Julia Child

A stomach virus has made for a really interesting last four days, including a trip to the ER at a teaching university (translation: every test known to man was performed, and I got more diagnoses than I bargained for), and feeling like a drug-seeking criminal when the prescription didn't "make it to the pharmacy". Needless to say I'm working on keeping liquids down, and hope to achieve this by tomorrow.

Besides that I've had a bit more time than usual to read (distract myself from my organs groaning, and the fact that I cannot sleep.) Since you all know I just recently acquired the Kindle, I'd like to also tell you that it was very difficult trying to decide what I wanted the first book I was going to read on it to be. I wanted to try out a book I knew I'd enjoy, since I wasn't sure about this e-reader business.

I went with "My Life in France" by Alex Prud'Homme and Julia Child. Can I just say that this book is so fun to read? It not only makes me want to be a chef, but it makes me want to up and move to Paris... tomorrow after I get to solid foods. It's rather ironic that I was reading all the scruptious descriptions of cake making as I sat with my bucket and iv, sipping on contrast fluid for my cat scan, but still I sat there with a smile on my face.

I highly recommend the book, and even though I haven't finished it yet, I wanted to copy my favorite passage:

When she was talking about a horrible meal she had made in the beginning of when she was just learning how to cook she noted:

I made sure not to apologize for it. This was a rule of mine. I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excused and explanations over the food you make. When one's hostess starts in with self-deprecations such as "Oh I don't really know how to cook...," or "Poor little me...," or "This may taste awful...," it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not.

Well said! Julia is so positive and brave, it's quite wonderful. Her passion and love affair with food and figuring out how to make it accessible to anyone at home was really heroic. That combined with the image I have fresh in my mind of Meryl Streep's performance in Julie and Julia (although I have to admit I didn't care for the movie besides MS & Julia's story) makes it as if I could imagine her saying it.

Cheers to Julia!