There is a great new book coming out TODAY!
It's called Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life.
As many of you know, we have our Julia wall in the kitchen at the farm and we're even going to put up a framed picture of Julia for inspiration in the kitchen. We love Julia and everything she represented.
The author, Karen Karbo, was looking for bloggers to participate in living life as Julia for a week. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, I didn't participate, but I still wanted to give her a shout out for asking me to do it and write a blog post in the spirit of the theme anyway. Remember, I'm a guy, and she still asked me. That meant a lot. And of course Julia loved everyone. While we didn't get to fully live like Julia every day for a week, we did think of her during a recent visit to the grocery store.
We were watching a cooking show and they were cooking with parsnips. I told 2nd Man that we've never cooked with them and we should try it sometime.
He says "then let's go get some parsnips!" Whoo hoo, a spur of the moment decision, I love those. "OK" I say, sounds good. Off to the grocery store!
We gathered a basket of items and go to the register. The cashier got to the parsnips and picked them up. Of course, there was no sticker on them with the code number. What did people do before scanners and codes? Oh yeah, they learned about the produce. But I digress.
It's called Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life.
As many of you know, we have our Julia wall in the kitchen at the farm and we're even going to put up a framed picture of Julia for inspiration in the kitchen. We love Julia and everything she represented.
The author, Karen Karbo, was looking for bloggers to participate in living life as Julia for a week. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, I didn't participate, but I still wanted to give her a shout out for asking me to do it and write a blog post in the spirit of the theme anyway. Remember, I'm a guy, and she still asked me. That meant a lot. And of course Julia loved everyone. While we didn't get to fully live like Julia every day for a week, we did think of her during a recent visit to the grocery store.
We were watching a cooking show and they were cooking with parsnips. I told 2nd Man that we've never cooked with them and we should try it sometime.
He says "then let's go get some parsnips!" Whoo hoo, a spur of the moment decision, I love those. "OK" I say, sounds good. Off to the grocery store!
We gathered a basket of items and go to the register. The cashier got to the parsnips and picked them up. Of course, there was no sticker on them with the code number. What did people do before scanners and codes? Oh yeah, they learned about the produce. But I digress.
He looks for a bit on his printed out list of vegetables.
I can tell he has no clue.
I can tell he has no clue.
 |
| Parsnips |
The conversation goes as follows:
What are these?
Parsnips.
What?
Parsnips.
They're parchnaps?
No, parsnips.
Purselips?
Close, par-snips.
They look like carrots?
Well it's related to a carrot but it's not one.
He holds one up and asks the cashier at the next register,
if she knows. Do you know the code for this?
A white carrot?
No, the customer says it's called a parsnip.
What? Parchlit? It looks like a big carrot!
No, I interject, it's related to the carrot but it has a sweeter taste when you cook it. You can roast it, fry it, even eat it raw. We're going to mash it into a puree and mix it into some mashed potatoes.
No, I interject, it's related to the carrot but it has a sweeter taste when you cook it. You can roast it, fry it, even eat it raw. We're going to mash it into a puree and mix it into some mashed potatoes.
He stared blankly ahead. Apparently it wasn't on his list, and not on hers either. Maybe he just got tired of looking.
He rang it up using the carrot code.
He rang it up using the carrot code.
 |
| Vintage botanical parsnip image |
As we walked out of the store, 2nd Man said,
"you were SO Julia Child in there, giving him background and ways to eat it".
I laughed and said I just knew that somewhere, Julia Child was laughing along with us. I can only imagine the situations she encountered when she returned home to the states and was cooking, asking local stores for unusual ingredients, or trying to find a special pan or seasoning.
Of COURSE Julia would have known what a parsnip is! I can hear her waxing poetic about how to cook it, how it tastes, and having a great story about picking it up at a fresh air market in France, or eating it at a little cafe in the countryside with a warm croissant and a glass of wine. I guess I did the same thing, only without the great South of France part of the story.
Rule #3 in the book is "Learn to be Amused".
We were Julia, we really were...
