茱莉亞的廚房

結束校慶特刊的編輯工作，週六晚上偷空和蛋糕小達人、英文老師夫婦一行四人，去看了電影 "Julie and Julia"。



"Julie and Julia" 中文片名翻成甚麼我沒留意，倒是這回看電影的地方比較特別，是在台中老虎城華納威秀的 Gold Class 廳，這是很久以前英文老師答應招待我們，因為一直湊不出時間而沒去成的地方。



台中威秀這個 Gold Class 廳只能容納 30 人，電影票價含食物總共是 550 元，這是我和蛋糕小達人第一次去，英文老師應該有會員卡之類的東西，帶我們進去時顯得熟門熟路。







看電影之前，我們約在市政路的 "Fridays" 餐廳吃晚飯，沒想到今天是萬聖節，"Fridays" 裡面的侍者扮成各種造型，有埃及法老、兔女郎、各種卡通人物等等，氣氛異常歡樂。秋天的午後很有時光停滯的美，四點半鐘艷陽高照卻不熱，不一會兒涼風起，夜幕隨即低垂。



兩位英文老師對萬聖節興趣缺缺，倒是對 "Fridays" 各種菜餚的中文譯名大感興趣，我忙著把各種已經附有英文菜名的中文譯名，逐字用英文再翻譯一次，然後對照它原有的英文名稱，果然差異甚大。比如有一道 "Chicken Fried Chicken"，我們都覺得很好奇，它的中文名稱叫做「美式鄉村酥炸雞肉」，我照中文字面再翻譯了一次，英文老師吃了一口：「咦？這可不是肯德基？乖乖~~」







進到電影院，Gold Class 廳有個休息區，得在這兒完成點餐的動作，再由服務人員帶位。每個人 200 元點餐額度，多了可以補差價。我們看看櫃子裡的蛋糕只剩提拉米蘇和一種香蕉巧克力蛋糕，英文老師說大概真的經濟不景氣，不但可以選的糕點種類變少了，連價錢也都提高了。



點完餐之後，服務小姐帶我們入座，並說明餐點會在電影放映中送上，如果我們想前後換位子，必須先告訴她，不然餐點會送錯。我們躺下來，英文老師要我好好放鬆、享受難得的假日，她說在加拿大她沒見過這種豪華的電影院，所以來了一次之後便上癮了，再要她去一般電影院的小位子，她望之卻步。舒服地躺下來，我只是想到自己好久沒進電影院了，怎麼會有這麼多數不清的假日都忙於公事呢？







我之前並不知道 Julia Child 這位赫赫有名的大廚，不過看她的電視烹飪教學卻是英文老師年輕時在加拿大的記憶，有點兒像我們在台灣看傅培梅的感覺。Julia Child 在跟著先生出使法國期間，因緣際會到藍帶學院學習了法國菜，立志要為美國主婦們編寫一本人人可以上手的法國菜食譜。經過將近十年的努力，這本題為 "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (掌握烹飪法國菜的藝術) 的食譜在 1960 年左右問世，一時之間洛陽紙貴，成為美國主婦們烹調美食的圭臬。



2002 年秋天，一個徬徨於前途與成就的紐約女孩 Julie Powell，為了證明自己的工作能力與追憶幼時在家享受媽媽依照 Julia Child 食譜烹煮美食的美好記憶，決定用一年的時間試做 "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" 裡的 524 道菜，並將每次烹煮的心得上傳到部落格，與網友們分享。結果這個部落格的人氣，隨著女主角一次次用心的烹調與日俱增，終於將這個原本默默無名的年輕女孩推向事業高峰，進而有了這部真人真事所改編的電影。







電影情節繞著大廚 Julia Child 和追夢女孩 Julie Powell 的生活打轉，兩條敘事線前後相隔半世紀，原本平淡的內容因為 Meryl Streep 精湛的演技與戲中一道道美食而引人入勝。



看完電影，英文老師 Blaine 告訴我，梅莉史翠普揣摩 Julia Child 的神韻十分入微，尤其是她講話的語氣和聲調──那種似乎帶著醉意與柔軟法國腔調的慵懶。這對梅莉當然不是難事，不過我在想，放眼當今影壇，任何一個高難度的角色，如果你是導演，捨梅莉其誰？想到這裡，我突然有一種萬一哪天再看不到梅莉史翠普演戲的憂慮。







