TDG: The eGullet Interview: Julia Child

[EdS]

Although I have to admit her writing style is somewhat sophomoric for someone who just hit 30. But then again, so is mine, and I'm  34, and well, so is Bourdain's, who is older than dirt. 

Well, Bourdain is cool. He worked in a kitchen with pirates. And eGullet is cool and you're the founder so that makes you cool too. You're both allowed to be immature.

Maybe that blog just seems forced and tries too hard to be clever, you know?

Or maybe it's that she's messing with Julia Child. That's like setting fire to an American flag or something. I remember watching The French Chef as early as 7 or so (I'm 35 now) and wishing that my mom would stop making hockey puck hamburger patties with mac & cheese out of a box and instead do some of that "fancy" stuff.

Julie, if you want to go mess with someone, go dis' on someone who has it coming like Nutella Lawson or that guy mentioned earlier with that mortar/prop thing and the scooter.

[PopsicleToze]

Julie is 39? Nah. More like 29 or younger. She describes herself as

"Too old for theatre, too young for children"

EDIT: According to This Miami Herald article she was 29 in January. So she's 30, tops.

No, I meant I was 39 and was put off a bit by her writing style at first, so I can only imagine what Julia Child might have thought at 91 and from a different era.

[Mayhaw Man]

I have been involved with a couple of pm's involving my original post above and my subsequent spanking. I made a point in one of them I think that I should make publicly, lest you all think I am blind as a bat.

I started out reading the Julie/ Julia blog because a friend of mine at the NYT sent me an email about it, knowing that a) I love Mastering French Cooking b) I like someone who uses the f word and laughs at herself and is doing someting fun in public.

I think that the project originally started out as a send up/publicity stunt. I think that the perpetrator of this stunt was a government drone who could not get anybody to read her otherwise boring writing. I think the project became, in a very short period of time, something more. The tone and context of the writing changes dramatically around the first of the year and at that point Julie is way into the method and style used by Julia. Julie constantly questions why Julia does certain things the way she does and by the end of the blog there is a clear tone of admiration for a woman who wrote a great book and led an interesting and vital life in the public forum. I think that if Julie was setting out to make fun of Julia, she failed and she failed because there is too much to admire in her life's work. She is certainly easy to spoof. She is 6 feet all, gangly, and has a very unusual voice. But the spoofing pretty much ends there. Julia Child also taught half of us- directly or indirectly -how to make bechamel and mornay and coq au vin and ad infinitum and she is a very hip woman.

[tan319]

We need to stand up and cheer Matthew for totally coming through on one of the hardest tasks ever put before a DG contributor. Every interview I've ever read until now with Julia sounded absolutely identical. But Matthew managed to squeeze blood from a rock, or whatever analogy actually works in this circumstance. Good show. As hidebound as Julia seems, this article actually explores that instead of glossing it over.

A good read though.

Thank you!

I agree with you on the interview as far as getting Julia to... kind of get into the nitty gritty.

I do have to say that the tone of Mamsters views were kind of weird though. The story sometimes seemed kind of shitty, for lack of a better word (sorry 'bout that.)

Being the son of a Bostonian (maybe that's why I used to love faking being sick and staying home from school to watch 'The French Chef', a big stack of toast to accompany viewing being mandatory) , reading her opinions of everything from Julie to Italian cuisine seemed like listening to Mom. For better or worse.

Ditto her not wanting to write another memoir (did she get annoyed that the first one didn't seem to exist to Mamster? Or did I miss something?)

I guess I feel that she kind of deserves a lot of respect, no matter how stubborn she can be.

No matter how much cuisine changes, it all does come back to the French, especially technique.

[mamster]

As far as I know, Julia Child hasn't written a memoir. Simone Beck wrote a cookbook/memoir called Food and Friends. Is there a Julia Child memoir that somehow dropped completely off the radar?

I think Jason has it right: the JJP is like one of those teen movies where the guy pretends to fall in love with the girl and by the end has actually fallen in love with the girl, but the girl thinks he's still pretending and spurns him, only to later forgive him as a Kenny Loggins song swells in the background. I guess we haven't gotten to the Kenny Loggins part yet, and maybe that is just as well, because I'm a little scared of Kenny Loggins.

