Book Club was about food as much as it was about reading this month. As I said in yesterday's post, we read Julie & Julia this month, which it a memoir about Julie Powell (the author) cooking her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (MtAoFC) cookbook. So the evening had a French focus.
The Hors· d'oeuvres - French Wine - Gimlets(Julie often drank gimlets while cooking)
The Flowers(not necessarily French, but what's growing in my gardens)
Each person brought a dish from the MtAoFC.The Menu:
Potage Parmentier (Leek/Potato Soup)
Beef Bourguigon
Quiche Lorraine
Pumpkin and White Beans Puree
Zucchini w/Shallots
Tomatoes Grillees au Four
Cherry Clafoutis (cherry flan)
Poires Cardinals (pears w/raspberry puree)
Julie lived in a tiny apartment, so my small dining room fit the eveningThe Book: As usual - a few loved it, a few didn't and most fell somewhere in the middle. And, also as usual, a few didn't read it
(but that's okay, we love you anyhow!)
Positive comments -
- entertaining writing style
- I could be friends with her
- loved her sarcasm and humor
- liked her commitment to her marriage
- she had amazing discipline to reach her goal (cooking all the recipes in MtAoFC in one year)
- too much strong language
- she's too young to whine so much!
- would like to try her food, but won't want to eat in her dirty house
- bored with some of it - too many details about chopping onions/etc.
- committed to her own marriage, but very liberal with friends and their marriages and/or relationships - even encouraging a friend to sleep with a married man
- she cooked and ate brains ... and was so nonchalant about it!
- she seemed 'empty' like she was looking for something to fulfill her
- can't imagine doing major cooking almost every night after working a full day
- it was wonderful that Eric (her husband) always did the dishes - yeah for Eric!
- surprised she cooked the recipes in order and didn't jump around - which meant they had beef for days on end, then chicken, then fish, etc.
- interesting that Julia was not impressed with Julie's project and sad that she passed away before the book or movie were released, she might have changed her mind
- how do French people live so long with so much butter/cream in their diets?
- Let's add up how much butter we used in the recipes tonight - no, let's not!
- Gimlets are good!
Good-looking October Club!
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3 comments:
I would love to read this book OR see the movie! I can't believe I haven't done either. And I love your review- with brains and all.
It IS funny about all these other cultures eating/ drinking crazy stuff all the time and they are perfectly fine {do the Chinese have whole grain rice? I think not...}.
Enjoying your blog!
Your book club sounds so fun. I wish that I could get something started like that in my area. How did you hook up with the ladies?
Hillary, I haven't seen the movie yet, but want to as soon as it comes out on dvd. I've heard it has more of Julia Child's life story in than the book did.
Deborah, the club is fun. A few friends and I started it about 4 years ago. Those friends aren't even attending right now, cuz their schedules are too busy - but now more of my neighbors are. I told them about it a time or two and a few came, then some more. We average about 5 or 6 at club - but this month, with french food, there were 10 of us.
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