I saw Julie/Julia last night and for any foodie, blogger or both it was an inspiration; but not in the way that I had anticipated.

I thought that the movie would inspire blogging success; I thought that I would be driven to finish that novel saved in pieces in “my documents” on my computer. No such luck.

I fell in love with Julia Child!

Watching Julia on TV as a little girl I was fascinated by her. She had an unidentifiable accent; she had a commanding and intimidating presence. And she was always entertaining guests for dinner. I wanted this kind of life. Even as a 12 year old. I knew that wanted to serve fancy hors d’oeuvres and elegant French desserts to my dinner guests. I wanted to cook with wine, something very exotic where I grew up.

When the movie came out it sparked an interest to renew a bond with my childhood icon. The “rock star” world of celebrity chefs worshipped “deconstructed” food, used bacon in ice cream, and tried to shock the palate. I wanted to learn how to make puff pastry. I wanted to learn why those French sauces tasted so good. I wanted to make food that was just really good to eat!

I revisited an old favorite on my cookbook shelf; Julia Child& Company. It was published in 1978 and was a kind of cookbook documentary of her WGBH cooking show out of Boston, MA. I read it from cover to cover. Julia was charming, funny, warm, encouraging, and so very generous of spirit. She was not the kitchen commando that I remembered her to be. Maybe I was too young to pick up on her humor or warmth, and maybe I focused on the parodies made famous by late night comedians who lampooned her awkwardness and eccentricities. I missed a lot.

Nora Ephron gave us that gentle Julia Child. The women who wanted to demystify French cooking for the average “serventless American cook”. She gave us Julia who encouraged our mastery in the kitchen for the pleasure of sharing good food with those around us. She gave us a Julia who was graceful in spirit and above all forgiving of our foibles. To persevere was her dictum. We are making food to be eaten, not to thrill or surprise to intimidate or to threaten.

For those of us diving recipes for Jalapeño Banana cupcakes with Mascarpone and Basil Icing, it would do us well to revisit the nurturing wisdom of a great lady who taught us not only how to cook but to master the skills of the kitchen which cant be camouflaged with smoke and mirror culinary acrobatics.