The late Julia Child, born this day in 1912.
A few years ago I learned that Julia Child had served in the OSS during World War II and I almost fell out of my chair. That has so warped my image of her that ever since I have had this picture in my mind of Julia Child standing next to an open door on a darkened plane over Nazi occupied France, wearing a parachute over a Sam Spade trench-coat with a slouched fedora hat... and a spatula in one hand with a rolling pin in the other. The rolling pin is of course, a cleverly disguised gun and the spatula has a straight razor edge on it.
If I am not mistaken Julia Child had a desk job with the OSS (though in the shadowy world of intelligence you never know what someone's real job is), while Paul Child (whom she met during their OSS service) was more of an operative.
ReplyDeleteThough the parachute-and-fedora image is more fun, I'll admit.
I don't think she learned to cook until much after the war, while they were living in France.
ReplyDelete--Angela
...and now, after creating this delicious creme brulee, we're going to blow these off- the- wall, nazi lunatics out of the sky...
ReplyDeleteI met her. I even cooked for her (which put the fear of God in me, I assure you; she had seconds, Deo gratias). Even though the war was pre-French Chef, I love the image of the spatula and rolling pin secret weapons.
ReplyDeleteMay she rest in peace.
She and Paul were in the OSS and met in Ceylon; later they were both transferred to China. She was a file clerk and also processed agents' reports from the field. He made maps and other graphic outlays for the war rooms.
ReplyDeleteAngela is right; Julia didn't learn to cook until Paul got posted to Paris with the US Information Service. She grew up in an upper middle class family, and they always had a hired cook. She fell in love with French food and decided to learn how to make it for herself. The rest, as they say, is history...
I remember watching "The French Chef" on KQED as a child. I was a big fan of hers even then. May God grant her (and Paul) repose.
Dana