Larousse, Julia Child and Shanghai

It's such a shame that I didn't get to watch Julie and Julia on the big screen. It's been a while since I was able to say "Hey that's just like me!" while watching a movie. Sans a loving husband and extreme bangis (expertise) in the kitchen, I can pretty much say that it captured the essence of what I am going through right now - a recent graduate of Culinary school, trying to start anew after years of paperwork in a dead-end job, with unpaid loans and broken dreams. Just like Julia, I tried a lot of hobbies before I turned to cooking and just like Julie, I had this sickening habit of not being able to finish anything. My attention span is as short as a bug's life! This movie tops my list of favorite movies!

(photo source: IMDB.com)

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For someone like me who currently went back to having a student budget (and after becoming a victim of Salisi gang) and working on my pending loans, purchasing a 3,500 peso book is a luxury. I promised that I will be contented with buying books off BookSale, so buying a single one which costs like half of a cook's salary in Boracay is a big no-no!

Well I bought a Larousse Gastronomique. I just had to. I was searching for a Mandarin audio book at the National Bookstore main branch when I came across the remaining copy of the book. It was "bruised", nobody gave a damn about how important the book is for someone like me. I took pity and caressed it. I wanted to buy it but it's not in its top-shape form, but the customer service lady gave it a good brush, smoothed the edges with sandpaper and wrapped it in plastic and voila! It looked like a newborn child waiting to be taken home by mommy (that's me!)

And I can practically throw away all the other cookbooks I own because I now own the single most important book cooks have (no offense meant Julia). Owning one is as important as owning a set of Global knives, or having great-looking mags for your car, or whatever your hobby requires you to have. I make it a point to read 5 pages a day - and boy I have a long way to go! Due to budget constraints, unfortunately, I won't be able to do what Julie did - test all Julia Child's recipes in her book for a year. Perhaps I would do that after I get married.

(source: www.flickr.com)

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And finally.. Yes I am moving to Shanghai to start my career as a cook and hopefully to become a chef (and a better person). I've always wanted to work in a cruise ship - and this is the reason why I enrolled at MIHCA, Magsaysay's Learning flagship. However, as the class progressed, I have realized that it is not working a cruise ship that I want - it is COOKING! Julia expressed her excitement everyday while she was studying a Le Cordon Bleu, and I shared that same happiness, looking forward to going to school, learning new stuff, especially when we were taught how to debone a chicken. And so, now that I have graduated, I have realized that it is not necessary for me to go onboard but it is important for me to work in a kitchen. And so with mixed emotions, I am flying to China in a week's time!

(source: www.flickr.com)

Julie Powell, thank you for motivating to go blogging again. And to Julia Child, thank you for motivating me to be a better cook! Twit This! Share