THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR INTEREST, SUPPORT, AND COMMENTS, BUT THIS BLOG POST IS NOW SHUT DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. MANY THANKS FOR READING AND I LOVE THE DIALOGUE, BUT WE ALL NEED TO MOVE ON. 
BEST VA
July 15th I had the real pleasure of seeing a sneak preview of “Julie and Julia”. Tony Conway, owner of Legendary Events in Atlanta hosted an amazing Girls Night Out. Following cocktails and dinner, a group of about 400 women filed into the theatre at Phipps Plaza. The movie doesn’t actually premiere until early August! The event itself was truly spectacular and a perfect example of why Tony Conway is regarded as one of the best in his business.
The movie was so charming that I left wanting to see it again. Based on true stories, “Julie & Julia” intertwines the lives of two women in a fascinating way. I am a huge Meryl Streep fan and she was amazing. She is such a chameleon and, of course, had Julia’s voice and mannerisms nailed.
But, it triggered something that’s been nagging me ever since.
First, the movie. In short, the plot is the story of a frustrated temporary secretary, Julie Powell, embarking on a year-long culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She chronicles her tribulations in a blog called “The Julie/Julia Project: Nobody here but us servantless American cooks”. The blog caught on and was eventually featured in a piece in the New York Times by food writer Amanda Hesser. Julie’s life was changed forever, her blog turned into a best-selling memoir, Nora Ephron wrote her screenplay, and now Amy Adams is playing her on the big screen.
The film, also covers the years Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) spent in Paris during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Their portion of the story was adapted from My Life in France, written by Julia Child with nephew Alex Prud’homme. Basically, this was the time when Julia became Julia, attended Le Cordon Bleu and met her collaborators Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. They began to teach cooking to American women in the Child’s kitchen, calling their informal school L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes. For the next decade, as the Childs moved around Europe and finally to their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the three researched, developed, and tested French recipes for the American kitchen. The result of this long collaboration was Mastering the Art of French Cooking edited by the imitable Judith Jones.
I promise this will eventually address the source of my irritation. Stick with me.
The first time I met Julia Child was at a book signing when I was in culinary school at L’Academie de Cuisine in DC. I stood there like a zombie in front of her, incapable of speech. A friend eventually jotted me out of my stupor and pushed me along.
After DC, I became an editorial stagiaire for Anne Willan at Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne . I was supposed to be there for 3 months,but was there on and off for almost 3 years. Julia actually encouraged Anne to open the school. My first year I was working with none other than Amanda Hesser (see above), who at the time was also working on her first book, The Cook and the Gardener. During that time Julia would come to visit, staying weeks at a time. The staff at LaVarenne was predominantly young food knowledge hungry Americans. We had grown up seeing her on TV and she was one of the reasons we were there in France. We would vacillate wildly from “OH MY G*D, IT’S JULIA CHILD” to complete nonchalance. It was normal. She was always very pleasant. I don’t remember why, but once at the dinner table, in her famous warbling voice she declared, Eisenhower nothing more than a “big powder-puff”. Sure wish I could remember the context…. One winter at the Food Writer’s Symposium at the Greenbrier we shared a suite. I treated her like my grandmother, made sure she didn’t forget her cane and carried her books. (That was a hoot! I’ll write about that some other time.)
Promise. It’s coming.
After France I moved to New York to work for Martha. I ran into Julia at food events, and that was pretty much the extent of it.
Ok, here we go.
I also read the Julie/Julia Project blog and for a time, I followed Julie Powell. I was very intrigued by her nerve actually, of cooking the book. Pretty stiff stuff for an untrained cook. Good for her, I thought. What an undertaking. But one day she made a comment implying a recipe being wrong for roast chicken. I honestly don’t remember what it was, but it struck me as being so disrespectful, completely without deference to Julia Child, that I stopped. What the hell did she know about food? Had she even heard of poulet au Bresse? Didn’t go back. No malice. Just didn’t want to follow anymore.
That brings me back to the present. Wednesday night I watched the Julie and Julia movie.
“Had a lovely time, Tony, thanks so much for a lovely party.”
