My submission for a chef's catalog contest
I am a geek. As a child, I was picked on daily by classmates and taunted by them to the point of tears most days. As a result, Saturday's were often a bit lonely and I could count on not having anyone to hang out with. Oh wait, except for one person, Julia Child.
I would sit in my kitchen and watched our 12" black and white television and imagine a different world. It was public television after all so that was the whole point. There are very few times can transform our lives. It, on occasion, can truly transport someone to a more beautiful and daring place.
Yes, I said daring. Julia Child dared to challenge the norms of the day and train in arguably the best cooking school in the world. Julia dared ask us to cook food from scratch and abandon the tv dinners we had come to love and rely upon. More importantly, Julia also dared us to make mistakes and pick ourselves up and act as though nothing awful had happened.
For nothing had happened. Life is not about doing everything perfectly. Life is about learning and exploration. That may be the thing that truly changed my life. You could try to make this elegant dinner and it might not be perfect. The point is to try and to recover from any mistakes that are made.
As for exploration, look at how many different shows she created. Think about her later career of working with chefs from around the world and preparing just their specialties not a full meal.
Now I am in my early 40's and I dare to make mistakes in my cooking and in life. It is rarely perfect yet it is always filled with love and joy. My love of cooking and experimenting and doing it with precision has transformed my life from the geeky girl who was tormented, to the confident woman that knows it was only their lack of confidence that made them taunt me.
You see, they did not spend Saturdays inside with Julia Child learning to embrace life and prepare a chocolate mousse. What a great life lesson for a 12 year old girl in Chicago that only wondered what was outside the boundaries or her neighborhood.
Thank you Julia, your willingness to ignore the taunts of others helped me to do the same. Oh and yes, people love it when I offer to cook for them. Revenge is not a dish best served cold, it is best served with popovers braised mushrooms over risotto with a lovely Malbec and a smile.
Yes, I would love to win this contest. The truth is, I already have personally. Thank you for creating this contest so that, at the very least, I could share this story. I have rarely if ever told anyone how Julia Child changed my life. Now, at least the person who reads this will know as well.
I would sit in my kitchen and watched our 12" black and white television and imagine a different world. It was public television after all so that was the whole point. There are very few times can transform our lives. It, on occasion, can truly transport someone to a more beautiful and daring place.
Yes, I said daring. Julia Child dared to challenge the norms of the day and train in arguably the best cooking school in the world. Julia dared ask us to cook food from scratch and abandon the tv dinners we had come to love and rely upon. More importantly, Julia also dared us to make mistakes and pick ourselves up and act as though nothing awful had happened.
For nothing had happened. Life is not about doing everything perfectly. Life is about learning and exploration. That may be the thing that truly changed my life. You could try to make this elegant dinner and it might not be perfect. The point is to try and to recover from any mistakes that are made.
As for exploration, look at how many different shows she created. Think about her later career of working with chefs from around the world and preparing just their specialties not a full meal.
Now I am in my early 40's and I dare to make mistakes in my cooking and in life. It is rarely perfect yet it is always filled with love and joy. My love of cooking and experimenting and doing it with precision has transformed my life from the geeky girl who was tormented, to the confident woman that knows it was only their lack of confidence that made them taunt me.
You see, they did not spend Saturdays inside with Julia Child learning to embrace life and prepare a chocolate mousse. What a great life lesson for a 12 year old girl in Chicago that only wondered what was outside the boundaries or her neighborhood.
Thank you Julia, your willingness to ignore the taunts of others helped me to do the same. Oh and yes, people love it when I offer to cook for them. Revenge is not a dish best served cold, it is best served with popovers braised mushrooms over risotto with a lovely Malbec and a smile.
Yes, I would love to win this contest. The truth is, I already have personally. Thank you for creating this contest so that, at the very least, I could share this story. I have rarely if ever told anyone how Julia Child changed my life. Now, at least the person who reads this will know as well.
posted by Unknown at 12:51 PM
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