J - Julia Child

Most people, admittedly, know who this woman is. Now. Thanks to that film Julie and Julia. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the film. Meryl Streep was absolutely spot on, and I think that Amy Adams did a fabulous job as well. But I do think that the film kinda downplayed exactly what it is that Julia should be recognized for.

My husband's next project

 Oh yes. The woman brought French cooking to the fore and into the homes of Millions of Americans, making it accessible. Making it part of our daily life. Making it something we don’t even think about anymore. Don’t believe me? Take a look at a cookbook prior to The Art of French Cooking. yeesh. There is a Whole lotta jell-o, bread, and canned stuff going on in those books. And yes, Julia woke us up to food being more than just something we have to eat, and made us see it could be something we could truly enjoy as well.

However.
What I think she did that doesn’t get enough recognition is she made it ok to drink, at any meal. Not just the ‘special’ occasions. (And no. The rumors about her drinking on-set were not true. What she’s ‘drinking’ was actually a mix of gravy master and water. Yick!)  

Now I want you to just think about this for a minute. Prior to Julia, most adults had crappy beer, water, soda, or even MILK for lunch for dinner. Julia came along and suddenly it was ok, even preferable to have wine. Wine! For lunch? For every dinner? 

Suddenly there is a need for good wine! Imported from..well...anywhere! This opened up huge opportunities for American growers and Winemakers! Seriously! It could be argued that one woman created an industry. Demand creates opportunity. And Julia created the demand. 

Imagine the sad state we would be in if we were still lounging about in our sad, drinking wine from wicker covered bottles days? There are not enough drippy candles in the world to cover up that sin.

My idea of a proper wine Cellar. Now. Where do I get a 400 year old Italian Villa...