I started to read Julie and Julia a month or so ago and got about halfway through it. By then I realized I really didn't like Julie Powell and only wanted to read about Julia Child. Since her part of Julie and Julia came from the book My Life In France , I ditched one book for the other.
I am now about halfway through My Life In France and am beginning to realize what I was enjoying so much about Julia Child: the sense of wonder, her self depreciation (but not giving up the idea that she could do it), and the quest.
Sense of wonder: she wants to see it all and experience it all. Even when things are not as good as they could be, you get the idea that she is enjoying the experience and looking for what is next.
Her self depreciation: she was raised in an upper middle class home and went to Smith. But she doesn't come off as someone who was constantly telling those around her how wonderful she was. Instead, you get the idea that she was really interested in those around her. Her size (a good 6 or more inches taller than those women around her) could have led her to come off as a bully, but you begin to understand why she was so successful.
The quest: she wanted something more than what she had (being a housewife in a foreign city) so she systematically set out to be better: learning French, learning to cook, learning to share what she had learned.
And you got the feeling that Julie Powell was looking for shortcuts to all of this.
I want to see the movie (for Meryl Streep) so I am waiting for it to come out on DVD so I can skip parts. Something tells me I won't like Julie Powell in the movie either.
Thought to cogitate: Julia Child would have done the same things (learned French, attended the Cordon Bleu, written the cookbook) even if the cookbook had not been successful. I am trying to find the place in my life that is missing (the thing I need to do to make my life fuller) and I wonder if my problem with Julie Powell is that the thing she filled her life with wasn't her quest but someone else's.
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4 comments:
"I am trying to find the place in my life that is missing."
When one goes on a quest to find what is missing in one's life, there will be many detractors: "O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God" (Psalm 3:1-2, RSV).
Don't listen to the detractors. Persist. You will find what's missing.
Thanks. One of the detractors is clutter. Long story but the stuff has taken over. I am trying, no working to clear it out (this year with a plan) so that I can think again.
Julie Powell was an opportunist who had less of a desire to know great cuisine than to know fame. I tried reading the book and couldn't get past the heavy layers of narcissism.
Julia Child loved food with a passion that few people ever pursue. Her story was inspiring.
I agree with everything the other commenters have written.
From what you have written on this blog, I believe you will find what you are looking for in the students you teach every day. And, that is your quest, no one elses.
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