My Visit to Julia Child

As soon as I heard about the concept of the book being written called Julie & Julia, I've been mildly obsessed with it. We'll go ahead and say it, I'm jealous I didn't think of the idea first. I've read the book at least twice, and watched the movie more times than I can count. I adore the novel, the story, and the characters. I especially love the chapter on Lobster Murder. (Which, I feel the movie doesn't do justice to - please, go read the book. Hysterical.) I tend to admire people who didn't get started young, but rather discovered their passions later on in life (like the famous dancer, Martha Graham). Julia Child didn't learn to cook until she was 39, and still made a huge impact on the world.


So, to cater to my obsession, Scott and I made it a specific point to make a visit to Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington D.C.. And let me tell you, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Although no, I didn't leave a box of butter in the exhibit in honor of Julia. You can read the about the original butter incident on the blog that started it all, The Julie/Julia Project. Disclaimer: Julie is no stranger to foul language, so if you choose to read this, be warned that it's a little less than proper.


But butter aside, I loved how the exhibit was set up. For obvious reasons you weren't allowed to go into the kitchen, but there was a way you were able to "step inside" plexiglass insets into the doorways so it felt as if you were standing right in the middle of everything. Her cookbooks were inches from my hand, and every detail down to her kitchen magnets was there. It felt as if you might see Julia wander through any second, as though she never left.

This was an unexpected detail to me, and I got so excited I could hardly stand it.

Now that's a well-used cookbook. "Mrs. JOY!?"

Details all the way down to the kitchen magnets. 

Blurry, but this is where Julie left her butter tribute to Julia. There were too many people to get a decent picture right here.

I also have to say this about Julia Child - the woman was ALL about accessibility. She wanted everything at the tip of her fingers. Everything down to paring knives and small cream pitchers is hung from the wall in some fashion.

The Obsessee.

Minus the crowds of people, I really enjoyed this exhibit, and it certainly hasn't detracted from my love of the story of Julia's life. Julie wrote a great post that sums it up nicely the day after Julia passed, and I encourage you to read it (here).


Verdict: Worth the trip, and I hope you visit it yourself! :)