The next night I saw a link on Twitter from an older article from the New York Times. I clicked through and read. It was in my opinion, decent writing, good writing, but it wasn’t about food. It made me think it maybe needed to be in a blog. It was not appropriate on that stage, on that level. It was the damn New York Times!
To be clear, it was NOT written by Amanda Hesser.
And, then it all made sense. My underlying malaise.
People who happen to eat and are able to type are now our new food experts. The incredible proliferation and self-indulgent blabber of many food blogs has given people the freedom to hallucinate, “I can type and I eat, therefore I am a food journalist”!
Granted, Julie Powell did not present herself as a food expert. I am not saying she did, quite the contrary. It’s also not a case of sour grapes on my part. Bravo for her. Her food memoir was a best-seller. A rising tide floats all boats, and as a food writer, I wholeheartedly thank her.
I am not necessarily saying my writing is better. After all, who am I to question what is published in the New York Times? Of course, I recognize the irony that I am sharing this indeed in an aforementioned self-serving blog. But good grief, people who don’t know how to begin to roast a ding dang chicken without following a recipe can be our new, ahem, food experts? This makes me a bit sad and more than a bit aggravated.
The newspaper industry has starved itself to death. In the past two years 10 dailies have permanently stopped the presses. Indeed, the New York Times has been rumored to be circling the drain. The blogs and online content have taken over. The cookbook publishing industry took a hearty bite out of the poison apple, as well. The prerequisite to getting a cookbook published is brand and platform, not necessarily real food knowledge, editorial training, and a passionate commitment to test and develop recipes.
Face it; Julia Child would not be published today.
I had a meeting with a TV production company last year that possibly is interested in partnering on a TV cooking show. The producer told me the worst thing I had going for me is that I was trained and knew how to cook. Everyone who can wield a butter knife wants a TV cooking show. Seems the masses want entertainment, not education. Enough hair product and a sassy catchphrase seems to be sufficient.
Think about the food writers who spent their entire careers pursuing real food knowledge and good, sound, cooking fundamentals. Think about writers who wrote real literature that happened to be about food: Elizabeth David. MFK Fisher. Anne Willan. The real cooks and writers today, the real experts need to be heard, not just any food blogger armed with an iPhone.
On that note, I am sharing my recipe for Roast Chicken.
Bon Appétit!
VA
PS. IT WAS LATER POINTED OUT TO ME IT’S POULET DE BRESSE, NOT AU BRESSE. I LEFT IT AS IS SINCE SOME OF THE COMMENTS REFER TO IT. I STAND CORRECTED. MY FRENCH IS, WAS, AND ALWAYS WILL LIKELY BE, DISMAL.
Herb Roast Chicken with Pan Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
Meme washed her chickens inside and out before cooking them, removing every last bit of fat, overlooked feathers, and any bruises, blemishes, or blood spots. She said if you didn’t, it tasted too “chickeny.” That bird was sanitized—or so she thought. I would never argue with Meme, but according to the USDA, washing chicken is not necessary. If the bird is contaminated, dangerous bacteria are not going to be affected by cold tap water. Washing the chicken actually increases the chance of cross-contamination; water that has touched raw chicken and splashed into the sink can potentially contaminate other food.
This recipe relies on a classic French preparation: stuffing the bird with aromatics, roasting it to perfection, and using the pan juices plus added shallots, wine, and stock to make a light sauce. There’s not a lot to cloud the plate or palate or mask a mistake. I will often order chicken, seemingly the most boring dish on the menu, when trying a new restaurant. Simple roast chicken is the test of a good cook.
1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon, quartered
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
11/2 cups chicken stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425°F. To prepare the chicken, trim the excess fat from inside of the chicken cavity. Season the cavity with the herbes de Provence, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice into the cavity and then insert the used lemon quarters. Rub butter over the skin and season with salt and pepper. Tie the ends of the drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Set the chicken in a roasting pan, on a rack if you have one.
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350°F. Roast for an additional 15 minutes, then add the carrot and onion to the pan. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife, an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a warm platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
To make the sauce, remove all but several tablespoons of the fat from the roasting pan and place the pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and increase the heat to high, scraping the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits.
Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes more. Carve the chicken and pour any accumulated chicken juices from the cutting board into the roasting pan. Decrease the heat to medium. Whisk in the butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side.
From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking by Virginia Willis, copyright © 2008. Published by Ten Speed Press.
VIRGINIA WILLIS CULINARY PRODUCTIONS, LLC © 2009
July 17, 2009 at 2:49 am |
Bravo VA! You nailed it!
Steff
July 17, 2009 at 11:11 am |
I have heard that so many times-order the simplest dish on the menu and see if that is done right. After all, it shows the quality of the ingredients, the care and skill of the kitchen staff and the vision of the restaurant much more than anything else. And yes Virginia, there are lots of ‘chefs’ out there who don’t actually cook but the good news is that there are still chefs who do and you’re one of them. I’ve seen you roast a chicken-you can do it.
July 17, 2009 at 11:29 am |
Great post Virginia. I definitely agree on various points. I think this “new media” though is to a certain extent self-selecting, in the sense that while the entertainment factor is huge, that will never triumph over good content that is of service to its people. I constantly see this in the wine world too–but then there, since I am not making wine, I guess you could say “what do I know about wine?” Look at Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. Or art and music critics, etc. Hopefully there is always a balance and that those that aren’t technically trained invest in knowledge–and cultivate a respect for those who are “references” in their field.
You are lucky to have met Julia! Abrazo from Chile.
July 17, 2009 at 4:30 pm |
Whoa….I see what you’re saying, and I agree, wholeheartedly, about the publishing issues we face. And I say that both as publisher and publishee. I have had to turn down many a spectacular book because some marketing wonk who doesn’t know a whisk from a spitoon is complaining that the author isn’t on the Food Network. Anyway: I really like what Julie’s done, and her chutzpah for endeavoring such a project. And having been in her shoes years back (temp, disenfranchised, the whole deal), I distinctly remember the feeling of needing both a project, and metaphysical solace from my crappy day-to-day. This said, I too have had issues with a Child recipe: I tried to bake something from one of her books–brownies, I believe–and they came out with the consistency of the Host. I ranted and raved and kvetched loudly and totally blamed Julia. Then I discovered that I forgot the flour. (I failed baking in cooking school.)
July 17, 2009 at 4:41 pm |
Well, thanks for the comment. There’s not much pretty about the word rant, and I really don’t want to sound harpish or sour. I’ve gotten quite a few comments needless to say.
It’s not so much about Julie – but, I get these blog updates that blow my mind – and the burner light. Have a great weekend!
July 17, 2009 at 4:32 pm |
Thank you, Virginia for so beautifully and bravely expressing your frustrations, ones that so many of us share. Although I can’t claim your amazing expertise or experience, I can definitely relate!
July 17, 2009 at 4:43 pm |
I hear you, Virginia! Loved your post! Have a good one!
July 17, 2009 at 8:14 pm |
Thank you for this thoughtful, well-written post. I agree with Jill that it’s brave to put this out there – some people will get huffy about it, but I think just as many are silently nodding their heads.
July 17, 2009 at 8:40 pm |
I have friends who are photographers and they constantly battle with clients over the value of their work. The theory is that since most people have cameras, they under-value photography. I’d say it’s often true for endeavors that rely on familiar things – there’s a tendency to value true skills involved to a lesser degree. (I secretly think this is part of the motivation for some of the molecular gastronomists – making one’s profession more difficult, inaccessible to the commoner, dangerous or obtuse is a way to distance yourself from the crowd. Look what lawyers have done. Or any profession.)
I am not a professionally trained cook but I pride myself on the fact that my husband lists my roast chicken at the top of his “last meal” list. I am with you on that one. He is “my Paul.”
I owe a debt to Julia and recently thanked Judith Jones for having the courage and foresight to publish her. In the Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee era, it’s tough to find real cooks on TV but I blame that on timid execs looking for easy copycat ratings and brands they can exploit.
