meltdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmbUeswpiao&feature=channel

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comments on Julia and your personal journey.

If you haven't gotten your "Mastering the Art of Frenching Cooking" set yet, head over to William Sonoma. The ones in my area still have several sets of the 2-volume 40th anniversary addition for $49.95 (unlike the more recently reissued 1-volume version).