I think you'll remember when I visited Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian a few years ago. Well my memories of her kitchen (shown above) all came back to me this week as I attended two church rummage sales.
In Julia's day, there really was no such thing as beautiful kitchen tools. Nothing matched, most items were metal or wood and non-stick spatulas were relatively new. There wasn't anything special about her tools, but they were all she needed to make a delicious meal.
As I saw people sorting through dusty boxes of these humble (yet necessary) kitchen tools, it reminded me that although they aren't the gorgeous pristine pieces from Sur La Table, they'll do the trick.
What was my Julia-worthy find? A metal "sauce and gravy" whisk for twenty-five cents.
Julie & Julia and French pastries on an open air patio. Don't you think that is the perfect birthday evening for me? Last night my dear friends, Phyllis & Helen, brought me along to their book club's movie night.
You just took a cooking class in Paris, they said.
You've seen Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian, they said.
You have a blog, they said.
When I told them that I had read both books that the movie was based on ("My Life In France" and "Julie & Julia"), it was clinched. I was "crashing" their book club on my birthday.
And what fun I had. The movie was darling and made every girl in the theater want to try cooking Boeuf Bourguignon. What struck me the most was that it showcased passion in a way that you never see it in the movies.
Passion for cooking.
Passion for one's spouse.
Passion for a project that no one understands.
Bravo. We ended the evening on an open air patio talking about a book I wanted to write on Paris (And I did! Click the link) and eating cream puff swan. I assure you, nothing could be better than that.
This is Julia Child's actual kitchen...right down to the utensils! It was donated (by Julia) in its entirety to the Smithsonian and is displayed at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. It was wonderful to be able to see it in person. I was happy to hear that Julia (at age 90) was able to visit this exhibit after it was complete - imagine how that must have felt to her...the world would soon be lining up to see where she mastered the art of French cooking. I can think of no finer tribute.
What was my favorite part? Seeing her library of cookbooks on the shelf. She had written "KITCHEN" down the spine of the books she had written, to use as her own reference point at home. Can you imagine having written a series of cookbooks and then keeping a "kitchen" copy for yourself? How cool.
Bon Appetit!