...AND we got a great deal on parsnips that day. :-)
Thank you Julia!
And thank you Karen Karbo for reminding us to live like her.
Check out Julia Child Rules on Amazon.
"you were SO Julia Child in there, giving him background and ways to eat it".
I laughed and said I just knew that somewhere, Julia Child was laughing along with us. I can only imagine the situations she encountered when she returned home to the states and was cooking, asking local stores for unusual ingredients, or trying to find a special pan or seasoning.
Of COURSE Julia would have known what a parsnip is! I can hear her waxing poetic about how to cook it, how it tastes, and having a great story about picking it up at a fresh air market in France, or eating it at a little cafe in the countryside with a warm croissant and a glass of wine. I guess I did the same thing, only without the great South of France part of the story.
Rule #3 in the book is "Learn to be Amused".
We were Julia, we really were...
...AND we got a great deal on parsnips that day. :-)
Thank you Julia!
And thank you Karen Karbo for reminding us to live like her.
Check out Julia Child Rules on Amazon.
sorry buddy but i can beat you there! how about trying to buy the one lonely daikon radish in a hill-billy hicktown in cape breton island?!?!?!? nobody knew what it was. that's when we started growing our own - bahahahah!
ReplyDeletebut yes, i think Julia would be very proud of your "Julia moment". here's to many more of them. (oh and heck - aren't parsnips more expensive than carrots??? you lucky dawg!!!!)
your friend,
kymber
Parsnips go very well in the butternut squash soup I make. I like them also roasted with carrots, onions, sweet potatoes (whatever roasts well). I've put them in chicken pot pie too! No need to hide them in mashed potatoes.
ReplyDeleteTry those babies boiled until tender, then sliced into a frying pan of butter. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar, and saute' until caramelized. Delish!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post.
ReplyDelete"As we walked out of the store, 2nd Man said, "you were SO Julia Child in there" "
LOL. Good job.
That looks like a fun book! I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI recently tried roasted parsnips. I was disappointed. They had a distinct furniture polish aftertaste. BUT!!! I think the way Annie's Granny is describing above sounds good enough to warrant a second try at them.
That was soooo funny! I'm definitely going to get the book. I actually got to meet Julia Child and chat with her on several occasions, and she was so wonderful. She just acted as if everyone of us was on an equal footing with her. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteCute of 2nd to cultivate your idea into an adventure. Parsnips are great. Roasted. Yummy.
ReplyDeleteI used to love the looks on the clerks faces trying to figure out my odd veggie purchases: kohlrabi, celeriac, Spanish radishes, broccoli rabe and yacon. Now I just grow my own. Julie Child is my FAVORITE!!! I have her cooking series on DVDs...miss her.
ReplyDeleteThat was a certifiable Julia Child moment. There's no doubt. Despite all of her great fame, for the kudos she received for her cookbooks and television shows, she always considered herself first and foremost an educator. She would certainly take pains to set the "white carrot" people straight. This was pure delight, and I'm thrilled beyond measure that you smashed gender boundaries and climbed aboard the Live Like Julia blog project train! Anyway, Julia loved the idea of men in the kitchen; not fancy chefs -- they were all men anyway -- but everyday dudes who loved to make good food. She would really enjoy this, I think. Karen Karbo, Author of "Julia Child Rules"
ReplyDeleteI bought cherries out of season, flinching at the cost. About four days later, I looked at the receipt. The cashier had entered the cherries as red grapes. if I had noticed at the time, I would have had to correct her. But, after that length of time, I let it go. I just wished I had bought more cherries since the price was right.
ReplyDeleteNow, I must try parsnips.
I enjoyed the story and snippet of your life. I need to learn more about Julia.
ReplyDeleteParsnip cake here:
ReplyDeletehttp://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/vegan-violet-and-parsnip-cakes-with.html
Ha! Such fun. I've never bought parsnips either, but now I will.
ReplyDelete<3 this post. Julia would be so tickled! My fave part, As we walked out of the store, 2nd Man said,
ReplyDelete"you were SO Julia Child in there, giving him background and ways to eat