Wednesday 6 March 2013

A Passion for Life

I have come late to the 2009 film Julie and Julia ...I had the dvd on standby for a rainy day...and so it was on a snowy Sunday I finally got to watch it.   

Julie and Julia is a delicious film about love and passion.  It tells the story of two women rebuilding their lives... Julia Child following the 2nd World War and  Julia Powell after the Twin Towers tragedy.  The film immersed me in Julia's life in post-war Paris and Julie's life living in a pokey apartment and dealing with the aftermath of the Twin Towers.

Both women were looking for something...something to do ...but most importantly something they could love doing and be passionate about.

For Julia it was translating classic French recipes for the American market and producing a "masterpiece" of a cookery book called Mastering the Art of French Cookery.   This turned out to be a considerable feat and took eight years!  She went on to write many books including her memoirs, My Life in France.

Meryl Streep as Julia Child
 
Blogger Julia Powell set herself a challenge to make a different recipe from the book every day for a year and she commited to blogging about it every single day. In so doing, she revealed the ups and downs of her life and marriage discovering more about herself along the way.

Director of the film, Norah Epheron, was also a great female writer and novelist, known for her novel and film Heartburn and Silkwood among others...featuring strong female characters.  Meryl Streep portrayed a feisty and rather sexy Julia Child who loved food and her husband with equal measure I think!

So what did I take away from the film?  Challenge yourself...find your enthusiasm and when you do put your soul into it.  Be fearless...have fun and don't stint on the butter!

As American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." 

And as Julia Child owes so much to her beloved France...here is a quote from French philosopher Denis Diderot. "Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things." 

Are you enthusiastic about cooking?  Or does something else melt your butter?

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