Bon appétit, Julia...and au revoir

I was sorry to hear about the passing of Julia Child today. My passion for cooking and for television cooking programs (drop by the house any Saturday morning or afternoon when I'm working, and you'll find the current PBS slate on in the background) began with Julia's The French Chef back in the day.

It's been interesting to see Julia's programs of the past few years, as she's relied almost entirely on guest chefs such as Jacques Pepin and Alice Waters to do the actual cooking, as she kibitzed and tasted everything in sight. (How funny it was to watch her hovering over the guest's shoulder, practically drooling over the moment when she could finally reach over and stick a tasting spoon into the pot!)

Julia was a quirky and fascinating presence on the tube — down to earth, unpretentious, and uniquely herself. She knew what she liked and didn't like, and was never afraid to say either. She wasn't embarrassed to acknowledge when a dish she was preparing didn't turn out quite as she had planned. She gleefully swiped crumbs and spills onto the floor with the verve of knowing some volunteer intern would clean it up later. She introduced millions of us to the joys of dabbling in the kitchen, and of being willing to experiment with new tastes and new culinary concepts. She also introduced the cooking world to the notion of not taking itself too seriously, and did us all a favor in the process.

Although I'm sure her old shows will run on PBS in perpetuity, it won't be quite the same on Saturdays knowing Julia has said her last "Bon appétit." We'll raise a glass in her honor.