Julia Child has left her mark on generations, and not just with her famous beef bourguignon. The new series Julia tells how and why the American cook and educator became an icon of the emancipation of women and the evolution of society in the United States.
Broadcast on HBO Max and freely inspired by the life of Julia Child, the series transports us to the 1960s, at the start of her long television adventure. The French Chef. A pivotal period for the cook, both personally and professionally, as the first symptoms of menopause intersect, the mourning of motherhood and a significant appearance in front of the cameras to promote her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
This is how M.me Child made his way into the very masculine world of television, where cooking was far from being considered an educational subject. The viewer has access to the private life of this woman who is both composed and imposing, as well as to the duality that bubbles up inside her: how to refuse conventions without shocking? We discover in eight episodes how Julia Child, helped by many women around her, broke down each of the doors that stood before her, armed with her cascading laughter and her legendary affability.
For Nicole-Anne Gagnon, cooking teacher at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec, it’s neither more nor less the legacy of Julia Child: to have believed in something and to have gone there until the end. A model “still useful today”, she says. “At the time, it was as if women who dared to evolve in a male environment gave men the right to harass them in any way possible, whether psychologically or sexually. It really was a different era. Today, these behaviors are decried, because it is unacceptable, but I am not saying that there are more of them. A girl who doesn’t dare show her femininity so as not to get in trouble, it still exists. »
gender equality
Inspired by Ruth Lockwood – the producer to whom we owe the arrival of Julia Child on television – the character of Alice Naman translates with nuances the challenges of the time regarding ethnic and gender equality. Divided between her mother’s recriminations, the pressure of marriage and her passion for her work, she clearly shows her heartbreak when she thanks Julia Child for living the life that all women dream of.
Sisterhood and ambition are at the heart of the story, even more so than the kitchen itself. “Julia Child, she is remarkable for her courage. The fact that she is a woman has never stopped her. She said to herself: I don’t care what people think of me, I have my goal, ”adds Mme Gagnon.
For her, Julia Child will have been significant in history for the generosity with which she passed on her knowledge. She gave American women confidence in their cooking, in addition to making them discover the world as she had discovered it herself. “She was an incredible epicurean. And she managed to popularize this cuisine, which seemed unaffordable. She said, “Look, it’s not that hard.” And me, it joins me. There are ways to do things, relatively simple techniques that will give tasty dishes. On a daily basis, eating better, eating good, educating people about that, I share that with her. »
Author, food critic and foodie Lesley Chesterman vividly remembers watching Julia Child shows with her mother as a young child. She also remembers the meal she had the chance to share with “the queen of gastronomy” at a writers’ symposium in 2000, in West Virginia.
“It was a big buffet, and in each dish there was wild garlic. She was the star of the stars, but she was constantly asking everyone questions. That moment changed my opinion of her. On television, we saw her jovial, always laughing, but I discovered a serious woman. Cheerful, but not at all lighthearted. She was a very disciplined woman. There was nothing wrong with her love for cooking. »
Cooking for Honest Reasons
According to Mme Chesterman, Julia Child also inspired many men to take an interest in cooking. Never pretentious, blundering more often than not, she helped make this field respectable, when it had previously been considered a job of last hope.
“And she was very strong on French techniques. As Paul Bocuse said: with technique, a good cook can make an average carrot excellent”, she underlines, judging that her career choice could have been different had it not been for the influence of Julia Child. “She is exactly what I love in the kitchen. Open to everyone, she remained humble. She didn’t [la cuisine] to be a star, but for honest reasons. »
The words of editor Judith Jones — one of the series’ non-fictional characters — sum up the final episode, in which Julia Child, swayed by doubts and failures, decides to continue her television show for a second season. She will finally make a dozen before renewing the formula with guests. ” [Devant et derrière les caméras], all she taught was to understand what you’re cooking, do it with care, use the right ingredients, the right tools, and most of all, have fun. »