We have the equalizing effect of the Internet and I can choose to read the bland “cheese sandwich” blogs or I can read you and those of similar quality. I think there will be a place for true expertise and there are those of us who will find it, appreciate it.
The papers? That’s another long post…
I agree with Eagranie: here’s my unsilent nod to you!
July 19, 2009 at 6:39 pm |
VA, As always a wonderful post. But I struggle with this notion of “I have a mouth and a computer, so I’ll be a food writer.” To your point, modern technology puts into the hands of SOME people who know little about food the power to reach countless readers and to get, in some cases, significant media attention. It’s frustrating and irksome. But at the same time I believe there’s a culinary natural (self-) selection that is going on. Those who put out wonky, wobbly food information and failed recipes will eventually lose followers and readers. Few things can kill a blog or web site faster than pissed off home cooks.
Reliable sites and blogs published by responsible writers (even they if aren’t formally trained in the culinary arts) will survive and thrive. Leite’s Culinaria gains new readers every month–and this is after more than 10 years of being on the Internet. I’m always tell students in my writing class: “Talent like water seeks its own level.” In time a blogger or Web writer will fall into his or her natural place in the great cyber food chain. Yes, there will be those exceptions who have the right combination of “giggle and jiggle” to make it on TV, even if their knowledge is limited. But this has ALWAYS been the case, and in every public industry. All it takes is a look at film and TV to see that.
To me there are two positive things that can be taken from this:
1. People can ALWAYS learn more. The vapid food blogger or Web site writer can become a crackerjack journalist with education and dedication. Not all will seek it, but the possibility is always there.
2. Those writers who are trained, careful, responsible, dedication, etc. can use this phenomenon to further sharpen their skills or to jump into the cyber world and claim their own bandwidth. Some of the writers I know who complain the most vociferously about this are those who have no Internet presence. The Web and all it has to offer is not going away. We’re in the middle of a huge paradigm shift in the life of the written word, and those writers who latch on to and take advantage of these changes are better poised to grab the brass ring and capture a whole new audience.
July 21, 2009 at 3:00 pm |
Hi, Virginia. Just a quick comment on the topic of food bloggers “vs.” newspapers. Earlier this month, the PR machinery behind “Julie & Julia” organized a special screening of the film JUST for said bloggers, some of whom were flown out and put up in hotels, etc., at the studio’s expense. The bloggers watched the film and were treated to a live workshop on food styling, a cooking demo by a former “Top Chef” contestant and a Q&A with Julie Powell. Contrast that experience to mine as an ink-stained wretch from an actual, old-school newspaper: Tonight, I will schlep to a multiplex somewhere in Burbank where, I am told, “there will be lots of people trying to get in, but your name will be on a list.” Oh, and, in exchange for “getting” to see the movie early, could I “agree not to write about it” until the day it’s released? I laughed when I heard that last part, since the aforementioned bloggers already have posted reviews/interviews/photos all over the place. Yes, I was told, publicists still are trying to figure out the whole “building buzz” aspect of the Internet while also acknowledging the role of “real journalists” (their words) like myself. I didn’t know whether to laugh (again) or cry.
July 21, 2009 at 3:43 pm |
Hello Virginia,
Having been in this biz for decades I was nodding all the way along with your commentary. Years ago, when I mentioned to a vet treating my dog that I wrote food articles and cookbooks, he said, “I want to do that sometime.” Now, he probably is! I am told by contact at a major newspaper food section that the few remaining actual journalists are dismissively referred to as the “content providers” by the on-line folks. Good grief! But maybe,as with most things, this too shall pass.
July 21, 2009 at 5:26 pm |
great article…..and all you YELP people need to find a short bridge….
July 22, 2009 at 11:33 am |
A very well written article about something which, despite being an amateur food blogger myself, does frustrate me to no end. I make no claims of being a chef myself, but I try my hardest to research and back up any claims if I’m going to make a bold statement of fact about something food related being solidly one way or another.
This makes me think how it’s been an interesting couple of decades regarding the vegetarian and vegan markets. There are some incredibly crappy vegan cookbooks out there by well known vegan “chefs” which are drab and devoid of any useful food knowledge. I’m sure it’s as you mentioned, that what’s being sold are brands and gimicks rather than good, old fashioned education.
