A Life Well Lived, Well Traveled (And Well Eaten!)

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme

Who knew that Julia Child wasn't a natural born cook? Not I!  In this thoroughly enjoyable memoir/biography (in the best, true sense) the son of Julia's husband's twin brother interviewed Julie over a number of years about her life in France and about her beginnings as a celebrated chef.  What helped immensely in this project were the letters Julia's husband Paul wrote to his brother almost every day, detailing their life in Paris and Marseille and covering roughly the years 1948 to 1954.  Julie grew up in Southern California of upper middle class parents who never ate anything out of the ordinary.  It was after she married Paul, a diplomatic officer and moved to Paris that she began to move outside the life she was raised in.  In fact, the first lunch she had in France, Sole Meuniere, so overpowered her senses that she was instantly in love with France and its' food. 

My Life in France chronicles her  extraordinary journey learning French, attending classes at Le Cordon Bleu and writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle.  What a delicious treat this book is!  About the book Julia says it best: "This is a book about some of the things I have loved most in life: my husband, Paul Child; la belle France; and the many pleasures of cooking and eating."    Right after I read this book the CIA revealed that Julia had been a spy for OSS during WWII.  What an intriguing coda to a full life.