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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Column: A jones for Julie and Julia

There are two large posters hanging in my room: one of Bob Dylan that everyone has from the poster sale and a movie poster of “Being Julia.” But my other, smaller posters seem to overwhelm the two largest.

I have four or five miniature posters and advertisements for the film “Julie and Julia.” It’s the film about a young Brooklyn-based woman, Julie Powell, who decides to create every recipe in the cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child.  
Powell created a blog and gained lots of publicity, which led to a book deal and eventually the movie.

The film itself is not just based off of Powell’s memoir; it also takes from Julia Child’s autobiography and has a nice balance of swinging back and forth from gritty modern day Brooklyn to life in France in the 1950s.

I have pretty much become obsessed with this movie.

I remember seeing it for the first time right before heading down to Bloomington for sophomore year, and I had this sparkly, giddy feeling rising up inside of me
after coming out of the theater. I felt so happy. I felt hopeful.

Of course, I’m always ridiculously happy after watching food-based films, with the exception of “Food, Inc.” I’ve seen that documentary way too many times for classes to the point where I can practically mouth along with the interviewee.
But there’s something about “Julie and Julia” in particular that always makes me feel good, no matter what.

Maybe it’s because Powell had so much success with what really started out as a narcissistic project she posted online. I am, after all, a writer, and the economy has not really favored writers as of late. It doesn’t seem to favor journalism too much, either.

I’m at that point where I really don’t know what to do with my life because everything I turn to only seems to bring me frustration, and I’ve started daydreaming about how I could win the lottery or rob banks or have one of those email spam scams actually work out in my favor.

But this silly little blog, just a simple blog about cooking classic French
dishes, changed Powell’s life, particularly her career.

It gives me hope that I can make some decent income after getting my diploma in a year.

But what of Julia Child?

I’m not going to lie. I really want to be her more than Julie Powell. Powell is a bit crazy (if you haven’t seen the film), and Child is just so ladylike. She’s eccentric, funny and smart and loves to cook almost as much as she loves to savor food.

I could practically write her a love letter.

Without fail, this movie can bring me back to reality and remind me of why I’m pursuing my degree in the first place.  

So here’s to you, Julie Powell, and especially to you, Julia Child. Without you, I might not have the patience to continue pursuing my passions.

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