Known throughout the culinary world as a French connoisseur, Julia Child is the inspiration behind these here quotes. Ever since moving to France with her husband Paul, Julia had a great fondness for French cuisine. Which she would bring to light via American television And her various cookbooks. Mrs. Child received a TV invite to review one such book on the (National Educational Television) network.
So, from the woman who made a name for herself amongst housewives and chefs alike, I present you with 65 Most Delightful Julia Child Quotes!
Julia Child – Her Most Delightful Quotes
1. “Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it’s done right. Even a pancake.” — Julia Child
2. “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” — Julia Child
3. “Cooking well doesn’t mean cooking fancy.” — Julia Child
4. “I don’t think about whether people will remember me or not. I’ve been an okay person. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve taught people a thing or two. That’s what’s important. Sooner or later the public will forget you, the memory of you will fade. What’s important is the individuals you’ve influenced along the way.” — Julia Child
5. “This is My invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, And above all have fun!” — Julia Child
6. “Well, all I know is this—nothing you ever Learn is really wasted, And will sometimes be used.” — Julia Child
7. “I enjoy cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food!” — Julia Child
8. “Just speak very loudly And quickly, And state your position with utter conviction, as the French do, And you’ll have a marvelous time!” — Julia Child
9. “The sweetness And generosity And politeness And gentleness And humanity of the French had shown me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly.” — Julia Child
10. “The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile.” — Julia Child
11. “When you flip anything, you just have to have the courage of your convictions, particularly if it’s sort of a loose mass like this. *Flips potato pancake And spills it onto the stove* Well, that didn’t go very well. See, when I flipped it, I didn’t have the courage to do it the way I should’ve. But you can always pick it up, And if you’re alone in the kitchen, who is going to see it? But the only way you learn how to flip things is just to flip them.” — Julia Child
12. “Find something you’re passionate about And keep tremendously interested in it.” — Julia Child
13. “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” — Julia Child
14. “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” — Julia Child
15. “People who love to eat are always the best people.” — Julia Child
16. “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” — Julia Child
17. “Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.” — Julia Child
18. “If you’re in a good profession, it’s hard to get bored, because you’re never finished, there will always be work you haven’t yet done.” — Julia Child
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19. “The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile. I think of My strawberry soufflé. I did that at least 28 times before I finally conquered it.” — Julia Child
20. “Just speak very loudly And quickly, And state your position with utter conviction, as the French do, And you’ll have a marvelous time!” — Julia Child
21. “Life itself is the proper binge.” — Julia Child
22. “A cookbook is only as good as its poorest recipe.” — Julia Child
23. “The more I learned the more I realized how very much one has to know before one is in the know at all.” — Julia Child
24. “It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate, you know someone’s fingers have been all over it.” — Julia Child
25. “Upon reflection, I decided I had three main weaknesses: I was confused (evidenced by a lack of facts, an inability to coordinate My thoughts, And an inability to verbalize My ideas); I had a lack of confidence, which caused me to back down from forcefully stated positions; And I was overly emotional at the expense of careful, ‘scientific’ thought. I was 37 years old And still discovering who I was.” — Julia Child
26. “But how nice it is that one can come to know someone just through correspondence, And become really passionate friends.” — Julia Child
27. “Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen And you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?” — Julia Child
28. “If everything doesn’t happen quite the way you’d like, it doesn’t make too much difference, because you can fix it.” — Julia Child
29. “Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed. Eh, bien, tant pis. Usually, one’s cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth And bear it with a smile, and learn from her mistakes.” — Julia Child
30. “A party without cake is just a meeting.” — Julia Child
31. “And remember that a soufflé will wait for you. You can get it ready two hours ahead, hold it, bake it about 40 minutes before you serve it. The important thing is how to time it so neither one of you collapses!” — Julia Child
32. “In France, cooking is a serious art form And a national sport.” — Julia Child
