A lot has been written about Julia Child in the past few weeks to honor what would have been her 100th birthday. Through reading all these new articles, I discovered that I’m not alone when I say that Julia has been more than a chef to me, she’s been a friend (whether or not she knows it).
As a person with a hyper, type-A personality, cooking has always seemed like a messy ordeal. I avoided entering the kitchen for years, but in an effort to eat healthier this past year, I had to face my fear. Julia has been my guide along the way and has shown me that it’s okay to be a little messy in the kitchen. In fact, she has shown me that it’s okay to be a little messy in general! Through watching her cooking videos I have come to realize that I can change things up if I don’t have all the ingredients for a recipe. And if I make a mistake, I have learned to let it go. It really resonated with me to see Julia, a world-renowned chef, mess up, and say, “Who is to say it happened, if no one is around to see it?”
Julia’s life story – which is richly depicted in Dearie, a new biography by Bob Spitz – is more than just an inspiration for great food; it’s an inspiration for how to live a great life. Here are 10 more lessons we can learn from Julia’s life:
How to Live Like Julia
1. Laugh at yourself.
2. Learn something new.
3. Be proud of your stature (small or big).
4. Live in a foreign country…or at least travel to one.
5. Let people wonder if your day job is just a cover for the fact that you are really an international spy.
6. Write your own book.
7. Find something you are good at.
8. Make a living out of it.
9. Don’t beat yourself up when you mess up, especially if no one is watching.
10. Remember, above all else, to have fun.
