Susan Jones - artmajeur.com/susanejonesartI love to cook. From the time I was a child with my first Easy Bake oven to now, new recipes fascinate me. I can read Recipe Books like most people read a popular novel. Is it any wonder I love Julia Child? She was the first Foodie I was aware of...even before the term Foodie.
I always thought of her as a grandmotherly-type. It was only when the movie Julie & Julia released that I even revisited this stereotype. She was never a mother, let alone a grandmother.
And the book "My Life in France" shared an even more intimate look at the woman behind the Master Chef TV Personality. I love that she was a "late bloomer" to some, but really was just determined to follow her own path. And I love that she became a mega-TV personality in 1960 when she was 51, an era when women on TV were to be petite, slim, young, and demure.
In February 2009, I had to work in Washington, DC, and found myself with a few hours before having to make my way to the airport to fly home. A co-worker and I decided to spend some time at the Smithsonian and we were delighted to find an exhibit that replicated Julia Child's kitchen. Rebecca is ten years younger than me, and didn't quite get my fascination and giddyness at this discovery. Maybe it's a generational thing.
A few Christmases ago, I recieved one of my favorite gifts ever, the book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Now on my bucket list is a trip to Paris, to paint and to cook, and to visit the Louvre, and to kiss a perfect stranger at the top of the Eiffel tower! They do that in France, n'est-ce pas?
I raise my glass, from one late bloomer to another, and salute Julia Child. And I may have to break out the cookbook and prepare Sole Meuniere this evening.