33. “I think every woman should have a blowtorch.” — Julia Child
34. “Tears mess up your makeup.” — Julia Child
35. “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” — Julia Child
36. “It is hard to imagine a civilization without onions.” — Julia Child
37. “Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.” — Julia Child
38. “But My favorite remained the basic roast chicken. What a deceptively simple dish. I had come to believe that one can judge the quality of a cook by his or her roast chicken. Above all, it should taste like chicken: it should be so good that even a perfectly simple, the buttery roast should be a delight.” — Julia Child
39. “There are only four great arts: music, painting, sculpture, And ornamental pastry- architecture being perhaps the least banal derivative of the latter.” — Julia Child
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40. “Let’s go into the kitchen, And we’re going to make the best chocolate cake you ever put in your mouth!” — Julia Child
41. “I don’t believe in bottled salad dressing… why should you have it bottled? It’s so easy to make. And they never use very good oil.” — Julia Child
42. “Remember, ‘No one’s more important than people! In other words, friendship is the most important thing—not career or housework, or one’s fatigue—and it needs to be tended And nurtured.” — Julia Child
43. “I’m not a chef. I think in this country, we use the term very loosely. I’m a cook And a teacher.” — Julia Child
44. “Celebrity has its uses. I can always get a seat in any restaurant.” — Julia Child
45. “How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” — Julia Child
46. “I discovered that when one follows the artist’s eye one sees unexpected treasures in so many seemingly ordinary scenes.” — Julia Child
47. “The best way to execute French cooking is to get good And loaded And whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit.” — Julia Child
48. “But I was a pure romantic, And only operating with half My burners turned on.” — Julia Child
49. “Fat gives things flavor.” — Julia Child
50. “I think one of the terrible things today is that people have this deathly fear of food: fear of eggs, say, or fear of butter. Most doctors feel that you can have a little bit of everything.” — Julia Child
51. “We had a happy marriage because we were together all the time. We were friends as well as husband And wife. We just had a good time.” — Julia Child
52. “Had been a year earlier. Looking back, it had been a year of growth. Paul’s personality had enlarged, he’d gained further wisdom, if not salary.” — Julia Child
53. “When you have a few cake formulas And filling ideas in your repertoire, you will find that it’s pretty much an assembly job – you can mix And match a different way every time.” — Julia Child
54. “I was in pure, flavorful heaven at the Cordon Bleu.” — Julia Child
55. “I could at times be overly emotional, but was lucky to have the kind of orderly mind that is good at categorizing things” — Julia Child
56. “In France, Paul explained, good cooking was regarded as a combination of national sport And high art, And the wine was always served with lunch And dinner. ‘The trick is moderation,’ he said.” — Julia Child
57. “The service was deft And understated, And the food was spectacular. It was expensive, but, as Paul said, “you are so hypnotized by everything there that you feel grateful as you pay the bill.” — Julia Child
58. “Too much trouble,” “Too expensive,” or “Who will know the difference” are death knells for good food.” — Julia Child
59. “In spite of food fads, fitness programs, And health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal.” — Julia Child
60. “If you don’t pick your audience, you’re lost because you’re not really talking to anybody.” — Julia Child
61. “My, I get so depressed after a poor meal; that’s why I can never stay in England for more than a week.” — Julia Child
62. “The American poultry industry had made it possible to grow a fine-looking fryer in record time And sell it at a reasonable price, but no one mentioned that the result usually tasted like the stuffing inside of a teddy bear.” — Julia Child
63. “You don’t spring into good cooking naked. You have to have some training. You have to learn how to eat.” — Julia Child
64. “I’m awfully sorry for people who are taken in by all of today’s dietary mumbo jumbo. They are not getting any enjoyment out of their food.” — Julia Child
65. “I believe in red meat. I’ve often said: red meat And gin.” — Julia Child
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JULIA | Official Trailer (2021)
JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.
Summary
As you can see, Julia Child had a good sense of humor to go along with her amazing cooking! My all-time favorite Julia Child quote would have to be number 29. It puts a smile upon My face at her quirky comedic side. Try it for yourself the next time you are in need of a spiritual pick me up, and see what I mean.
Image Credit: KUHT, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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