Weekend Cooking: Julia

It has been a while since I had to do a long haul flight so I had forgotten how tedious they can be. Sitting in one place, limited space, trying and failing to sleep, airplane food. But there is one bonus in that you can watch movies and TV shows that you have been meaning to watch for a while. As long as the entertainment system is working that is (yes, I’m looking at you Qantas!)

 

On the way back from Europe, we had two 8 hour flights to get to Singapore, and I decided to watch the TV series Julia, which came out last year. I have had it saved on my TV to watch at some point for months, but just hadn’t gotten to it yet. I watched the first 5 episodes on the first flight and then the final 3 on the second flight. Originally I was planning on sleeping on the second flight but I am rubbish at sleeping on planes at the best of times. I was glad I didn't save it for the flight from Singapore to Melbourne as we didn't have an entertainment system at all on that flight. I really missed the maps that show you where you are!!

 

Julia, which stars British actress Sarah Lancashire as Julia Child, tells the story of how her iconic TV show came to be on air. I was aware of Lancashire as an actress way back to her early years in Coronation Street and more recently in the movie Yesterday. She excels in this role! 

 

When we meet Julia, she has already had success with her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She has been living in Europe with her diplomat husband Paul, played by David Hyde Pierce (who will always be Niles from Frasier to me) where she has been introduced to French food, going on to study at Cordon Bleu cooking school.

She appeared on a book review show called I've Been Reading, where she surprised everyone by cooking a French omelet. This sparked the idea of a cooking show. At first, the station wasn't keen because they didn't see a cooking show as a valuable addition to public television but Julia was passionate about her vision and fought hard. And eating her food no doubt helped convinced the powers that be and the crew.

 

Gradually, the show begins to garner viewers, and the rest is, as they say is history. Julia Child became an American TV cooking trailblazer, beloved by many, and in many ways she pioneered many of the features that we still see in cooking shows today. She is ably supported by her husband and her best friend Avis, played by Bebe Nieuwerth (Lilith from Frasier). There are also several other big names in the cast including Isabella Rosselini and Judith Light.

This is a very enjoyable series. There is drama, humour, friendship, love and of course food! I found myself laughing out loud several times, and watching this series definitely helped the flights pass by quicker.

I don't know why, but I haven't really spent any time looking at Julia Child's recipes or TV shows until this week, and I also haven't watched any of the shows about her. Maybe she wasn't shown here?  I know there is the Julie & Julia movie but there are others. For example, did you know that there is a reality TV show called The Julia Child Challenge where 8 home cooks compete to win a prize to Paris by cooking various recipes in a replica of Julia's kitchen. And, of course, there are plenty of videos on Youtube where you can watch Julia herself cook, whether it be on her own shows or even on shows like The Late Show with David Letterman.

 

 

One of the interesting things for me was to see what was true and what was made up for the story. One of the major characters in the story is Alison, a young African American producer who plays a pivital role in both bringing the show to the attention of the station owners and then in getting the show onto other channels across the country. However, this is one of the made up characters. There are some other key scenes that are also fictionalised and there are some plot points that I have no idea if they are true or not. I guess that means that they fit into the story well. What I do know is that there is at least one recipe that I am keen to try at some point, maybe more! We'll see.

Apparently a second series has been authorised so I will be keen to watch it, and I will probably even watch it when it comes out!

Have you watched this series yet? Did you enjoy it?

Weekly meals

Saturday - Plane food

Sunday -  Roast pork with mash and vegies

Monday - Chicken and vegie stir fry

Tuesday - Chicken skewers, baked potato and salad

Wednesday - Hamburger

Thursday - Nasi Goreng

Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page