People Who Love to Eat Are Always the Best People: And Other Wisdom

by Julia Child

Overview

A charming, giftable collection of the beloved, best-selling author's inimitable quotes—her words of wisdom on love, life, and, of course, food.

"If you're afraid of butter, use cream." So decrees Julia Child, the legendary culinary authority and cookbook author who taught America how to cook—and how to eat. This delightful volume of quotations compiles some of Julia's most memorable lines on eating—"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook"—on drinking, on life—"I think every woman should have a blowtorch"—on love, travel, France, and much more. Perfect for Julia fans, home cooks, and anyone who simply loves to eat and drink.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525658795
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	16,505
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California, in 1912. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II. She married Paul Child and they moved to Paris, where she studied at the Cordon Bleu. In Paris, she taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made Julia Child a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1964 and an Emmy in 1966, the first of several. After a more than fifty-year career as an author, teacher, and advocate for home cooking, including numerous public television series and best-selling cookbooks, she remains a beloved culinary icon. In 2002, her Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen, featured in many of her television series, was displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where it now anchors the museum’s first major exhibit on food history. She was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2000 and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003 for her contributions to French and American culture. She died in Santa Barbara, California, in 2004, two days before her ninety-second birthday. Since then, the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, which Julia established before she died, has continued her legacy, by educating and encouraging others to cook, eat, and drink well, through grants and by presenting the annual Julia Child Award.

Date of Birth:

August 5, 1912

Date of Death:

August 12, 2004

Place of Birth:

Pasadena, California

Place of Death:

Santa Barbara, California

Education:

B.A., Smith College, 1934; Le Cordon Bleu, 1950

Read an Excerpt

“Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”


“Certainly one of the important requirements for learning how to cook is that you also learn how to eat. If you don’t know how an especially fine dish is supposed to taste, how can you produce it? Just like becoming an expert in wine—you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford—you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simple or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.”


“Food, like the people who eat it, can be stimulated by wine or spirits. And, as with people, it can also be spoiled.”


“A fine loaf of plain French bread, the long crackly kind a Frenchman tucks under his arm as he hurries home to the family lunch, has a very special quality. Its inside is patterned with holes almost like Swiss cheese, and when you tear off a piece it wants to come sideways; it has body, chewability, and tastes and smells of the grain.”


“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.”

Editorial Reviews

10/19/2020

Some of culinary legend Child’s notable quips and quotes are collected in this slim compendium culled from her writing, television appearances, interviews, and correspondence. Child’s words are predictably clever (“Don’t forget the butter—the French never do!”) and even inspiring (“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it”), but this is a scanty selection, with fewer than 90 aphorisms, padded with illustrations of kitchen utensils. Remarks like “I’m a beet freak” and “Fat give things flavor” float in space, naked of any context. “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing” and “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients” are encouraging bits of counsel, but they are concepts that have long permeated culinary culture, due in no small part to Child herself. The work concludes with a brief biography detailing Child’s trajectory, including her Pasadena, Calif., upbringing, her degree from Smith College, her stint in Paris, and her famous tenure at PBS. When Child commands “Don’t eat meekly!” one wishes this volume reflected that same adventurous spirit. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"As with her meals, the latest book from culinary legend Julia Child is a true labor of love, brimming with words of wisdom, life lessons and, of course, food — the perfect companion for the cooking enthusiast and her countertops." 
—Kristin Granero, TODAY.com 
 
"This one’s for the food-lovers (and Julia Child fans) in your life. (But let’s be honest—isn’t that everyone?) This nicely bound book is a collection of Child’s best quotes, including some of her best lines about eating and food . . . This is a compact, meaningful gift that they’ll love tucking next to their cookbook collection."
—Lauren Phillips, RealSimple.com 
 
"A delightful treat sure to be gobbled up by foodies on your gift list."
—The Wall Street Journal

"The legendary culinary authority taught us not only how to cook with her books and PBS shows, but also life lessons through her keen perceptions, wit, and the power of her punchy words . . . Inspiring and entertaining, the volume provides a much-needed lift these days as we prepare for the holidays." —The Boston Globe

"[This book] collects [Julia Child's] lifetime of wisdom in pithy and humorous quotes you’ll enjoy reading again and again . . . it fits the bill as a great gifting idea for both the aspiring and seasoned cooks in your life." 
—Southern Living


"[People Who Love to Eat Are Always the Best People] should make the cooking aficionados on your list gleeful. A great stocking stuffer, it will make a delightful treasure trove of all things culinary for cooking buffs of any age . . . [Julia Child] is known for having said, “Eating is one of the French National Sports.” Many of the sayings included here offer what could be the start of many an essay . . . It would be fun for me to go on and on with these witticisms, but then you wouldn’t buy the book, and you should." —Mims Cushing, The Florida Times-Union

From the Publisher

10/16/2020

For readers looking to become a better cook, or Francophiles seeking company in their appreciation of French culture, there's something for everyone in this collection of quotes by acclaimed chef Child (1912–2004). Whether speaking to food, eating, kitchen utensils, or French gastronomy culture, Child draws on articles, interviews, and earlier books. The title is taken from a notable quote relating to how to enjoy a meal, setting the book's tone: "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients." Illustrations of cooking utensils are featured throughout, adding whimsy to nearly every page. The work concludes with biographical information on Child, along with a list of sources for each quote, which may encourage aspiring chefs of all ages looking for more insight. VERDICT For lovers of all things Child and appreciators of a clever quip, this is a great read that would be a nice supplemental purchase for larger collections and an ideal gift for foodies.—Sara Jurek, Children's English Lib., Stuttgart, Germany

Library Journal

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