Stanley Tucci

My Life Through Food

Taste

Heather

There's a wonderful book called The Great Good Place by Ray Old- enburg. In it he writes about how we have two places that are crucial to us, bome being the first and work being the second. But equally crucial, because it allows us to function better in the first two, is what he calls the third place. These third places' are bars, cafés, and restau- rants. They bring people from all walks of life together and allow for casual interaction with others with whom we don't work and to whom we are not related.

Laura Dobie

Of course, this reaction is extreme and completely unfair. How could they possibly know the finer points of pasta/sauce pairings unless they were raised by an Italian or a food freak? However, when this happens, I take a deep breath, quietly suggest a more appropriate coupling next time (although I vow to myself that there will be no next time because I will be present to stop it), and try not to pity them because they were raised by philistines.

After a few moments, I realised that I was moved by Mrs Child not only because she brought back happy boyhood memories of spending time with my mom but also because Julia herself was so genuinely happy to be doing what she was doing. I saw in that moment the embodiment of what I, and so many of us, aspire to. To spend your life doing what you love and doing it well. To achieve this is a rare thing, but for those who can, real joy is theirs, as is the ability to bring that joy to others through their chosen vocation. 

Although Julia Child struggled in early adulthood to find a profession that suited her intellect, curiosity and lust for life, as well as one that would make her happy, she more than made up for it over the years, from the time she made her first omelette to the time she wished us all a final breathy 'Bon appétit!' She also inspired and made millions of people the world over very happy, including a mother and son in Westchester, New York, over fifty years ago.

As we waited for our assuredly benign entrées to arrive, we decided that it was not only the brave Allied forces that caused the Germans to pull back. Most likely it was the fear of having to eat andouillette day after day as penance for their brutal conquest of Normandy that also precipitated the Nazi retreat.

Those happy few who have ever experienced a well-made straight-up, dry Martini will know that after the first sip, one is instantly soothed and the world is set right. Of course, any drink at the end of a working day takes the edge off, but a well-made Martini eases and polishes that edge like no other drink I know. And after the second one, that edge is practically bevelled.

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