Julia Child Served Two Ways

 

If you like legendary TV chef Julia Child, these are happy days.   Right now, there are not one, but two snapshots of her famed TV career that can be found on your streams of choice.

First off, I have to share that Julia Child and her "French Chef" PBS series provided many happy memories of watching TV with my mom.   This show was one of our favorites mainly because my mother thought that all the bloops and gaffs from this non-TV-trained personality were the result of Julia being tipsy.

As you learn now, that was hardly the case.  Julia was Julia.   Unpolished to be sure.  But warm and inviting as she showed you how to make the most complex meals in...well...complex ways.   

Right now, there is a HBO Max mini-series of eight episodes that revolve around Julia's efforts to get on TV.  Sarah Lancashire plays the chef and is a lot more than simply an imitation of her.   This performance displays a lot of heart and you become a fan even if you weren't originally.

This mini-series is played with comedic undertones and that makes the embedded reunion of "Frasier" co-stars David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth as Julia's hubby and friend even more apropos.   

Right now, five of the eight episodes are up, so enjoy.   And then you can supplement your appreciation of Julia Child with this.

Late last year, this documentary surfaced courtesy of Ron Howard and Imagine Documentaries.  I caught up to it on my flight back from New York and it covers exactly the same time frame the mini-series does.   It's fun to see the real talking heads that are depicted in mini-series now in their own image, although the principals of Julia and her husband are gone.   

As a result, this documentary served almost as supplemental DVD-like extras to what I've been watching on HBO Max.  And that's fine.

Please check out all of the above and then...here's a surprise...search for some of her real episodes on YouTube.

Nope, Mom, she was not drunk.

Dinner last night:  Caesar salad.