My local public TV station has been showing old French Chef episodes. I
recorded some on my Tivo, and watched them this morning while having
breakfast.

It's been a really, really long time since I've seen them (at least 25
years), so it was like watching them new again. What really struck me about
the shows was their totally unpretentious nature, especially when compared
to cooking shows of today.

In one episode, Julia was making omelettes. She was making them on an
ordinary electric coil range -- no fancy gas cooktops. Instead of showing
off the latest in fancy cookware, she used a plain old nonstick skillet.
The omelettes didn't look "picture perfect", but they looked great enough to
eat!

On another episode, Julia was making potato recipes. She tried to flip a
potato pancake, and it broke up -- with some of it on the stove. No
problem -- she just picked up the broken pieces, put it all on a plate, and
covered it up with cheese (or something like that, I forget now).

She even wiped her face off with a towel a couple times during the show,
because all the range burners were making the place hot. How often would
you see that happen today?

I thought it was pretty cool seeing all that stuff again, because it puts
today's modern attitudes in a new light. Julia didn't have to use the
fanciest appliances or the fanciest cookware. Her technique didn't have to
be perfect, and she didn't have to look perfect. All she needed to do was
MAKE GOOD FOOD.

Seeing how things turned out in her life, I'll bet she made some pretty good
food indeed.

"Dennis Spexet" > wrote in message
news
> My local public TV station has been showing old French Chef episodes. I
> recorded some on my Tivo, and watched them this morning while having
> breakfast.
>
> It's been a really, really long time since I've seen them (at least 25
> years), so it was like watching them new again. What really struck me
> about the shows was their totally unpretentious nature, especially when
> compared to cooking shows of today.
>
> In one episode, Julia was making omelettes. She was making them on an
> ordinary electric coil range -- no fancy gas cooktops. Instead of showing
> off the latest in fancy cookware, she used a plain old nonstick skillet.
> The omelettes didn't look "picture perfect", but they looked great enough
> to eat!
>
> On another episode, Julia was making potato recipes. She tried to flip a
> potato pancake, and it broke up -- with some of it on the stove. No
> problem -- she just picked up the broken pieces, put it all on a plate,
> and covered it up with cheese (or something like that, I forget now).
>
> She even wiped her face off with a towel a couple times during the show,
> because all the range burners were making the place hot. How often would
> you see that happen today?
>
> I thought it was pretty cool seeing all that stuff again, because it puts
> today's modern attitudes in a new light. Julia didn't have to use the
> fanciest appliances or the fanciest cookware. Her technique didn't have
> to be perfect, and she didn't have to look perfect. All she needed to do
> was MAKE GOOD FOOD.
>
> Seeing how things turned out in her life, I'll bet she made some pretty
> good food indeed.

Here's one of my Favorites, which I treasu

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/

Dora

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 11:37:43 -0500, "limey" > wrote:

>Here's one of my Favorites, which I treasu
>
>http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/

This link doesn't specify an episode, can you tell us which it is?

--
Siobhan Perricone
One trend that bothers me is the glorification of
stupidity, that the media is reassuring people it's
all right not to know anything.... That to me is
far more dangerous than a little pornography
on the Internet. - Carl Sagan

"Siobhan Perricone" wrote > "limey"
wrote:
>
>>Here's one of my Favorites, which I treasu
>>
>>http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/
>
> This link doesn't specify an episode, can you tell us which it is?
>
> Siobhan Perricone

The closest I can come to naming a specific episode is: Click on "Meet the
Chefs". This gives a breakdown of four different categories of Julia's
cooking with various chefs. Click on a specific chef, then you can choose
a dish being prepared by that chef (e.g., Jacques Pepin) in conjunction with
Julia.

It doesn't show a log of specific PBS/Julia episodes
that I could find, but I just enjoy browsing through the various categories
and chefs.

Dora

"Dennis Spexet" > wrote in message
news
> My local public TV station has been showing old French Chef episodes. I
> recorded some on my Tivo, and watched them this morning while having
> breakfast.
>
> It's been a really, really long time since I've seen them (at least 25
> years), so it was like watching them new again. What really struck me
> about the shows was their totally unpretentious nature, especially when
> compared to cooking shows of today.

I learned from Julia that it's sometimes OK (or necessary) to knock down a
half bottle of wine when you're cooking. :-)

On 2006-03-26, Doug Kanter > wrote:

> I learned from Julia that it's sometimes OK (or necessary) to knock down a
> half bottle of wine when you're cooking. :-)

You'd have loved Justin Wilson. He operated on the premise the recipe
should get half as much wine as he did ...preferrably second!

