The Reading Room: My Life In France

I think by now if you don’t know that there is a movie out about the life and times of Julia Child and a woman who recently set about recreating all of Ms Child’s recipes you are living in a vacuum.  Granted, there is much bigger news out there to follow but for some reason I can’t escape reviews or personal gushings about how good the movie is.  I myself haven’t seen it yet…reason being, a tiny personal quirk of mine.  When I read a book that I have enjoyed immensely and it sticks with me, I can never bring myself to go see the movie.  9 times out of 10 I’m disappointed in the screen adaptation.  Ms Child’s book on her life abroad and the circuitous route that lead her to become something of a household name was fascinating.

I remember as a young girl coming home from school in Chicago grabbing an after school snack and settling in to catch the latest installment of her cooking show that was aired on the public television station, WTTW.  Her gravelly voice mesmerized me and I could never quite place her accent but thought for sure she must be from Britain.  The set that was her kitchen was a constant source of wonder as the wall with the double oven (who had a double oven back in the 60′s/70′s) was sort of free standing and I couldn’t wrap my head around a wall just being there. Watching her make mashed potatoes with real potatoes seemed odd to me to as we always used Potato Buds–flaked potatoes that just required some boiling water.  Or cutting up a whole chicken and roasting it–whatever she was doing always seemed foreign to me as that isn’t how we ate at my house.  We ate well, but we weren’t eating French.

I was fortunate enough to visit the Julia Child exhibition that’s going on at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC (map) a few weeks ago.  Her kitchen has been totally recreated and old video of her played throughout. I paused in front of the screen showing a black and white clip of her making garlic mashed potatoes of all things, that craggy voice sucking me in once again.  Several other women were standing around as well and one was trying to explain to a friend from overseas what exactly all the fuss was about.  I overheard her say….”I use to come home from school and sit mesmerized in front of the TV watching her cook”…..

The ties that bind….who knew.

Photo credit:  barnesandnoble.com