October 31, 2009 6:35 pm

Julia Child's Out of the Kitchen Instructions

I have to admit, I swore I wouldn't see the movie of Julie and Julia. I got about halfway into the book before I abandoned it—the blog to book translation just wasn't meaty enough for me. The movie trailer was too saccharine, and then there was the surreal redesigned paperback edition of Julia Child's My Life in France. "What kind of world do we live in," I railed, "where Meryl Streep playing Julia Child replaces the real Julia Child on the cover of Julia Child's memoir?" And then, one long and lonely weekend, curiosity got the best of me, and I caved. Two glorious hours later, I emerged from the theater thunderstruck that Nora Ephron had known precisely how to crack my cynical shell with the same sweet finesse of a spoon cracking into a crème brulee.

I promptly went home and devoured My Life in France (the old hardcover edition--I'm still sticking to my guns on that one), and I think I now have a little better idea of what, or rather who, would inspire a young woman to commit a year of her life to recreating the challenging, and sometimes frankly unrewarding, recipes first published in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Not only was Julia Child a skilled (not to mention entertaining) chef, she built her life on principles that had nothing to do with cooking.

Julia's Rule #1: Embrace the Oddball—Instead of marrying and settling down after college, as her family hoped she would do, Julia chose a life of discovery, joining the Office of Strategic Services, which posted her to China. When she did marry, it was to a man ten years her senior, with whom she traveled the world. At six-foot-two and determined to succeed, Julia made no excuses for not fitting in. She let her inner oddball be her guide and we're all the luckier for it.

Julia's Rule #2: Friends Come First—The number of friends and close acquaintances who appear in My Life in France is staggering, considering how frequently Paul and Julia Child were forced to relocate, thanks to Paul's job. Julia cultivated and maintained relationships wherever she went--both with potential dinner guests and the butchers and bakers whose craft she was eager to learn.

Julia's Rule #3: Give Credit Where Credit is Due—Many people made Julia's rise to culinary fame possible, and in her memoir, she graciously thanks a number of them. Though she doggedly held those she worked with to the same rigorous standards of excellence to which she held herself, she never forgets their dedication, creativity, and know-how. A classy move.

Julia's Rule #4: Accept Mistakes—That famous chicken Julia supposedly dropped on camera and put back in the pan? It was actually a potato pancake. Okay, so this rule does have to do with cooking, but Julia's on air ability to make light of her mistakes and move on is a skill worth practicing everywhere.

— Written by Lindsey Alexander

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