Comments on: Servants and Julia Child

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:57:14 +0000

Joseph. I share your admiration for Julia Child. But I was not arguing that the kinds of French techniques she was teaching were necessarily appropriate to the home cook without servants. In fact, I think they weren’t. Too complex. But then I’m not sure that we should have home cooks, except for those who enjoy it.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:56:59 +0000

Oh you are so dead on with that point. She was clearly the first to take the fear out of French cooking, primarily. This was the age of when the mystique of French cuisine was thought of as too difficult, by most professional cooks, to teach to the masses. By simply explaining these various techniques through her cooking show and with added entertainment, the average household cook became more confident. Then, in her later television series, she expanded upon other cuisines, techniques and foodstuffs. Bringing in other chefs to demonstrate their passions. It was that constant curiousity and passion that she had for food(s) that was so infectious and that people could feel through their television screens. So many techniques that we take for granted and use today at home, were unheard of in the average home kitchen at the time. She was fearless in so many ways and that translated to others to follow in her same footsteps in various degrees and within their own abilities. I never tire of her approach in teaching. She truly was a “pied piper” in the kitchen world.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:21:37 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Joseph. Yes I think Julia Child, far more than most, managed to stay clear of commercial endorsement. And what did you think of the general point that at least early on she was trying to teach professional cooking to home cooks?

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:14:20 +0000

Having just found this wonderful source of writing from Ms. Laudan, I am, and have always been fascinated, with the history of food and cooking. I teach the fundamentals of cooking to students eager to learn where, when, why and how their food has come to the table. The one thing I feel I must differ from Ji-Young’s comments are that Ms. Child’s cooking became dependent upon marketing of certain kitchenalia. Having worked with her, I found that to be completely untrue unlike the mulititude of television “chefs” and cooks that exist today. If there was one word to surmise everything about Ms. Child, that word would be “Passion”. She had an insatiable curiousity about how things worked, be it a recipe or a new item in the kitchen to make the cook’s work easier, i.e. the Cuisinart Food Processor that was mentioned. Now, with the advent of her “Mastering” books gearing towards kitchens with servants, I can completely understand this premise. Afterall, it was a time when the practice of having a cook and nanny were still considered to be “de rigeur” for the traveling set. And, to this day, still are in circles that I’m personally not too familiar.
Thank you Ms. Laudan for your tireless research and curiousity. Fascinating.

By: Ji-Young

Ji-Young — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:56:36 +0000

Yes, the home meals are still simple. The main changes in the last couple of decades are more products of culinary modernism of the mass produced kind and increased interest in “ethnic” recipes.

But they’re still not cooking the kind of French chef food of the Julia Child’s kind, elaborate Madhur Jaffrey Indian or Paula Wolfert Moroccan.

Yes, cuisinarts in particular. But so much in America is about marketing. I’m in Los Angeles so I’m probably more acutely aware of it. I also work in public relations and media relations.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:12:29 +0000

Hmm so those simple meals extended at least until the 1990s. And yes, I actually often had a cheese course too. Though this was not a huge selection but a small piece of the locally-made emmenthaler-gruyere style cheese.

Interesting idea about the denigration of home cooking skills as a way to sell kitchen equipment. Cuisinarts (food processors) particularly I assume.

By: Ji-Young

Ji-Young — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:37:15 +0000

Julia Child’s influence in America is so profound that I am still asked questions about French cuisine that clearly use her a meta-reference.

“vegetable soups, small pieces of meat with no or very simple sauces, boiled potatoes, salads, fruit, occasionally a bought pastry for a special occasion.”

This is pretty much my experience in France beginning in the mid 1990s, with a cheese course added which as far as I know tends be regional, much more common in Lyon.

“The skewing of pre-1950 cookbooks to those with servants is something I think we need to keep in mind when we hear laments about the decline of kitchen skills and the failure of women to provide tasty home-cooked meals. High quality home cooking can be pulled off without a staff, no doubt about it. But it’s worth remembering how often the good home cooking that is held up as a model is one that is damn difficult to emulate without a kitchen staff.”

I suspect these laments also had to do with marketing kitchen equipment.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:09:32 +0000

Thanks all of you. Rajagopal, part of the answer to your question is in Adam’s comment. I don`t have a book or article I can send you to. My comments are based on factors such as work in social history about literacy rates, and prevalence of servants, the kinds of dishes described in cookbooks, experience (direct or indirect) of other countries such as Mexico and India. But I’ll be pursuing more of this in coming entries.

By: The Old Foodie

The Old Foodie — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:45:17 +0000

I knew there was a good reason why I dont actually get around to cooking a lot of historic recipes. You have given me my ‘excuse’ when people ask me if I do! Perhaps when I retire from my real job I’ll have to find another excuse. Good series Rachel, thanks.
Janet.

By: rajagopal sukumar

rajagopal sukumar — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:02:19 +0000

Brilliant post Rachel. It is very insightful. When you say most books in the 1900s were written for people with cooks on their staff, is there some research that you are relying upon?