Between the Pages: Life in France, by Julia Child

So, I haven't written in forever (I attribute this to making friends in Ecuador, returning to the USA, figuring out my future, but, most importantly the mysterious breaking of my camera)--I have been enjoying life in Minnesota for the summer.

Recently while in the Boundary Waters (more details to come) Julia Child's memoir My Life in France has allowed me to travel to France and back. Her words led me to laughter, introspection, and deep motivation to follow my passions--all without sentimentality. I liked her voice, hyperbole, and flair. Notable, underlined quotes:

"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport."

I like this idea of serious creative work...as well as competition. She was ahead of her times, would Julia have liked Top Chef?

"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."

"Upon reflection, I decided I had three main weaknesses: I was
confused (evidenced by a lack of facts, an inability to coordinate my
thoughts, and an inability to verbalize my ideas); I had a lack of
confidence, which cause me to back down from forcefully stated
positions; and I was overly emotional at the expense of careful, 'scientific'
though. I was thirty-seven years old and still discovering who I was."

So with this inspiration at my heels...I gave my shot at a Julia-inspired meal. I consider this a good use of a family of eager foodie guinea-pigs. The Salade Lyonnaise recipe I found online was a hit. Buttery croutons, greens, oil-dijon vinagrette, topped with a poached egg. This melt in your mouth character may be partially due to the bacon oil--but, hey Julia lived to be ninety-two. So, live it up sometimes, right?



The shining star of the meal was a Coq au Vin over a bed of pasta and accompanied with a side of peas. Coq au Vin--chicken, pearl onions, carmelized mushrooms, bacon bits (of course!), red wine, chicken broth, garlic, herbs. The dish simmered in a dutch oven (which I learned is really a huge covered iron pot). Trick: the best way to peel the pearl onions is to blanch them first.


New cooking terms courtesy of Epicurious food dictionary:
lardons; lardoons--diced bacon or other lard meat.

poach--to cook in a liquid just below boiling point (poached eggs are best done in slightly salted water with a bit of vinegar to help the egg retain shape)

blanch--to plunge food (usually produce) into boiling water briefly and then into cold water, as to stop the cooking process. Firms flesh, loosesns skins, boosts color and flavor. Used for bacon in main dish and to peel pearl onions.

The meal was a hit, I listened to perhaps cliché French music while cooking, mostly from the soundtrack to An Education.

Do I wish I had Julia's final masterpiece cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking? Yes, it seems very romantic to page through it while dirtying the pages with sauces and marinades--but as the "recent" release of Julie and Julia has jacked up the prices of used copies on Amazon to near full price, internet recipes will make due for now.

I leave you with Chef Child's final words from her memoir: "Learn to cook--try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!"

Between the Pages: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia and grew up in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia before fleeing to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage. Her memoir carefully shows the appeal of radical Islam and her careful decision to leave Islam. While in the US, most thoughtful people are careful to be very politically correct when discussing Islamic practices in the Middle East, Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her story without careful regard for insulting her upbringing.

An excerpt from the Epilogue:
"My central, motivating concern is that women in Islam are oppressed. That oppression of women causes Muslim women and Muslim men, too, to lag behind the West. It creates a culture that generates more backwardness with every generation. It would be better for everyone--for Muslims, above all--if this situation could change.

When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn't so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called racist. It fascinates them that I am not afraid to do so."

Needless to say, this memoir leaves me wanting to read a more positive account of the varied Islamic cultures in Africa and the Middle East. Still, Ayaan Hirsi Ali's descriptive, honest, blatant account let me see another world that I would like to believe is only a reality for a minority of Muslim women. It obviously is not.

I also just stumbled upon this preview for a segment on Minnesota Public Radio: "Civil War Kids: Young Somalis in Minnesota." Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somali-Americans in the country. This photo-montage parallels much of Infidel's discussion of challenges to integration into a Western society.