July 22, 2009 at 12:13 pm |
Virginia, this is a fascinating post with a lot of salient points. It’s amazing how blogging has democratized not only the food world, but every other niche under the sun. That has both pros and cons and doesn’t bother me, as cream nearly always rises to the top. Even in the blogging world.
But not it the case of Julie and Julia. Sometimes, as we know, poor quality stuff catches on with the masses for reasons that can never be discerned. What really bothered me most about the Julie/Julia phenomenon is simply that the book based on the blog is such badly written drivel. That the movie had to be padded out with scenes from another book about Julia speaks volumes. I’d love to see the movie mainly to witness another great performance by Meryl Streep, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to do so! Thanks for the wonderful post.
July 23, 2009 at 4:36 pm |
Fantastic post! One of the last points you made struck me. Julia would not be published now. However, Julia was published in a time when no one wanted to really spend the time cooking, everyone was playing with the latest convenience foods…. so it seems we’re in a similar climate right now. Again, what it appears people want is quick bit-sized entertainment and not expertise. Hopefully that means there will always be a place for the Julias.
July 23, 2009 at 5:03 pm |
While I do not condone each and every moviewatcher starting food blogs, to assume amateurs, the non “food writers” in your piece, can not pursue “real food knowledge and good, sound, cooking fundamentals” is just a bit presumptious.
Julie Childs wouldn’t be published today for her bearnaise sauce recipe because there are 1000 bearnaise sauce recipes out there for free. However, her narrative and amazing persona would be just as publishable as say, the gal from “Steamy Kitchen”.
Personally, I’m taking a 30 day hiatus after J&J officially releases on August 7th. The movie was fun, but I refuse to let this Julie woman symbolize every food “blogger”.
July 23, 2009 at 6:38 pm |
When I started teaching cooking classes I was shocked to find that my function was as much about entertainment as about teaching.
July 23, 2009 at 7:21 pm |
virginia, i was so glad to read your post. i have been in the business for thirty years, trained at cia etc. and adore the classics, just as do you and did, julia. what sticks in my craw is the same. when i read julie’s blog there was a huge lack of respect for julia, and it seemed to me it was about celebrity, doing something to be noticed and not for the soul of la belle cuisine! my toque’s off to you, and hope to meet you before too long, perhaps savannah or chapel hill. merci beaucoup!
July 23, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
Wow! It just amazes me how some people just don’t get it. The Web, blogs, and cyber buzz can help or hurt, but I don’t believe that Julie Powell set out to be a celebrity or planned to be disrespectful of Julia. Celebrity came about through an utterly unique idea that has spawn countless copycat (and less interesting) projects. Snark (aka disrespect) is part of Julie’ style–just spend time reading some of her other writing.
I think in the end she has done more for Julia than a whole cavalcade of publicity flaks could have. Just look at the newest edition of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”–timed to release with the movie. It features scenes from the film on the cover. Knopf is benefiting from what Julie Powell did–even while I’m sure some of them are holding their noses at having to sellout to bloggers. And I know some young people (late teens and early 20s) who were introduced to Julia through Julie’s blog and book–an audience she may never have amassed if not for Julie.
We can argue the merits, or lack thereof of, Powell’s writing. (I personally have some problems with it as well as a silly issue with her cusing, even though I have trench mouth myself.) But to ignore the fact that she is partly responsible for keeping the Child legacy alive and surely has increased enrollment at Le Cordon Bleu for a new generation seems disrespectful of her and hypocritical of her critics.
(Note: I have no relationship with Julie other than having exchanged a few Facebook wall messages and Tweets.]
July 24, 2009 at 3:16 pm |
I am reading this post along the same lines of Anthony Bourdain’s – why are they putting media figures instead of actual cooks on the food network – and can understand the annoyance. While we want exposure to be earned, that isn’t always the case in this fleeting “need cheap content and quick publicity” culture to feed the beast.
