Julie & Julia

I just finished reading the book Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell on which the film Julie & Julia was based. It took me a while to warm up to it, but by midway I couldn’t stop reading and was rooting for Julie to complete her project. If you don’t know, Julie Powell challenged herself to cook all the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year (365 days, 536 recipes). She did so with successes and flops described in language that is at times vulgar and often humorous. At the same time, Julie worked as a secretary in a Manhattan government agency and commuted from Queens to Manhattan every work day. She shopped on her way home and cooked in a tiny apartment kitchen. Oh, yes, and she also wrote a blog every day about her experience, gaining a loyal group of followers or “bleaders.”

What an undertaking! I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Her very supportive husband washed the dishes and did some of the shopping. He also mixed the cocktails and managed to be very gracious about not eating until 10pm each night.

When I told my husband about Julie’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking challenge, her blog, and resulting book, he wistfully suggested that I could emulate Julie’s project, but use Mr. Boston’s Bar Guide instead.

In your dreams, babe.