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2006-03-26, Doug Kanter > wrote:
>
>>I learned from Julia that it's sometimes OK (or necessary) to knock down a
>>half bottle of wine when you're cooking. :-)
>
> You'd have loved Justin Wilson. He operated on the premise the recipe
> should get half as much wine as he did ...preferrably second!

He came to my radio program half-sozzled. We proceeded to get the rest
of the way together while we were on the air. We drank his "Thomas
Justin Collinses."

Great guy...

Pastorio

Dennis Spexet wrote:
> [snip]
> It's been a really, really long time since I've seen them (at least 25
> years), so it was like watching them new again. What really struck me about
> the shows was their totally unpretentious nature, especially when compared
> to cooking shows of today. [snip]

In "Julia Child and Company," after first saying, "Preparation is
everything," she offers this wonderful perspective:

In private or public cooking, broad, firm gestures are the most
efficient. Wallop your steaks! Whoosh up your egg whites! And,
behind your chafing dish and before your guests, act with assurance
and decisiveness. Let every move accomplish something, and
don't twiddle. As brevity is the soul of wit, spareness or "line"
is the basis of bravura. And "line" is a matter of practice and
preparation, which really is not dirty work for those who love to
cook.

Wallop! Whoosh! Don't twiddle! What a great broad. -aem

I love how she advised that you never disclose your mistakes or
apologize to anyone for them. You learn by them, but the truth is that
very few people (outside of this cooking group, obviously) are
comfortable having guests for dinner and pulling off a great meal
(hence the ever-present invitation of "pot luck" which burns me up) and
they will line up to eat anything you prepare as long as you do it with
love and passion. She will forever live in my heart as my greatest
cooking influence, with the exception of my mom and grandmothers.

Sandy

Dennis Spexet wrote, re Julia Child:

"Seeing how things turned out in her life, I'll bet she made some
pretty good food indeed."

I've been watching PBS too. I miss her shows, as my culinary training,
like many others, started by watching her show. Compared with most
cooking shows today, it was inspirational, while being down to earth.
She made a person feel that cooking something new and different, or
using a new technique, well, it was totally possible.

My favorite episode was where early on, she made a birthday dinner for
herself. The idea that you could make a cake out of circles of baked
merangue (sp?), and, then frost if with apricot jam was a brain-opener
for me. I checked out my first cook book from the library that night,
as we cerainly didn't have any in my home.

I loved Julia Child's programs.

DEE

Dennis Spexet wrote :

> All she needed to do was
> MAKE GOOD FOOD.


Dennis,

I'd rephrase that: All she needed to do was make good tasting food. And she
had that down pat.

Her technique, knowledge and sense of humor was what make her so endearing,
imho.

I have her (and her colleagues) book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Cost me $0.25 at a yard sale. I just don't have the heart that would
outlive one of her recipes in my condition.

Andy

Dennis Spexet wrote:

> My local public TV station has been showing old French Chef episodes.
> I recorded some on my Tivo, and watched them this morning while
> having breakfast.

For those really interested, the series is available on DVD, available
from PBS or Amazon (doubtlessly elsewhere). I also see that Netflix at
least carries it for rent.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Dennis Spexet wrote:
> I thought it was pretty cool seeing all that stuff again, because it puts
> today's modern attitudes in a new light. Julia didn't have to use the
> fanciest appliances or the fanciest cookware. Her technique didn't have to
> be perfect, and she didn't have to look perfect. All she needed to do was
> MAKE GOOD FOOD.

She was all about the food. FoodTV is all about the commercials, and
product placements, and flashy stuff that passes for food.

--Blair

FoodTV wasn't always that way...at least, not to the blatant extent it is
now.

They don't show him now, but one of my favorite shows was called "Taste".
It was made in the very early days of the Food Network, and had David
Rosengarten talking about some ingredient or dish.

The set was very sparse...white background, the counter and oven, and
Rosengarten himself. He'd show off the ingredient or the dish, and proceed
to make it. He was real entertaining, and his love of good food really came
through.

I loved that show. Hell, I loved a lot of the FoodTV shows from that time.
They focused on food...not travel tips, industrial gumball production
methods, or how parties are catered in Hollywood.

"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Dennis Spexet wrote:
>> I thought it was pretty cool seeing all that stuff again, because it puts
>> today's modern attitudes in a new light. Julia didn't have to use the
>> fanciest appliances or the fanciest cookware. Her technique didn't have
>> to
>> be perfect, and she didn't have to look perfect. All she needed to do
>> was
>> MAKE GOOD FOOD.
>
> She was all about the food. FoodTV is all about the commercials, and
> product placements, and flashy stuff that passes for food.
>
> --Blair
>