Welcome to Salt, with Soul 2024. This year, our newsletter will be steered by monthly themes. At the top of the month, a word, person, place, or thing will be revealed, and for that month, all essays and recipes will be inspired by our theme. It’s my way of celebrating all the things I love about life: learning, researching, writing, exploring, being present. With each theme, we’ll explore cuisine, culture, and history as we learn something new, together. Each week, there will be a public post related to the theme- an essay, observation, or recipe. On Fridays, paid subscribers will receive the weekly “Martini Monologues” where we gab about life behind the comfort of a paywall.
Julia Child was not French, nor a chef, and yet for 40 years she made a career of teaching millions how to cook.
She stood tall at 6’2,
She started cooking at 32,
Married Paul Child at age 34,
Starred in her hit TV Show at the age of 54.
In a world where women are pressured to live within the confines of societal norms, Julia Carolyn McWilliams-Child broke the mold.
The first time I heard or saw Julia Child was on the television set on a Saturday morning. I was at my grandfather’s house, and he was watching her masterfully put together a dish. I don’t remember the dish but I remember her laugh. On the small 16-inch screen, there in front of me danced this tall woman through the kitchen. It was so different than anything I had seen before.
Through the years, I’ve watched the SNL skits, the movies, and the documentaries, but it wasn’t until the Max show “Julia” that I truly understood what she did for women, cooking, and the generations that followed her. While it might seem like an on-the-nose choice for the first Theme of 2024, the most appealing part of Julia Child is her against-all-odds lovability.
If the first American cookbook was “The Talisman of Happiness”, the second was “The French Chef.” Julia Child embodies the idea that you can uniquely yourself, and find success. There is so much credit to Julia Child for the way she revolutionized cooking in the 50s, but what we don’t always talk about is how she didn’t just inspire women to learn to cook: she inspired them to learn to live with je ne sais quoi.
She was visual, smart, and above all emphasized the pleasure of life. She was unwavering in what she wanted, uncompromising with her vision, quick-witted, and full of love.
Above all, she was kind- known for answering her phone on Thanksgiving to help frazzled women fix their turkeys- who else would be so gracious with their time?
Socially, Julia was a juxtaposition. Early in her career, she became best friends with James Beard, an openly gay man, but throughout her lifetime, she was known to be cool towards the LGBT community (that was the acronym of her time). Was this hesitation a reflection of her conservative upbringing or something more?
One of the most interesting parts of Julia is her marriage to Paul. Long-standing rumors of Paul’s sexuality and involvement during the McCarthy era surrounded them, but they never seemed to have a façade about it. Julia was always factual and upfront, including in her book.
Above all, she and Paul were best friends who respected one another, encouraged one another, and shared in each other’s success. How rare to see a man so completely comfortable with not being the breadwinner, especially in the 1950s and 60s.
Julia, at the apex of her career, had to balance the beam of selfishness and selflessness in her marriage, a tenuous walk all women experience at some point. Today, we call it “sacrifice”, to Julia though, it was just the unspoken part of marriage that made hers work.
Julia is a reminder that life continues forward: your goal is to savor every moment.
THIS MONTH, WE’LL EXPLORE:
How a Modicum of Moxie is All You Need
Not having a clear path, but running anyway.
Love: a motivating force.
Marriage- what made Paul and Julia stay together
Design: Julia’s kitchen is on display at the Smithsonian- what inspired her designs and what made is so special?
THE SUPPORTING MATERIAL:
Let’s dive into Julia’s life, and learn more about her. Below are some suggestions to read or watch.
BOOKS:
In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child. Get it here
I chose this book because it talks about the design of Julia’s life. Her kitchens are infamous- how did they come to be? Especially for us woo-woo girlies, it’s interesting to see how Julia manifested her life and it reflected in every aspect of her life.
My Life in France (Unabridged)
I would 100% recommend ordering the audiobook version of this book. I’m 33% of the way through, and I feel transported back in time each time I listen.
WHAT TO WATCH:
Julie & Julia - what’s better than Nora Ephron, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci? I haven’t watched this movie in ages, but what I remember most is seeing how Julia Child inspired Julie to find herself again. It’s no secret that cooking has helped me find myself, so I’m looking forward to re-watching this with a new lens.
Julia- HBO Max Series - while it’s not 100% historically accurate, it embodies everything we know about Julia, Paul and the people that surrounded them. With two seasons primed for binging, you won’t regret starting this season.
Launching this season of Salt with Soul is a little uncomfortable because it’s so different from what I’ve published before. However, I have found that the best things in my life have happened when I was uncomfortable, so this must be the right move.
Salt with Soul will be published on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday posts will be free, and they’ll be centered around our Theme. Tuesday posts will alternate between essays and recipes: a more free-flowing approach to release some of the pressure I put on myself publishing 52 essays and 52 recipes last year.
Friday posts will be for paid subscribers. Those posts will be more personal essays, experiences, or thoughts. My goal is to shift away from lists or more surface-level topics and move towards metabolizing my experiences in a way that resonates with you.
I don’t know about you, but this year already feels different and I cannot wait to see where this grows over the next 12 months.
I’ll see you Friday, friends.