This is how it's going to go with me and Sara Moulton, also.

-Dr. Shitty

[EdS]

Speaking of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, here's something that might be interesting. I have two copies from the 60's. One is a first edition. The authors on the spine are listed as Beck, Bertholle, Child, in that order. On the late 60's copy, which appears otherwise identical to me, they are listed instead as Child, Bertholle, Beck. I wonder how Bertholle and Beck felt about that. Is there any Lennon/McCartney, McCartney/Lennon type dirt on this?

EDIT: Added smilie

Edited December 2, 2003 by esvoboda (log)

[jhlurie]

I guess I feel that she kind of deserves a lot of respect, no matter how stubborn she can be.

I don't think Matthew disrespected her. I think he just went in with the attitude of someone who doesn't come from her tradition--who had neither an axe to grind, nor held her up as sacred. You have to expect that she gets two extremes from people who talk to her--outright worship and outright criticism. Matthew came from neither of those directions.

That said, I doubt anyone at her publisher/PR agency will be very upset by what the article says. Julia seems unapologetic, possibly rightfully so, about her views. She said 'em, and I think it is presented clearly, as are Matthew's own views.

[ExtraMSG]

I think Jason has it right: the JJP is like one of those teen movies where the guy pretends to fall in love with the girl and by the end has actually fallen in love with the girl, but the girl thinks he's still pretending and spurns him, only to later forgive him as a Kenny Loggins song swells in the background. I guess we haven't gotten to the Kenny Loggins part yet, and maybe that is just as well, because I'm a little scared of Kenny Loggins.

Everybody cut, everybody cut...

Everybody cut, everybody cut...

Everybody cut, everybody cut...

Everybody cut poulet!

Just doesn't have the same feel. Maybe something by Chicago. Or Simple Minds and Echo & The Bunnymen for the disaffected cooks among us.

[tan319]

You/re right.

I meant the bio. Do you think Julia feels that covers all we need to know?

RE: Sara Moulton

Are you going to interview her?

If so, can we have pix?

[mamster]

My recollection is that JC did not think highly of the Fitch bio, and may even have claimed not to have read it, but I'm not positive about that.

[timothycdavis]

I thought the tone was perfect. People don't often give the most honest answers when they are either coddled or scorned. I thought it good 'ol grade A journalism.

All except for that shrunken head part. I love b-sprouts (and butter) as much as the next guy, but that was insane.

[Toliver]

A wonderful article.

And Mamster survived the Julia-Test...if she's bored with an interview, she turns it around and starts asking the interviewer questions (see Larry King).

Well done, Mamster!

[Priscilla]

Mamster, an admirable interview. We saw a bit of JC we haven't before, even after all these years, and that's right down to you.

I am pleased to see her presented evenhandedly -- I never like the usual uncritical, if not fawning, exaltation. Those who have read even some of the aforementioned thousands of interviews with her over the years have seen that she has been, (and, as we see, remains), no shrinking violet when it comes to criticizing others, professional or amateur. I can recall gratuitous rips on American home cooks that would curl a person's hair, for instance, turned up in researching a paper years ago.

With aging (admirably well; a model for us all, really), and remaining adamantly vital in her field, JC has, as the elder stateswoman she is, earned the right to be somewhat above criticism. Course that's what they said about Mother Teresa, and then Christopher Hitchens begged to disagree.

It was disappointing, while edifying, to read the dismissive comment on Italian cookery. The devil on my shoulder would love to hear Marcella Hazan's response.

[mongo_jones]

a very interesting interview. i remember reading another "catching up with julia" thingy in the l.a times food section not that long ago: in it she said she thought the two greatest cuisines (or at least the ones that interested her the most) were french and sichuan chinese. here she seems to be all-french.

[Rachel Perlow]

I guess I feel that she kind of deserves a lot of respect, no matter how stubborn she can be.

