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13 Aug 04 - 01:13 PM (#1246912) Subject: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage Julia Child, 91, Dies; She Entertained as She Taught Cooking In The New York Times Julia Child, who mastered the art of French cooking well enough to turn it into prime-time entertainment and who by introducing cassoulet to a casserole culture elevated both American food and television, died today at her home in Santa Barbara, Calif. She would have been 92 on Sunday. She had been suffering from kidney failure, said a niece, Philadelphia Cousins. As a cookbook author first and public television star second, Mrs. Child was a towering figure on the culinary front for more than 40 years. Most Americans knew her as the unflappable "French Chef," a tall and twinkly character who in demonstrating classic dishes could make lobster bisque look as easy as toast. But she was also a rarity in a profession characterized by savage backbiting: she was respected as much by her most judgmental peers as by amateurs who would not know a soufflé from a cupcake. Mrs. Child was not the first dedicated cook to turn cooking into a spectator sport — James Beard preceded her on television in 1945, Dione Lucas in 1948 — but she was the first to understand the seductiveness of a breezy approach to daunting material. Her up-the-scales signature signoff, "bon appetit!" was the first French phrase many Americans ever learned to utter with confidence, much as they came to glorify stew as boeuf bourguignon. She admitted she was "a natural ham," and it was clear that she not only loved the camera but was almost intimate with it. see the rest online. She was one of my favorites, and I'll repost a sonnet written for Julia by her husband many years ago: O Julia, Julia, cook and nifty wench, Whose unsurpassed quenelles and hot souffles, Whose English, Norse, and German, and whose French, Are all beyond my piteous powers to praise- Whose sweetly rounded bottom and whose legs Whose gracious face, whose nature temperate, Are only equalled by her scrambled eggs: Accept from me, your ever-loving mate, This acclamation shaped in fourteen lines Whose inner truth belies its outer sight; For never were there foods, nor were there wines Whose flavor equals yours for sheer delight. O luscious dish! O gustatory pleasure! You satisfy my taste buds beyond measure. (Birthday 1961 by Paul Child) SRS |
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13 Aug 04 - 01:17 PM (#1246918) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: GUEST,MMario What I liked about her was that she allowed mistakes to stay in the footage - even when she wasn't working "live" - |
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13 Aug 04 - 01:18 PM (#1246919) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Ellenpoly She'll be sadly missed. I could rarily follow her recipes, but that was my fault not hers. My favorite image is of her swigging on the cooking wine while adding it to her dish. Ya gotta love that gal! Hope she's preparing goodies in that Big Kitchen in the Sky ..xx..e |
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13 Aug 04 - 01:24 PM (#1246930) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Mrrzy How tall was she, anyway? Over 6 feet? And who can forget that great Sat Nite Live thing with the spouting blood... Save the liver! I'll miss her too... |
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13 Aug 04 - 01:24 PM (#1246931) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: DonMeixner What a life, French Chef, Author, TV Star, International Spy for the Allies in WWII, an amazing person. |
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13 Aug 04 - 01:41 PM (#1246950) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage I think she was right at 6 feet tall. There's a part of an interview with Child on Terry Gross' Fresh Air today. |
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13 Aug 04 - 02:12 PM (#1246964) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Peace It is a gentle reminder to us that lives are meant to be lived, and that's the parting gift we receive when wonderful people pass on. |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:31 PM (#1247017) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: GUEST,Nancy King at work |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:35 PM (#1247021) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: GUEST,Nancy King at work Sorry -- I seem to have pushed the wrong button. Or maybe the right button at the wrong time. Anyhow -- The story on the Washington Post website says Julia Child was 6' 2"! Whatever her height, she was a remarkable woman -- a true free spirit who really enjoyed what she did and made it enjoyable to everyone else in the bargain. Nancy |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:40 PM (#1247026) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: TheBigPinkLad Not many people know that she was a spy during the Second World War. |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:45 PM (#1247033) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage Nancy, I was just now coming back to make the correction--they did a nice piece about her. BPL--They said that she wanted to be a spy, but ended up as a file clerk in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA. SRS |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:45 PM (#1247034) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: KateG The exuberance! The wit! The dropped chicken! Not only did she introduce French cooking to millions of Americans, she made it fun and human. If life hands you lemons, don't just settle for lemonade, make a lemon souffle. She will be missed. Truely a great lady. |
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13 Aug 04 - 04:47 PM (#1247036) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: TheBigPinkLad Sure. Tha's what they said ... ;o) |
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13 Aug 04 - 05:17 PM (#1247058) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: GUEST About goddamn time. |
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13 Aug 04 - 05:18 PM (#1247062) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage "They" in my last post are the folks on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. In the Terry Gross interview Child said she never dropped a chicken. She dropped a potato pancake on the stovetop then picked it up and put it on the pan again, saying that if no one is in the kitchen they'll never know. The chicken story will go down as an Urban Legend. :) SRS |
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13 Aug 04 - 06:03 PM (#1247128) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Little Robyn That's where I learnt to cook spaghetti squash and guess what we had for dinner last night? Spaghetti squash in a very nice chees sauce. Bon Appetit Julia! Robyn |
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13 Aug 04 - 06:14 PM (#1247137) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: RangerSteve another accomplishment: Sharks were bumping into allied underwater mines, thereby warning German ships of the mines' positions. Julia was asked by the US to come up with a shark repellent, which she did, and it was successful. |
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13 Aug 04 - 07:36 PM (#1247217) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: The Fooles Troupe ... one of her failed cooking experiments, no doubt .... "if life hands you lemons..." |
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14 Aug 04 - 01:50 PM (#1247627) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage Ranger Steve, where did you read that? SRS |
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14 Aug 04 - 03:38 PM (#1247685) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Peace SRS: www.beefpile.com/cherz_beef/archives/2004_03.php That will take you to a chat site, and about seven posts down is a link to the story at an NPR site. I don't know what any of this means, but there you go. Bruce M |
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15 Aug 04 - 01:57 PM (#1248094) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: GUEST,guest refresh |
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15 Aug 04 - 08:41 PM (#1248280) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Cluin She was also a hit man for the CIA. No, wait! That was Chuck Barris. Or maybe the story was that she was sniper for the Marines during WWII. No, wait! That was Mister Rogers... Or was it John Denver? Or Captain Kangaroo? ;P |
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17 Aug 04 - 04:47 PM (#1249693) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: bbc What would I do without Mudcat to keep me informed! So sorry to hear; I always enjoyed seeing her. bbc |
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17 Aug 04 - 06:01 PM (#1249770) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Stilly River Sage Steve, Here's the link to the NPR program: http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/apr/spies/index.html. SRS |
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26 Sep 04 - 11:17 PM (#1281929) Subject: RE: Obit: Julia Child, the French Chef From: Joe Offer So, what was the name the theme songfor her show? The show was "The French Chef," but I think the theme song was "An English Country Garden." Could this be? And I swear I heard Niamh Parsons sing an Irish emigrant song, "North Amerikay," to the tune of "English Country Garden" Friday. -Joe Offer- |