I do also want to make a comment on Julie’s experience. I’m not a foodie, don’t read a lot of food blogs unless I’m looking for a restaurant recommendation, I never read Julie’s blog but I did read her book. And can I say, her journey through it all moved me to tears. And as an outsider in this food culture, as one of the masses, it was the story that was compelling. Someone at the edge of cubicle-despair who was trying to find a way out. And did! What led her through the journey, the cookbook, the food – that was almost beside the point. She is not in any way an expert, but in the telling of the tale, it hit a fundamental truth. It resonated – which is probably why the blog led to the book led to the movie and all that. So I’m not responding to her actual recipes – I’m responding to this finding-yourself experience with Julia Child as a vehicle. Which is probably what everyone else, outside of the food world, is responding to. So yes, I agree with you, it wasn’t about the food.
That being said, reading about Julia Child in her book got me more interested in Julia and cooking in general. So there is some sort of upshot there for the foodies. And perhaps that will lead me on a further journey, to a refinement of tastes in the realm of food authors/writers. One has to start somewhere.
And I’m also of the opinion that in the long run, expertise will win out… and I hope that is the case in food writing. It’s just that out there on the internets, there are no editors, there is just audience. So eyeballs always win, regardless of content. It’s all still evolving so we shall see…
July 24, 2009 at 3:59 pm |
[...] who was brought in old school traditions, even as she embraces new school technologies. She had an in-depth exploration of her feelings a week or so back. The entire thing is worth a read, but this is the part that took me in: I also [...]
July 24, 2009 at 5:18 pm |
The whole article certainly would have a little more impact if the author had bothered doing her research and realized that Bresse is a place, in France, and the chicken is coming from there, thus Poulet de Bresse. 10 seconds google search would have answered that question…
July 30, 2009 at 8:38 pm |
ooh SNAP!
July 26, 2009 at 10:07 pm |
I haven’t read the book yet. I do think it’s a novel idea, however.
As someone who attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (upon Julia’s generous recommendation at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival in 1990), and who wrote for many years as a food critic and food writer for a newspaper, and as a recently published cookbook author AND blogger, I’ve got to admit to the same mixed emotions Virginia shares.
The deluge of “information” is everywhere. When I left the newspaper, I resented the blogosphere. I saw (and see) stuff everywhere from people that really don’t know anything about cooking, but write about it. Many of those few that know something about cooking can’t write. When I wrote as a restaurant critic, I learned that everyone (even those that had no clue what they were talking about), had an “educated” opinion. Hmmm.
Now I have a blog, because it’s a necessity for “platforming.” Now, I have a cookbook, because it’s necessary to pay the bills.
What we all have is the memory of Julia and that is one to be revered and treasured in the age of bouffant TV babes and pedantic, fact-checking-lazy bloggers.
I’m quite certain the cream will eventually rise to the top. It really, truly, always does!
God bless Julia and everything she gave us!
July 29, 2009 at 9:07 pm |
I was totally with you, until you said Julia Child would not have gotten a cookbook deal today. She barely got one back then! Her book was initially rejected! Remember? Also, food bloggers even hallucinating ones don’t claim to be “food journalists.” Why blame the bloggers anyway? It’s so 2004. How about blaming the food writers who aren’t stepping up to the plate or readers who aren’t interested?
July 29, 2009 at 9:34 pm |
Oh, I see. You’re a snob.
July 29, 2009 at 9:41 pm |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 29, 2009 at 10:10 pm |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 12:02 am |
Question: where do we put food bloggers who ARE ALSO print journalists? How do we categorize them? Do we lump everyone together, or do we separate out the folks who publish on both platforms, each one benefitting the other? And yes, Amy is right: Houghton Mifflin rejected Mastering after a lengthy development, calling it idiosyncratic and not for the “American home kitchen.” The book was in development for 10 years before publication at Knopf.
July 30, 2009 at 12:12 am |
The one thing I cannot fathom is WHY on earth writers–digital and print–can’t just stop yammering, and help each other. Why the sniping and the ill-will?
July 30, 2009 at 12:31 am |
It’s amazing how snarky things get. I meant no ill will to anyone. But, as I said – we’re at least talking about food. Poulet au AND de Bresse.