I don't think Matthew disrespected her. I think he just went in with the attitude of someone who doesn't come from her tradition--who had neither an axe to grind, nor held her up as sacred. You have to expect that she gets two extremes from people who talk to her--outright worship and outright criticism. Matthew came from neither of those directions.

That's exactly why we picked Matthew to do the interview. Great job, Matt!

[mamster]

Chinese food came up briefly in the interview, and she said basically that she loves it but doesn't think it translates as well into the American kitchen as French does. I suppose I agree with that.

She did start asking me questions at one point.

[mongo_jones]

Chinese food came up briefly in the interview, and she said basically that she loves it but doesn't think it translates as well into the American kitchen as French does. I suppose I agree with that.

well, i suppose that depends on how we define the "american" kitchen. probably a lot different than when her big book was published--both in terms of who is american and what's in their kitchen.

christ, i wish i could convince my doctors that eating like her would lead to my living till the age of 91. ah my clogged up arteries...

[EdS]

It was disappointing, while edifying, to read the dismissive comment on Italian cookery.  The devil on my shoulder would love to hear Marcella Hazan's response.

There's a fair amount of overlap between French and Italian-style cuisine as you get to southern France. I wonder how Julia feels about Provençal cuisine with its tendency to move away from butter and cream and more towards olive oil and more simply prepared, very fresh ingredients. I've always viewed Alice Waters as being just as influenced by Provençal as Italian. French vs. Italian isn't exactly black and white.

It'd be really cool if we could get her to do a Q&A here. We can even promise her that we won't use the F-word.

Edited December 3, 2003 by esvoboda (log)

[jwagnerdsm]

Very nice job.

[Andy Lynes]

A good read, but I'm disappointed that you ducked out of the lobster experiement and that you didn't like the sprouts. How can any cheesey vegetable gratin be bad?

[docsconz]

Chinese food came up briefly in the interview, and she said basically that she loves it but doesn't think it translates as well into the American kitchen as French does. I suppose I agree with that.

well, i suppose that depends on how we define the "american" kitchen. probably a lot different than when her big book was published--both in terms of who is american and what's in their kitchen.

You are most certainly correct that the availability of a variety of ingredients is much gretaer in this country today than ever before due to a number of factors. The increased availability of all ingredients is certainly enhanced by a greater ability to convey quality ingredients around the world in a more timely and relatively economical way as well as the increased demand from both ethnic consumers and those of different ethnicities with broadening palates.

Even with this, however, the supply of less traditionally mainstream ingredients really only remains high quality and economical (for most consumers) in major urban areas. While the internet has done wonders for the availability of a lot of food products, good, fresh produce remains one of the more elusive acquisitions. So while the situation is improving, it remains difficult to bring currently non-mainstream dishes into mainstream kitchens for most Americans. I find things to be somewhat better for us rural Americans in the summer, when I can work with area farmers to grow more unusual items that they can sell at farmer's markets. I have one farmer locally who has promised to grow shiso for me next summer. This is something I have never seen in any local markets.

I guess that Julia's response is somewhat dated, and getting moreso with each passing year, but it is still not really off the mark for most American kitchens based upon what is generally available as well as the underlying cooking techniques that are most familiar. While a growing number of Americans are gaining experience with a variety of cooking techniques from around the world, most Americans who cook are probably still most familiar with western European based techniques (I'm not talking high-end French technique) such as grilling, roasting, baking, frying, boiling, braising and sauteeing using most of the ingredients used by Ms. Child.

[ExtraMSG]

It's interesting that she like Jamie Oliver, because in many ways he's the poster child for the simple, ingredient-focused cooking she seems to find second-rate.

There's a lot of importance placed on sources. Everything's always roughly chopped . The dishes usually only have a few ingredients. Everything is only quickly cooked and tossed together. It'd fit in in most rustic New American kitchens, I would think.

Edited December 6, 2003 by ExtraMSG (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Bringing this back to the foreground with today's news of her passing.

[JLN67]

Oh dear. May she rest in peace.

[patticky]

I go back to "Mastering" when I become lazy in my cooking and start taking too many short cuts. Aside from my immediate family, Julia was the greatest influence on my cooking style. Like so many others, I will truly miss her.