Julia Child--In Memoriam

[Ovenfrenzy]

Her coq au vin recipe is one of the most luscious I've ever made. I use her "Baking With Julia" all the time. Grew up watching her enjoy cooking and wine and life on TV. Also wished she would live forever- but in a way she will, through her recipes and the legacy of her rich life.

[lala]

I had just read it on the web and burst into tears, scaring the IT guy standing next to me. As he looked at me, not comprehending, all I could blurt out was "She's my Hero".

I watched her instead of cartoons on Saturday morning, scribbling everything down as fast as I could. I adored her knowledge, verve and humor, and tortured my family with my renditions of her recipes. She made it all seem so possible, and inspired me to go to the CIA at a time when women chefs were a rarity.

It was so nice to know she was in the world, and I'm so sorry she's gone. But her inspiration changed the American food scene forever, so she will live on.

no..... may be more appropriate

[Gifted Gourmet]

NY Times Obit

Julia Child is survived by a sister, Dorothy Cousins, of Mill Valley, Calif., and several nieces and nephews

and by us, "her children" here at eGullet ...

Interesting how we all joined together on this sad occasion to share our memories together as a family ... a community, not so much of mourners, but celebrants of a life well lived.

[peppyre]

I don't know what to say. I am deeply saddened by this. Like most, I thought she would live forever.

May she have peace in the Great Kitchen in the Sky.

[Singapore]

[SeaGal]

She had a huge influence on my cooking and love of food. It feels like losing a friend, even though I never met her. She lived an amazing life and what a legacy she's left behind. On to bigger and more amazing horizons.

We'll miss you terribly.

Bon Appetit, Julia!

[mpav]

She changed the ways America thinks about food, and that's not a bad legacy.

[pjs]

I'm crying and smiling at the same time.

Godspeed, Julia.

[Peter B Wolf]

La Grand Dame , A Lady with Character !

As somone once said :

" Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are,

while your reputation is merely what others think you are. "

[tanabutler]

In honor of what would have been her birthday, how about preparing an "All Julia" dinner for family and friends?

SB (with lots of butter!)

What a great idea, and what a great woman.

I'll be in a seaside cave up the coast, with about 70 people, having dinner (the contents of which I will have no control over). But I'll raise a toast to Julia Child.

[FistFullaRoux]

My favorite bit of information learned from her was something she shared with Larry King last year. "Even a hospital can't mess up a baked potato." She was so right. There's always something good to eat everywhere.

Her television apperances with Emeril, Jacques, and even on the PBS kid's programming always made me smile. Her earlier series left me in awe. I wonder if Larry King will re-show his interview? He usually does after something like this.

[oystergal]

I already hugely admired Julia Child, but in reading more and more about her today I can honestly say I admire and respect her even more.

A few favorite snippets I picked up today:

"One year she and her husband sent out Valentine's cards with a photograph of them together in the bathtub in Paris."

"She once demonstrated how to break off a part on a Cuisinart to make it less cumbersome to use even as the manufacturer's representatives sat in the audience. And she was known to sue to prevent a restaurant from advertising that it was one of her favorites."

"Although she came late to the table, never even attempting to cook before she married at 34, Mrs. Child had no hesitation at adopting the French way of eating, in the case of a pig, every part but the squeal."

How can you not love a woman like that? A rare bird indeed.

[lamb]

I'm glad I am reading this in my office, with my monitor pointed away from my door. My staff thinks I'm nuts to beging with, I really don't want to explain that I'm crying over Julia Child.

I am not a very adventurous cook, and her recipies were easy for me to follow. She never appeared condescending, and she was truly a great lady.

I am also thinking of the Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Ackroyd playing her.

Makes me smile.

[TPO]

I just heard the news, and knew I could come here and find plenty of comforting words and memories from this community.

The world was a better place for having had her in it for nearly 92 years. I am grateful that was appreciated while she was with us, and that the appreciation will continue.

[Mabelline]

Jeez, I only found out while leaving the Oncology Office. What a grand lady, a great and witty woman, and the bedrock of bringing American Cooking out of the 60's preoccupation with convenience. And just to add to her credits, a real babe in her day! Though we are sad, we rejoice that your voyage is complete.

[Julia'sChild]

I'm just heartbroken. Part of me thought she'd live forever.

