If you peruse the New York Times bestseller list you will find four books that in some way have to do with the renewed interest in Julia Child. Obviously, she is an iconic figure that will forever be the embodiment of culinary art. Her Mastering the Art of French Cooking is back at #1 after almost 48 years of being published - no small feat for a book that many would call daunting. Slate's Regina Schrambling writes "Don't buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking - you'll never cook from it." She argues that the recipes are too complicated, too fattening and too time consuming for the today's everyday cook. "The book," she states, "was never meant for the frivolous or trendy." While she may be correct, I disagree that one on the quest of discovering her inner-Julia should shy away from it. While it is true that my last blog was about simple white rice, who's to say that as I gain more confidence in my cooking ability, I may not just find myself tackling a few of Julia's French masterpieces? Julie Powell reinvented herself by taking each recipe, struggling through it and mastering it. Someone once said you have to start somewhere. I say master the simple and then go ahead and master the art. quotes from www.Slate.com FOOD: What to eat. What not to eat.
Perhaps that is why it's titled "MASTERING the ART..." becuase ART in it's essense and in any format is not something that comes naturally to most. Even raw talent needs direction to be truely realized. Coodos to you and all of us who make even the slightest effort to improve or add a skill and recognize that the "struggle" is part of the journey to growth and
ReplyDeletehappiness.
Thanks so much for yet another fabulous post!