Inspect Her Gadgets

I have completed the first two chapters (about one third of the book) of My Life in France. It appears that the last seven chapters are a bit shorter in length. [It is the math side of my brain which presses me to record such mundane details.] I was amused to learn that Ms. Child and I shared a common fascination: kitchen gadgets. Of course, her mortar and pestle were of a significant scale larger than mine, but well, she was a much better chef. If I start to whip up quenelles de brochet, then perhaps I will consider an upgrade. The chinois (strainer) is already on my list of things to come for the kitchen; I have been using one during volunteer activities in a professional kitchen, and it is extremely handy.

Another observation thus far is that some of the photos do not have captions identifying either place or persons. I wonder if this is due to an understandable lapse in memory on the details of a photo taken 50 years earlier, Ms. Child's death before the final version was completed, or whether the material was so obvious that the subject should be inferred, like the photo of Minette (p.38). I could not recall this item discussed in the Foreward or Introduction, but I do like closure to these types of details.

Regardless of any lack of captions, the book continues most pleasantly and even gave me a sense of foreboding when a certain meal was being prepared. It was as if I were cheering for her every success. Regardless if one has seen Julie & Julia or read Ms. Powell's blog, I think we owe her a bit of thanks for bringing a forgotten gem back to the limelight again.