During the last month while away from my computer, my book club met for the second time! We had 4 members this round and I'm so happy with how it went.
We chose to read My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme in order to celebrate what would have been Julia's 100th birthday in August!
August 2012 Book Club: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme
Here is the Amazon description: In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years
in France, where she fell in love with French food and found ‘her true
calling.’
From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.
After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.
Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
Le voici. Et bon appétit!
From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.
After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.
Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
Le voici. Et bon appétit!
As far as I recall, everyone enjoyed the book. It was fun being able to picture scenes from the movie Julie & Julia as we read. That's what most of the book was - stories that Julia Child remembered and were written down, mostly chronological. It was like you were old friends just sitting around sharing stories... except she was doing all the talking! One of my favourite themes expressed throughout the book was love. Julia had so much love for her husband, friends, and food. Those are three things I can relate to and hope to become as passionate of a woman as her.
If we were going to celebrate Julia Child there needed to be French food! Since I was limited on time, I arranged a tray of French cheeses: brie, comté, and chèvre. My coworker, V, made Julia's infamous boeuf bourguignon and potatoes which was incredible! KM brought French wine and salad.
For dessert, I picked up some beautiful macaroons from 'lette. They were beautiful and delicious! The winners were sweet wedding almond and passion fruit.
Our next meeting is in a few weeks and I'm really enjoying this month's read! There won't be much food but probably some good wine and company!
"Find something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." ~ Julia Child
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