Few moments of live Television, when it comes to cooking, have been as entertaining, informative and real than Julia Childs “The French Chef”, which started to air in 1963. Her episodes which were, unlike most modern ones, never pre recorded were legendary. Her personality was unique and her cooking shows were not just filled with recipes to bring French cooking to American households but purposefully or not, she always shared her life philosophy as well. Though she used the following quote in reference of flipping a huge potato pancake, you might wonder if she meant life in general.
“You must have the courage of your convictions.”
Julia Child, The french chef
Her attempt to flip the potato pancake miserably failed. The potato fell everywhere and with her cool as a cucumber demeanor, she just scraped it of the stove, threw it back in the pan, patted it back in shape and mumbled: “if you are alone in the kitchen, who’s going to see…”. Then she continued that even though it didn’t go as planned, nothing is lost because you can always turn it into something else.
Is she still talking about cooking? When was the last time you had the courage of your conviction? What does it mean to you? The dictionary describes the phrase as:” confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve .”
So what does it have to do with cooking? Learning to cook is a process. Creating new recipes, trying new things is a process just like everything else in life. The important thing is that you stick to your guns and do what you believe is right, even if others disagree, discourage or make fun of you. That statement, while flipping her potato in the pan, is what makes us rebels. Julia Child was one badass Curvaceous Rebel. So it doesn’t matter if you want to learn how to flip an omelet, debone a duck, throw a live lobster into a pot of boiling water for the first time, or if you walk away from a situation in life that goes against your convictions. The important thing is that you stay true to yourself.
Cooking is a never ending process. So is life. If you believe you know everything, tried everything and have nothing more to learn, you withhold yourself from the opportunity to grow. We as humans are never done learning. Life is learning and the adaption of new things, the appreciation of other peoples thoughts, even if you disagree with them, it still might give you the opportunity to look at something from a different angle. So I challenge you today, try something new in the kitchen. It doesn’t matter if it is a new recipe, a new ingredients, something you never tried, or a technique you always wanted to learn but were intimated or afraid to fail. Do it anyway. Remember, if you are alone in the kitchen, who’s going to see…
And with that said, I will return to my kitchen, where a 37 inch Northern Pike is awaiting its faith of being turned into fish tacos, of course fried in clarified butter.
