Bon Apetit!

An American icon, Julia Child, would have been 100 today. She passed away in 2004, but her legacy lives on in the hearts and stomachs of millions. Having grown up watching her on those early show on Public Television, I adored her style, personality and her knowledge of all things French. Her recipes and books were, and are, astounding.

For my summer reading, I just finished her wonderful book, My Life in France. Such a delightful read. Beginning with her marriage to diplomat, Paul Child and there early days in Paris, we learn that Julia Child did not know how to cook or could not speak a word of French. This amazing woman set her mind to becoming fluent in the language. She fell in love the with flavors and aromas and culture of French cooking and we are treated to her tales of these experiences, both positive and negative, from her own perspective. Her words are frank and witty, as she waxes rapturously of her many trials and tribulations and triumphs.

Told against a backdrop of early post-World War II days in Paris, Julia Child paints a picture of life in France from a viewpoint you have not seen before.  The story continues through the years of McCarthyism and other political dramas. We learn of her enduring love for the French way of cooking, her days at the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school, and her desire to bring this lifestyle to the typical American home cook. Her endless patience and perseverance in writing her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a work of astounding effort.

Julia Child led a full life that was interesting, exciting, satisfying, and enviable.  Millions of people world-wide are cooking the French way because Julia cared.

Please read this fabulous book if you have an interest in cooking, French living or have a curiosity to learn about this beloved woman, her marriage and life, her writings, recipes, cooking and opinions on a various range of subjects. I loved this book immensely, and was sad to finish it. What a delight she was.

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