Well part of her is living forever, Right here. And while I am crying I am also thinking how wonderful and full a life to have given so much to so many. To have made that kind of impact.

I am also glad to be able to share my feelings here with my friends at egullet.

I hope that we can all take the time to enjoy good food and wine, made with love, care and respect, with our family and friends--- Just like Julia taught us.

I for one will be making a meal to celebrate Julia's wonderful life. Maybe a new thread with pictures, if others do the same.

[Fresser]

I used to watch Julia Child when I was a teenager and could only cook toast. All the cooking shows out now owe Julia a huge debt.

When I heard this news, my first thought was of Dan Aykroyd dressed as Julia, blurting "Save the liver! Save the liver! It will make a nice pate!" Anyone who was spoofed on SNL in the '70's truly is an icon.

[Keith Talent]

Current Yahoo headline, and as good a nine word obit as you'll ever see; Late Cooking Diva Julia Child Loved Red Meat, Gin

[peppyre]

Julia Child Speaks Her Mind.

Some classic quotes.

[andiesenji]

I went out early this morning to get some shopping finished before the heat became too much and on my way home, I had just pulled off the freeway and was driving down my road and the news came on with that as the lead story.

I got a big lump in my throat and had to pull off the road because I couldn't see for the tears.

She did have a very long and extremely productive life and I think that she did exactly what she wanted to do. She had no regrets but was never tooting her own horn about how much she had done. She didn't need to, others did it, and rightly so.

Back in the days when The French Chef first was shown, most people were content with cooking as their mother's had before them, rarely going out on a limb and trying something new. Garlic was anathema and the only people who cooked with olive oil were "those foreigners" (as I heard someone say about a third-generation Italian family). It was before the days of the cholesterol scare but many people used margarine as it was touted as being good and also cheaper.

Those old shows, in black and white, inspired me to learn more about cooking in general. I had been a baker for some time but there is a world of difference between baking and cooking. Baking must be precise but cooking allows for intuition and innovation. She taught this and so much more, particularly about being relaxed when something unforseen happens - as when a chicken fell on the floor and she grabbed it up and said it can happen to anyone, washed and wiped it and went on with the demonstration.

I was in San Antonio, perhaps ten years ago, for a string of dog shows with a couple of free days between. A friend mentioned that he had a couple of passes to a taping of a show with Julia Child and Graham Kerr and would I like to go?

Silly question.

Of course I went and afterward ordered a print of the tape and the slip jacket was signed by Julia and Graham.

It was simple serendipity, me being in the right place at the right time.

It is one of my treasured moments.

She touched uncountable lives and I know that there are many, many chefs and others in the world of food, that are what they are because of Julia. She had a rare talent for inspiring people to do better than they ever thought they could.

She will be missed, on an astronomical scale.

Edited August 13, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Shannon_Elise]

She will live on forever. She taught us not only how to eat well, but to enjoy the process.

Shannon

[daniellewiley]

I always think of Julia around her birthday. She is just one day younger than my Grandma Ana, who will be 92 tomorrow. I can't believe that this has happened at this time of the year. Both Julia and Grandma Ana are (I can't use past tense yet) strong women who love food, love sharing their opinions and love telling others what's right. I will start planning my honorary dinner tonight, and will join you all on Sunday (and all weekend) as we raise a toast to Julia.

[wnissen]

May she rest in peace. We love you, Julia.

[JLN67]

She will be sorely missed. I loved watching her show on PBS, Baking with Julia. The show inspired me to go to pastry school.

[ruthcooks]

Julia Child appeared in my life about the same time as my first child, and both brought dramatic new realizations and changes in the way I lived. Within a few years, I was giving French cooking lessons myself, and was flattered when a student commented that I reminded her of Julia--about the time a cucumber went flying across the room, and I went on without fluster.

In her later years, it amused me to watch her appear on PBS fundraising shows where other cooks prepared food to be showcased by Julia and her co-host. While the co-host went on about phone numbers and pledge giving, Julia--you go, girl!--was scarfing up the food.

Many of us, like Julia, are lucky to be able to say, "I don't have any guilt," when it comes to good food and good living. No matter what the food police would have us believe, we will always have Julia the beacon, standing as a testament to long life from a diet of butter and cream, red meat and spirits.

Well done, good and faithful friend. We shall miss you.