Bon Appetit!

     Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Julia Child, easily the most recognizable culinary talent in the modern world.  At 6 foot 2 inches she quite literally stood head and shoulders above any other kitchen personality.  Her charm and her quick wit endeared her to millions of followers around the world. And her famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is mandatory reading for professional and amateur alike.  Take a moment a watch her mix it up with David Letterman on this link.
     So today I salute the grand dame of cooking.  Who else has her kitchen preserved at the Smithsonian?  Here are a few of her most memorable quotes:

1. "The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

2. "Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

3. "If you're afraid of butter, use cream."

4. "The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appetit."

5. "I think every woman should have a blowtorch."

6. "Fat gives things flavor."

7. "Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed. Eh bien, tant pis. Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile, and learn from her mistakes."

8. "I think one of the terrible things today is that people have this deathly fear of food: fear of eggs, say, or fear of butter. Most doctors feel that you can have a little bit of everything."

9. "I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it -- and, more important, I like to give it."

10. "I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a Valentine as you can give."

11. "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces -- just good food from fresh ingredients."

12. "Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?"

13. "I just hate health food."

14. "Learn how to cook -- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun."