book

I recently finished reading Clementine in the Kitchen by Samuel Chamberlain, a nonfiction account of an American family with a French Cordon Bleu trained chef.  I was intrigued by the story as it is partly set in nearby Marblehead, MA, and it is part of a series that Ruth Reichl was editor of.

The Chamberlain family spent many years living in France and returns to America around the start of World War II.  The book accounts the family’s transition from France to America as the French-born and trained Clementine accompanies them.

From some perspectives the book is amusing and enlightening as it allows the reader to compare and contrast many points: France and America today, France and America during World War II, America during World War II and today, food trends then and now, and American lifestyle then and now.  Clementine arrived in America speaking only French, and knowing only French culture, so her naivetes to American culture are amusing.  However, at points, the Chamberlains nearly refer to her as property, which is not amusing.

At many points, the book is a dry account of high society life in Marblehead in the 1940s and nearly half of the book is actually a list of arcane French recipes.  They’re worth a scan, but there was little there that I could envision making today.  In addition, much of the terminology in the recipes is out of date.

Clementine is a likeable figure in the story, and the book would be interesting to a food historian, but is probably a bit dry for the average reader.  Reichl’s introduction is as entertaining as her writing always is, though.  Not a read for everyone, but good for some!

The movie Julie and Julia opens today in the midst of a lot of publicity.  I’m ambivalent about seeing it.  On the one hand, I think Meryl Streep is an incredibly talented actress and, from the previews I’ve seen, looks like an excellent casting choice for the part of Julia Child.  I’m eager to see her bringing Julia’s story to the big screen.  It’s inspirational – the food world would be a very different place without Julia – would we have a Food Network?  Would food be such an integral part of entertainment?

On the other hand, I read Julie Powell’s book, Julie and Julia, and it was less than inspiring.  While I’m sure she was inspired, like many, by Julia Child, I found her book somewhat disrespectful to Julia Child, and I found Julie Powell’s writing to be glib, offensive, and sensationalistic.  While we all want to see similarities between ourselves and those we admire, her constant attempts to draw parallels between her life and JC’s (her moniker, not mine) and her comments on the Great Book (Julia Child’s cookbook, again, her moniker) leave a lot to be desired.  Powell attempts to tell an amusing story about her own life, tied together by tales of her attempts to cook all 500-plus recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, but the cooking takes a back seat, and it’s not amusing.  I like Amy Adams, who will play Powell, but I’m not eager to revisit Powell’s story.

Given my lack of enthusiasm about the book, I’m hesitant to see the movie and wondered if my hesitance was unfounded.  I also wondered if I was the only one interested in only half of the movie.  Last night I read a review of the movie on Gourmet’s site and found that I’m not alone.  I think I’ll wait for the DVD so I can take Shapiro’s advice and, if need be, read (or simply fast-forward) through the Powell half of the movie.