The movie “Julie & Julia” became an instant hit for me when I first saw it in 2009. I ran out to get my copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and began a culinary journey. It didn’t last long. After spending a few hours-long sessions in the kitchen making Coq Au Vin, Daube de Boeuf, and Boeuf Bourguignon, I started scaling it down. Her mayonnaise recipe is delicious, as is the tomato sauce. There have been a few other forays into the world of traditional French cooking, but by and large, it’s not practical for your average home cook.
This brings me to the extraordinary effort the late Julie Powell put into her now-famous experiment of cooking every recipe in that book. In one year. And she had a full-time job. AND then she wrote about it probably on the same day or before she went to work the next day. Even if she skipped a recipe or two, that was some accomplishment.
Hearing the news that she died quite unexpectedly of a heart attack at the young age of 49 was a shock. As a culture, there’s a general assumption that around the mid-70s and beyond is about the time people make their exit. Anything before that seems premature. So much more a person can do!
Conversely, Julia Child survived to 91 years-old when she passed away, a not unexpected event at that time of life, but no less sad. She lived a full life as a passionate gourmand who shared her love of French cooking through books and television and was a seasoned world traveler. From an outsider’s perspective, she lived a life we all want – without compromise.
After reading a bit about Julia Child’s reactions to Julie Powell’s blog, it didn’t appear Mrs. Child believed Ms. Powell’s efforts were genuine because there were no detailed notes of what she learned nor did she appreciate the colorful phrases those of us in a (slightly) younger generation are accustomed to and expect in daily speech. If Julie’s online memoirs are to be believed (and I have no reason not to) she worshipped Julia. Hearing these reactions must have been emotionally crushing for the young blogger, but as all of us must do, in the end, she carried on with her work.
I watched the movie again this Saturday morning for the 50th time (more or less) as a remembrance of two women who were exceptional in their own worlds. With both personalities no longer with us, the Julie & Julia Project that began in post-war Paris in the late 1940s has truly ended.
Nittin' Ninja 