Julie and Julia

I finally remembered another one of the books I'd read last month but didn't blog about yet.

Have you seen this movie? Julie and Julia? With Meryl Streep and Amy Adams? I really liked the movie. I don't usually see a movie before reading the book, but in this case, it was OK to see the movie first. The movie, if you have seen you will recall, shows how Julia Child really became the Julia Child known to the public, the French chef with her own cooking show. The book, nope, not so much. The book focuses a lot more on Julie, with occasional quips about Julia.

The author, Julie isn't shy admitting the fact that she has a sailor mouth. And she wasn't lyin' folks. I think I just got used to it. I started reading over it. After a while, I didn't pay attention to all the swearing. I can tell you that had anyone told me about the Julie and Julia blog, I would not have been a follower. Talk about a sailor mouth! (Maybe that is the reason Julia Child didn't like what Julie's blog.) Fortunately for me the book is cleaner than the blog. But if you struggle with language, stick to the movie.

I loved the book. I loved reading about Julie's struggle to accomplish the challenge to cook 524 recipes in 365 days. I don't think, however, that I will ever love to cook French food. Oh goodness. One word for you: aspic. Rest assure, should I invite you over for dinner, I will never, ever prepare aspic. Do the French really eat aspic? Ick! Ick! Ick! Also, there is a lot of alcohol used in the preparation of French food, an ingredient just not found in my food storage. Read the book and you will know what I'm talking about. Or read Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and you'll know what I'm talking about. Some of the recipes do sound fabulous though, I'd like to try them. And I liked learning that Julia, like me, didn't mind preparing dishes that take a lot of preparation and time, and like me, she was an ingredient snob.

I loved the book. I'm envious of the accomplishment she did achieve. I would love to prepare all the recipes in one cook book. I have so many cook books, I'm not sure which one I would start with. But it's just me, and I live on a budget, so I'll continue trying a new recipe every few weeks.

Bon Appetit!