Being a super fanatic is hard. So many people have asked me if I'd seen the movie yet. Finally saw it tonight with m'pals. It was delightful... even the Julie parts. If I can be a little nitpicky... neither Streep nor Amy Adams looked like they liked handling food; they both seemed a little awkward and uncommitted. Ah, never mind. It was fun. And after I tell a little story, my Julia obsession can go away for a while.
In 1996, I took an intensive weekend of Master Classes taught by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin (another obsession). There were demos and tastings and hands-on experience, too. At the end of the first day, the chefs made time for some chat and book signing. As I nervously waited my turn, my new In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs in hand, I thought of what I could say to this person. I wanted to impress upon her how important she had been to me. I bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking when I was 14 years old, and when it was my turn, I told her this. And then, most uncharacteristically, tears were filling up in my eyes. Realize, I don't cry often, and I really didn't want to stand there, blubbering at Julia. But alas, I did. I choked out my thanks and praise to her, told her she was right up there with my Grandma and my Dad influencing and teaching me, sniff, choke, blubber, blubber, sigh, sniff... she let me finish, looked at me smiling and said, "isn't it fun?" I was a goner. I smiled and nodded yes, 'cuz it really is so much fun. Then she signed my book and spelled my name wrong. No worries, that's OK. 
I learned a lot that weekend. She was really marvelous.
2 comments:
That is so sweet; never realized you had such a close encounter with Julia. No wonder you think so highly of her. SQ
Hi Dede! Love this post. I'm reading "My Life in France" right now (I think I've got the title wromg, but I'm loving the book). We'll have to talk about this at Kane. Thanks for your nice note on Joe's birthday post. xo PS: I'm putting you on my blog roll; sorry to be so slow. xo again
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