道別的時候，我們謝謝英文老師給了我們一個如此美好的夜晚──美食、烹飪和我的偶像梅莉史翠普。Julia Child 隨著丈夫出使巴黎時，因為烹飪、美食，使她一點兒都不孤單；不曉得在這夜涼如水的秋色裡，遠渡重洋討生活的英文老師們是否感到孤單？



開車回家的路上，蛋糕小達人決定用 "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" 裡 Julia Child 感動無數美國主婦的名菜「紅酒燉牛肉」(Bœuf Bourguignon) 當作今年聖誕節我們宴請英文老師們的主菜，並配上一個開胃菜和甜點，做成一整套法國料理，當作我們對他們招待這場電影的回報。








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【附註】：我在「世界傳記百科全書」網站 (http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ch-Co/Child-Julia.html) 上，讀了 Julia Child 大致的生平，我將它附在文章之後，有興趣的朋友們可以看看：



Early life



Julia Child was born Julia McWillams in Pasadena, California, on August 15, 1912, one of John and Julia McWilliams's three children. The children were raised in comfort: they were all sent to private schools, and the family had servants, including a cook. The children, all of whom were unusually tall, loved outdoor sports. In 1930 Julia went to Smith College in Massachusetts, where she majored in history. After graduation she took a job as a copywriter for a furniture company in New York City and enjoyed an active social life.



Work and marriage



At the outbreak of World War II (1939–45) Julia joined the Office of Strategic Services, hoping to work as a spy. She was eventually sent abroad, but she worked as a file clerk, slept on cots, and wore an army uniform. While in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1943 she met Paul Cushing Child, a member of a distinguished Boston family, who was working as a maker of maps. Their romance bloomed when both were assigned to China. It was there that Paul, a noted lover of fine food, introduced her to cooking.
After the war Julia began to study cooking in Beverly Hills, California. She and Paul were married in September 1946 and moved to Washington, D.C., where he had taken a position with the Foreign Service. After he was sent to Paris, France, in 1948, Julia came to appreciate French food. She decided she wanted to learn about French cooking and, after studying the language, she enrolled at the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school. With two fellow students, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, she formed a cooking school called L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes (School of the Three Gourmets). Julia began working on a cookbook with Simone Beck, writing while following her husband as he was sent to different parts of Europe.



New popularity



In 1961 Paul retired, and the Childs settled in a large house with a well-equipped kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Julia's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published the same year. With its clear instructions and explanations and its many useful photographs, it was an immediate success. Child was hailed as an expert, and she began writing articles on cooking for magazines and newspapers. In 1963, after appearing on a television panel show, Child began a weekly half-hour cooking program, The French Chef. This proved even more successful than her book: her off-beat style, good humor, knowledge, and flair for teaching made her very popular. Her work was recognized with a Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy Award in 1966.
The French Chef Cookbook, based on the television series, was published in 1968. More well-received cookbooks and television shows followed, and in the 1970s and 1980s Child wrote regular columns for magazines and made many appearances on television in addition to hosting her own show. She was also a founder of the American Institute of Wine and Food, an association of restaurants dedicated to increasing knowledge of food and wine.



Later years



In 1989 Child's husband suffered a stroke and was moved to a nursing home. She coped with her loneliness by exercising, writing, doing public speaking, and working on television programs. She even provided a cartoon voice for a children's video. In August 1992 170 guests paid $100 or more to attend her eightieth birthday party (proceeds went to the American Institute of Wine and Food). She became the first woman elected to the Culinary Institute Hall of Fame in October 1993.
In 1994 Paul Child died. Although saddened by his death, she brought out a new book and television series combination in each of the next two years. She also continued to host an annual trip to Italy for food lovers. In 2000 Child won the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest honor. In 2001 she moved to Montecito, California, and oversaw the opening of a restaurant named after her, Julia's Kitchen in Napa, California. In 2002 she donated the kitchen from her Cambridge home to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be restored as an exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
Although a strong supporter of classic French cooking, Julia Child changed her approach during her career to reflect modern needs and trends, such as cooking with less fat and red meat and focusing on meals that can be prepared quickly. Above all, she tries to increase the public's awareness and appreciation of wholesome, well-prepared food.