Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Julie and Julia is a memoir about Julie Powell's quest to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1. This is one of those books that I wanted to LOVE but just didn't. I think it was a combination of things that made me not really like this book.

I admit to being influenced by the movie previews -and I still think the movie looks like it should be great. Because of those previews, I expected to learn a bit about Julia Child and I really didn't. We are given short glimpses into the life of Julia but it's not enough. I wanted more about her fascinating life and less about Julie's. Yet, it's Julie's memoir, her project, and it should be about her.

I was also a bit turned off by the multitude of swear words. Now I'm no prude and I can ignore a bit of foul language, even laugh at it, but there was so much! I can't even share this with my mother because I think she'd be offended by it.

Then there was the food. Oh my. Here is where I give credit where credit is due. Julie, you are a very brave woman to cook some of that stuff. I am extremely picky about the meat I eat, and I certainly can't think about it when I'm eating it. There is no way I would EVER be able to make aspic from calves feet, kill a lobster, or cook brains. No way. Ever. If I were to pick a cookbook to do a similar project, it would have to be one called "Recipes for People who will Cook Only Certain Meat Without Having to Think About Where it Comes From." If anyone knows of that book, please let me know.

So between the lack of Julia info, the abundance of the "f" word, and the yucky food, the book just didn't meet my expectations.