"Life Itself is the Proper Binge"

Ah, Julia Child … how do you ALWAYS know the way to my heart? The title of this post, “Life Itself is the Proper Binge,” is a quote attributed to the late, great American cook. I won’t call her a chef, because that would diminish all the hard work she did to make the art of cooking accessible to everyone from housewives to college kids.

And it’s apropro, because binge eating is the part of my new healthy lifestyle that I struggle with the most. Let me be clear, I do NOT have an eating disorder. But I do suffer from a mild case of disordered eating, and to me, those are different. I am a healthy, clean eater about 95% of the time. But when I fall, I fall hard. Half a box of cereal. Five cupcakes. Peanut butter and apple until I feel like I’m going to burst. Sure, it’s Kashi cereal, vegan cupcakes and natural, organic peanut butter and apples, but still, it comes down to moderation, and THAT’s the slippery slope I’m always fighting. Why do I tell you this? Because I get so much comfort and support from your blogs, and it helps to know that none of us are alone in our struggles.

Back to Julia:

This is the book that spawned many a food blog — because it’s about one of the women who was first in the game. Julie Powell wrote the book based on her real experiences. To sum up, she was bored and lost, turning 30 and needed something to spark her passion. She decided to take Julia Child’s famous cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” authored with Simone Beck, and cook every recipe over the course of a year.

In fact, the old Julie/Julia project blog is still available — check out the first post here.

Fast-forward to August 7, 2009, and the opening of the movie based on the book that was based on the blog. (Still following?) And the movie is … breathtaking. I saw it last night with a good friend, and we laughed a lot, cried a little, and walked out talking about both Julia Child and Julie Powell, their personal struggles, their marriages, their friendships and more. The movie’s not perfect. The relationship between Julie and her husband doesn’t have the depth I’d expected. There are loose ends that never get tied up, to the detriment of the movie’s overall message. The ending is abrupt. And, because it’s about two true stories, there are enough facts that are tweaked for Hollywood that I found myself bristling several times.

But in the end, it is a beautiful story about two women who took great risk, followed their true dreams, and found happiness and health. And isn’t that what we’re ALL trying to do, especially in the blog world?

By the way, if you’re anything like me, you want to know what the real Julie Powell looks like. So here she is played by Amy Adams on the left, and in the flesh on the right:

And for good measure, the same comparison between the amazing Meryl Streep and the real Julia Child:

If you made it this far, here are my suggestions. Read the book. Watch the movie. Write your own blog. Or find the spark in your OWN life and pursue your passions, food-related or not. Both Julie and Julia are role models, and I’m so glad that the world is talking about them both. The movie gives hope and inspiration to women needing role models, or a push to pursue their passions. It celebrates Julia Child rather than caricaturing her. Stanly Tucci is divine as Julia’s husband, and gives the movie a subtle romantic thread that is echoed in Julie’s own relationship. The movie made me smile, and I tip my chef’s hat to Nora Ephron and the amazing cast and crew.

I leave you with one more quote from Julia Child:

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Tagged as: Books, cooking, Food, Julia Child, Julie Powell, Movies, Silly Tater Tot, Silly Tater Tot