Julie & Julia....

So I just finished 'Julie and Julia'. It took me two days to read it. I love it when I get into reading mode, (I go through phases of reading nothing to reading so hard that I have a migraine) there is nothing like the peacefulness of losing yourself in a book and ignoring everything else around you! I really loved this book, I think as a soon to be 30 year old woman dealing with my own frustrations in life I really related to the struggles and frustrations (although completely different) that Julie Powell endured through her year of cooking! I love that she found herself through this project. I think that is something that everyone struggles with. As a friend pointed out to me at lunch the other day... How well do we know ourselves? Our boundaries? I am almost jealous that Julia Powell had this project to be able to discover so much about herself. Makes me think I need a project! Just when you think you know who you are.. maybe you don't. After all who stays the same? Don't we change and evolve as people constantly as we take all the shit and mind bending curve balls that life throws at us???

I admired her braveness making some of the recipes that she challenged, I don't think I could do aspics or offal. I don't think I could make anything from marrow or a foot (pig, cow whatever) never mind eat it. I have a Jamiacan cook book that my ex-mother in law bought me and I often think of challenging some of the recipes in it. After I read Julie & Julia I flicked through it contemplating cooking everything in it.. Apart from the technical glitch of living in the middle of nowhere and not having a grocery store that would come close to stocking the ingredients I needed there are some recipes that I just knew I couldn't do... 'Mannish Water'. Looks ok in the picture. Stock made from the head, legs, liver etc.. after you have slaughtered a goat for a 'feed' of curry goat. Can you imagine the reaction if I went to Burt Farms (only place I could think of where else would you go on the Island??) and asked for "4lbs of Goat's head, tripe and feet cut into small pieces... please???" Think small town. I think they would pick up the phone and call my family and have me committed! (Not to mention if my husband knew what I was serving him up I think he would run a mile - he drew the line at my Jamaican recreation of Oxtail) Like I said... brave lady.

This book about a lady blogging about her life also made me think of my own blog... What use is it? I guess a look into someone's life can be a learning experience. When I think of the books I read alot of them about someone's life (Debbie Travis, Brooke Shields, 'Eat, Pray, Love', Julie & Julia and countless more that I can't think of right now) I learnt something.. how to deal with a situation, a realization about myself. A form of education. I try and use my blog to do good things... promote fund raising efforts that friends are doing, share my wonderful family and of course the great books I read and recipes I try and cook.... But is that enough? Do I need a project or is my day in day out life enough for this blog??

(On a side note I just realized the bacon I was cooking for my mother's day breakfast (yes, boo hoo to me) was burned and when I took it out of the oven I splashed hot oil all over my hand, which I am trying to balance frozen corn on while I type.... I may eat the burnt bacon anyways... just 'cause I love bacon...)

Read the book... it's great. See what it stirs up for you. I think a good book should stir something up. Make you question something.... or want to challenge an idea.... I am intrigued to see the movie... I always want to read the book before I see the movie as I want to know how it was originally written.. sometimes the movie doesn't always do the book justice. I am also going to hunt down her new book 'Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession'.

Now off to rescue some more bacon..