"julia child" news and stories

The Oscars may be made out of edible gold this year.

Meryl Streep is a "Best Actress" nominee by the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her portrayal of the late, vivacious Julia Child in "Julie and Julia." This is Streep's unprecedented 16th Oscar nomination.

"Julia, that spirit was very like my mother's spirit," Streep recently told ABC World News. "Joie de vivre. She had it. And a great sense of fun and [an] infectious ability to bring people along in whatever adventure she cared to take charge of."

"Food, Inc.," an eye-opening account about our nation's food industry also received a nod in the "Best Documentary" category.

For this palatable awards' season, we salute the Academy with Child's signature -- a jovial "Bon Appétit!"

Julie Powell, the writer who blogged her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1," is back with her second book, a sequel memoir about the world of butchery.

"Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession" follows Powell as she has an affair, tries to rebuild her marriage and learns about butchery. As Slashfood alum Rebecca Marx puts it in the Village Voice, "the act of trying to choose between one's bottomlessly loving husband and one's snakey-sounding lover, all while having the financial freedom to hang out with butchers just for the hell of it, is accompanied by the sound of the world's most minuscule violin."

Powell admitted this week that fans of "Julie & Julia" might find it a bit much: "People coming from the movie 'Julie & Julia' and picking up 'Cleaving' are going to be in for some emotional whiplash," she tells the Associated Press. "I don't believe it's going to be a Nora Ephron movie."

Do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below.

Julia Child certainly could make a mean boeuf bourguignon, but did you know she could also whip up the building blocks of life?

It's kind of scary watching her describe scientific diagrams using her chef's knife as a pointer. But it's helpful for all us home cooks that she converts grams into teaspoons. Bon appetit!

[Neatorama via Buzzfeed]

Bowl of tabbouleh. Photo: Jakub_hla, Flickr.

• Potlucks can be reinvigorated with a jolt of Tabbouleh with Feta.
• Gourmet may have closed, but Ruth Reichl still hit Kansas City to promote her new book, "Gourmet Today," at a special dinner.
• A chat with local cook Carol LaBruzzo and a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup.
• The PBS show "The Winemakers" includes a KC contestant: Ryan Sciara of Cellar Rat.
• After "Julie & Julia," what should you read next? The Star says "My Life in France," "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse" and "Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School."
• Westside Local offers everything from a classic roast-beef sandwich to a soup made of watermelon, cucumber and beets.

Figs. Photo: Rubber Slippers in Italy, Flickr.

• Autumn baking leads A Good Appetite to fig tarts, tomato éclairs and ratatouille.
• Hot food carts and trucks like Schnitzel & Things score more cred after nabbing Vendy Awards at the fifth annual cook-off.
• A dip in the cold Maine waters with Barb Scully, a local fisherwoman.
• The Temporary Vegetarian finds orzotto to be easier to work with than risotto.
• GoMobo cuts the line and alleviates the food-gathering irks of office lunches with their order-ahead system.
• Before modern fast food, there were the quick pepperoni rolls of West Virginia coal country.
• Digging into Kevin Zraly and his "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course."
• San Francisco's Flour + Water boasts sophisticated Italian flavors.
• After years of critics espousing its virtues, Riesling has finally earned its spot in the U.S. wine market.
  
• Three years ago, Judith Jones (Julia Child's editor) started raising her own cattle for steak.
• Serving up fresh fare in school lunches is ideal, but it means a lot more than bringing quality ingredients into old and neglected school kitchens.
• The Minimalist makes roasted sweet potato salad.
• Restaurants: The meatpacking district's Standard Grill suffers some dining hiccups but is still a solid food experience, the Village's Joseph Leonard has "flashes of daylight" in otherwise so-so fare and Brooklyn's Bark Hot Dogs rests between chic eats and fast food.
• Food Stuff finds savory and sweet baked goods, simple jams and a Chilean food store.
• New York's openings and closings and dining calendar.