One Of My Favorite Saucy Wenches Kicks Off At Age 91
Julia Child, when asked by a radio interviewer what her ultimate meal would be, said: "Red meat and a bottle of gin." My kinda woman. FYI, I've never met a piece of tofu I liked, and I order my meat, not just "rare," but "still mooing." No, I'm not kidding, either. For any of you vegetarians gasping out there, Fran Lebowitz said it best: "My favorite animal is steak."
do with a grilled cheese sandwich and a square of apple pie
This reminds me of a question crime writer Elmore Leonard asked me a few months ago: If you were on a desert island for the rest of your life, and you could take only five foods, what would they be? As I have a mind like a steel sieve, I can't remember what Elmore said; but, for me, the list is (in no particular order):
(Of course, I'm assuming this is a desert island with a produce section.) What's in your desert island grocery bag?
I like the title of the article: Cooking Diva Julia Child Loved Red Meat, Gin.
"Cooking Diva" is right! Julia was Diva before Diva was cool! With respect to my atheist friends, there's some good eating in Heaven tonight!
Reminds me of my favorite joke from the off-Broadway musical, "Nunsense," about five nuns who put on a variety show to raise money to bury four nuns who were inadvertantly poisoned by their chef, "Sister Julia, (genuflecting) Child of God."
Patrick at August 14, 2004 6:17 AM
Oh, I almost forgot! My five food choices would be...
1) Pizza! (a well-made pizza will have all of the food groups in it!)
2)Crystal Light
3)Steak
4)Potatoes
5)Milk
Patrick at August 14, 2004 6:22 AM
Great question, Amy! I'm going to bend the rules here just a little bit:
1. Coffee
2. Chocolate
3. Ritalin
4. Mozart's clarinet concerto in A
5. My computer
Just imagine all the writing you could get done on a desert island!
Lena at August 14, 2004 7:50 AM
I'm assuming you're assuming the island is short on bratty children and people on cell phones. CRYSTAL LITE!? Don't your neurons run protest marches against it? PS Lena, Ritalin is a condiment.
Amy Alkon at August 14, 2004 7:56 AM
This is a _hot_ desert island, right? So, five summer foods:
1. Salade NiÁoise
2. Lamb souvlaki
3. Chocolate soufflÈ (prepared by the chef of the Moustache CafÈ in Westwood)
4. RosÈ de Provence
5. More rosÈ de provence
Stu Harris at August 14, 2004 8:27 AM
1. Vodka
2. tea
3. emmentaler cheese
4. dark chocolate
5. definitely steak (but seriously considered bacon for this last slot)
ginger at August 14, 2004 8:42 AM
1) Porterhouse steak
2) Potatoes
3) Tomatoes
4) Peach
5) I would prefer the entire cheese family, but if only one - umm - Humboldt Fog.
At this point I would have to pull a nasty gun on Elmore Leonard and force him to allow me to take two more edibles with me -
6) green beans
7) sweet corn
Curtis at August 14, 2004 11:27 AM
1. Carbarrest protein shakes (breakfast of champion film critics)
2. Nachos
3. Beer
4. Diet Coke
5. I would put sushi, but since this is an island I assume raw fish would already be available. So I vote for my own homemade chili.
LYT at August 14, 2004 8:35 PM
1.) Halle Berry w/ a honey ginger brushing
2.) Sophia Loren w/ a sundried tomato marinara
3.) RC Cola
4.) Chicken Mughalai (from Ghandis in Costa Mesa)
5.) In-n-out cheeseburgers
(Since I am now in Idaho, does anyone know if Ghandis in Costa Mesa is still open?)
eric at August 15, 2004 3:40 PM
Costa Mesa? It might as well be in Idaho. Sorry!
Cosmopolitan Lena at August 15, 2004 5:04 PM
1) Steak
2) Cheese
3) Red Rasberries
4) Cookie Dough
5) Coffee
Jeff R at August 15, 2004 9:49 PM
Hmmm....
1. fresh baguettes from Boulangerie Alsatienne (17th).
2. unsalted butter and any fromage au lait cru from Normandie
3. Roasted chicken from L'Ami Louis (with never-ending crispy skin...)
4. Super Poulain (for the vitamins, of course) with sugar on the side. (doubles as a dessert...)
5. Berentzen
Of course, this produce-ready island would have to have wild onions, garlic, thyme and lavendar growing on it when I get there...
--Did I say "hmmm...?" I meant "mmmmm..."
Bev at August 16, 2004 8:49 AM
1. Steak
2. Bacon
3. Several cases of Hefeweizen
4. Coffee
5. Rocky Road Ice Cream
Jenn at August 17, 2004 3:54 PM
Hey, Hefeweizen, that's what I was about to write. Just had one of them two hours ago, just prior to the port wine...
Okay, here's my list:
5. Any meal that has spinach in it. (I remember that #3 did, see below.)
4. Chili con carne (my recipe)
3. The spicy chicken [add indian word here] meal I ordered "to go" during Oscar night five years ago in New York at a place called "Curry in a hurry".
2. Anything my girlfriend cooks.
1. Hefeweizen, lots of cases, half of them of the brown kind. For my girlfriend. Did Mr. Leonard rule that I had to come alone? :-)
Since we're discussing a desert island, lots of cocktails based on pineapple juice and coconuts should be taken for granted, no? (Pina Colada, Swimming Pool, ...)
Rainer at August 19, 2004 4:47 PM
Check out Julia Child's Last interview at http://blog.verbosecoma.com/archives/000404.php
gabe at August 20, 2004 2:03 PM