July 30, 2009 at 12:57 am |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 1:06 am |
I’ve been called many, many things, but prissy isn’t generally one of them.
I love the dialogue, when it is true dialogue, not one blog completely cutting and pasting or linking. Truly do wonder how many people would have caught my typo in French au/de Bresse had it not been pointed out to them….. Neither here nor there. I stand by what I wrote. And, I relish the conversation. VA
July 30, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Sorry Virginia, but perhaps a parallel can be drawn between you (a true foodie, expressing vitriol toward Julie for her food ignorance) and a seasoned writer/journalist who takes issue with your apparent disdain toward proper use of language.
If you’re going to dish it out, you have to be able to take it.
July 30, 2009 at 3:25 am |
[...] Today, Gawker had a great item called “Prissy Food Bloggers Hate Food Blogger Movie,” which has generated a LOT of traffic back to my own hopefully minimally prissy pseudo-food blog, thanks to Gawker reader “snugbug” who linked to an item my friend Sorina wrote about foodie beach reads a few weeks ago. I’m in snugbug’s camp when it comes to Julie Powell’s writing prowess, and so wanted to add my unsolicited two cents to the debate, because I’ve had the pleasure of working with Powell, who is about as unprissy as they come. (Amy Adams, who portrays her in the movie, is another story for another time. Who has that kind of energy??) The debate seems to stem around whether or not Julie Powell has the chops to cook. I would venture that a recent post featuring a photo of Powell wielding a small knife with which she has boned an entire pork leg while wearing a “don’t fuck with the cook” apron should help to silence her detractors. [...]
July 30, 2009 at 7:07 am |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 7:20 am |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 9:15 am |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 9:42 am |
[...] savaged in food blogger circles. Chef, cookbook author and food blogger Virginia Willis’ slam set the tone. While professing “no malice,” it took Powell to task for daring to [...]
July 30, 2009 at 2:59 pm |
I disagree with you wholeheartedly on your assessment of Julie Powell. Her rantings were more about the frustrations of an untrained cook trying to do 524 mostly very advanced recipes in 365 days.
And let’s be clear, she was also a freelance journalist when she started this. She was temping LMDC, but she already had several bylines in national publications.
Julie Powell: Food Amateur… Real Journalist.
July 30, 2009 at 3:34 pm |
Hi Virginia,
Oh this is all so delicious. As you know, I wrote a post on my blog on the subject, but at least I was more responsible than Gawker.
Here’s an account of the blogger event Sony held in LA. Talk about making the print world feel irrelevant. See http://www.barbaricgulp.com/2009/07/my-trip-to-la-giveaway.html
July 30, 2009 at 4:56 pm |
Well-written, Virginia. I’m so curious to see the movie myself. Having been an old-school freelance magazine food writer for over a decade, I too have had a flurry of emotion over the burgeoning food blog scene. But one very big positive I’ve taken from it is finding the courage to step out in my own voice, rather than stay behind by-lines. For that, I’m grateful for what people like Julie have done.
July 30, 2009 at 5:50 pm |
I struggle with kind of going public myself – not only writing a blog but even commenting on them! – which is so totally, embarrasingly stupid to say. And you’re totally right, Lia, it’s about courage. Thanks for pointing that out about self-publishers.
August 4, 2009 at 3:45 pm |
Michael Ruhlman, writing about Michael Pollan’s essay in the NYTimes – look to the end to see what he says about the importance/courage/significance of food bloggers: http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/08/julie-julia-foodie-cook.html
August 5, 2009 at 9:51 am |
[...] Today, Gawker had a great item called “Prissy Food Bloggers Hate Food Blogger Movie,” which has generated a LOT of traffic back to my own hopefully minimally prissy pseudo-food blog, thanks to Gawker reader “snugbug” who linked to an item my friend Sorina wrote about foodie beach reads a few weeks ago. I’m in snugbug’s camp when it comes to Julie Powell’s writing prowess, and so wanted to add my unsolicited two cents to the debate, because I’ve had the pleasure of working with Powell, who is about as unprissy as they come. (Amy Adams, who portrays her in the movie, is another story for another time. Who has that kind of energy??) The debate seems to stem around whether or not Julie Powell has the chops to cook. I would venture that a recent post on her blog featuring the above photo of Powell wielding a small knife with which she has boned an entire pork leg while wearing a “don’t fuck with the cook” apron should help to silence her detractors. [...]
August 7, 2009 at 7:31 am |
[...] Willis chimes in with: Julia and Julie: Yes, The Swap is Intentional [...]
August 7, 2009 at 7:26 pm |
The whole dialogue around this has been amazing. Abcnews called to interview me about this blog post and the movie. Some of you are quoted. Check it out.
http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=8267203&pid=4380645
VA
August 7, 2009 at 9:12 pm |
geez, what a hot mess. 1) I would never considering you prissy. Classically trained chef, yes, prissy/bitter, no. Taking issue with a mispresentation of a professional skill is “bitter” only to people trying to stir up drama. 2) it is your blog, so you are allowed to express your own viewpoint however you please. I personally enjoyed the book, not the blog. I am very excited to see the movie, mainly because of meryl streep and stanley tucci, plus those fantastic paris food scenes!
p.s. I do agree that being able to roast a decent chicken is a basic cooking skill, and will def. try your recipe. love the blog and the cookbook!
August 7, 2009 at 10:59 pm |
Note to self: there is no such thing as bad publicity. I think I’ll go start a blog now…
August 8, 2009 at 12:42 am |
Hi Virginia, Congrats on the coverage on ABC News, that’s awesome! I’m going to see the movie tomorrow, thank’s for giving an honest opinion from a “real chef” perspective.
Love, Bon
August 8, 2009 at 2:04 am |
Dear Virginia,
I am loving the fact that you have everyone talking about food, blogging, and Julia! As a food writer with more than a decade under my belt, and a new food blogger, I am hopeful that all of this exchange of ideas will create action in America’s (heck–the world’s) kitchens and bring people back to the craft of cooking. It was Julia who put cooking at the reach of home cooks in America, demystifying it by teaching proper technique and educating the public at large on the subject of eating well. She both enjoyed and respected food. Now, after many years and a reigning, so-called “anti-Julia generation”–when home cooking lost its popular luster–and at a time when home cooks prefer to reheat, rather than to create, to purchase, rather than to make, Julia is once more grabbing the culinary pendulum in her hands and swinging it forward. Thank you for starting this amazingly vibrant exchange. Isn’t free speech wonderful?
August 9, 2009 at 9:37 pm |
Virginia -
Great piece on Julie/Julia and on your thoughts re the validity – or not – of food writing today.
Brava! Our 2010 Symposium for Professional Food Writers will take place in September. Great of you to mention the conference for serious food writers, including bloggers… Toni
August 11, 2009 at 3:38 pm |
[...] Willis, a cookbook author with her own blog, wrote exactly that: “People who happen to eat and are able to type are now our new food [...]
August 13, 2009 at 10:51 am |
Hi
No doubt you take what you do seriously, but not everyone is in that space and good luck to them if they have a bit of fun on the internet. Unless they are pretending to be experts when they are not (in which case they are pretentious) then they aren’t doing any harm. It is what the net is about isn’t it. I’m cooking my way through Marcella’s Essentials in a blog – I only started this year and never heard of Julie’s blog until I saw a poster for the movie. I’m not an expert. I don’t expect a book deal! I’m just having a bit of fun and trying to learn how to cook a few things along the way. As far as I can tell my girlfriend is the only person who reads what I write and that’s just fine by me. And if I insult Marcella – well, too bad for her! I probably already have, thinking about it (bloody no-stir polenta….). We’re all meant to have opinions on things, and if you don’t like what I’m writing then don’t read it (which as I said, is the approach everyone but my girlfriend has taken to date).
David
August 14, 2009 at 12:05 pm |
Glad you are in the kitchen cooking! Thanks so much for reading my blog. Best VA
August 25, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
[...] of my food writer pals was a surprised participant in the hubbub when ABC News called following a blog post of hers to quote her on the food world’s perspectives on the [...]