Julia Child, la Grandes Gourmande | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[music]. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a. production of iHeart Radio. [music]. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm. Josh and there's [music] Chuck and. Jerry's here, too. And we're stuffed on. turkey, wearing aprons, got a little. gravy on the sides of our mouths. >> And uh it's stuff you should know. >> That's right. Uh happy Thanksgiving for. those who celebrate Thanksgiving [music]. here in the US. >> Mhm. And happy belated Thanksgiving to.

our Canadian listeners who celebrate it. early. >> That's right. Uh and since we're talking. about Thanksgiving, uh we wanted to. mention, you know, we work have been. working with co-ed, the cooperative for. education, >> uh for many, many years, uh since they. took us down to Guatemala, and they're, you know, if you haven't heard us talk. about them, I'd be surprised, but uh. their mission is to uh help eradicate, um poverty through education, and. largely through the children of. Guatemala. It's a great organization uh. NGO that we've been working with for a.

long long time and we're working with. them again this year. >> Yeah. They see to it that kids who would. almost certainly otherwise not have. gotten any real education at all get a. really great education um for fairly. cheap too. They're a really really great. effective charity which is why we've. been working with them for so long. And. one of the ways we work with them every. year is to um raffle off a chance to. hang out with us online. >> Yeah. Virtually. Uh that's how we do. things. But we've done this for a few.

years in a row now, like a a a Zoom, a. co-ed Zoom hangout, and it's always. super fun. We look forward to it. Uh and. this is how you can do that. You can. join the cooperative for education for. 20 bucks a month, and you can. collectively sponsor students in the. RISE Youth Development Program. Uh, in. 2026, more than 1,200 students are going. to start school in rural Guatemala. through this program. And that's their. biggest class ever. And they really. count on us and you guys to help make. that happen. >> Yeah. Uh, you can also give any donation.

that you like. They're happy with that. Um, but do this by December 19th. Uh, and you will be entered into a chance to. hang out with us, I think, in January at. some point. And also, just a little FYI, Giving Tuesday is December 2nd, so that. could be a good day to do it, too. And. um whenever you're ready, go to. cooperative4education.orgsk. and you can make your donations there. >> That's right. 20 bucks a month can. really go a long way. And just to brag a.

little bit about the stuff You should. know army, since we've been working with. co-ed, uh over $1.4 $4 million in. charitable contributions have come uh. from the stuff you should know army. sponsoring a total of 172 RISE students. over that time. >> Cool. Thanks you guys for supporting. co-ed so well. >> That's right. >> Well um Chuck, I say we get cracking. with our episode today because I'm. excited about this one. >> We're talking about Julia Child, arguably one of the most well-known.

cooks, chefs of all time. Yeah, but I. have to step out real quick because I've. cut the dickens out of my finger. [laughter]. >> That was pretty good. Actually, I wasn't. even going to try it, but that was a. dead-on Julia Child. >> Well, that was a dead-on Dan Akaroy as. Julia Child. >> I think you topped him to tell you the. truth. >> Yeah. you know, if you grew up in the. 70s and the 80s uh and even into the 90s. and you ever surfed around your uh cable.

TV to and cross PBS, there was a good. chance that uh the wonderful uh Julia. Child came into your life in some way. I. I remember watching her a little bit. when I was a kid even and just thinking. like who is this this giant tall woman. that talks funny. >> uh cooking in front of my face. But you. were never intimidated by her, were you? >> No. I mean, she was always just so. friendly and uh gregarious. I just I I. had an instant liking. >> Yes. Um she was a very very likable.

person. Um, but even if you're not. familiar with Julia Child and you live. in the United States and you like decent. food that's not processed, you owe an. enormous debt to Julia Child because you. can argue that she almost. single-handedly introduced America to. real food through uh French cuisine. >> Yeah. I mean it it these days it's uh. taken for granted that you know farmtot. and ingredients that matter and food.

preparation and sort of taking pride in. cooking at home like that is just so. commonplace. Um but it that was not the. case when Julia Child was coming into. things. She really revolutionized and. and sort of rocked America's culinary. world. >> Yeah. Like this was the time when she. came around when people were making. jello- molds with like um ground beef in. them. >> Absolutely. >> Like that was nice. That was like. showing off for a dinner party kind of. stuff. >> Yeah, for sure.

>> Um so we'll talk about all the impact. she had and why she was so beloved. But. um to start, we'll go a little further. back toward the beginning. And if you've. ever heard her speak, you you really did. do a pretty good impression. A lot of. people think that she is British and she. um was not British. She was American. She was born in Pasadena. Apparently, her accent was one of those mid-Atlantic. accents that she was taught. >> um growing up in private schools and um.

private college, Smith College in. Massachusetts. >> Yeah. She was Julia McWills. Uh that's. how she was born. And uh didn't have. British parents either. They were uh. they had some money though. Her parents. were pretty well to do. his her dad was. a financeier and her mom was an aerys of. a paper company. So, she grew up with a. cook in the house. Um, but it wasn't it. wasn't that that did it. Uh, as you'll. see, she had quite a ciruitous route to. becoming the most famous uh cook in the. world. Uh, and had a had a pretty.

interesting life up until that point. >> She really did, like a surprisingly. interesting one. Um, she was apparently. a disaster in the kitchen. um and really. didn't start cooking until I think she. was in her 40s, maybe late 30s. I saw. that the closest brush she had with um. being a gourmand and a host um was when. she was the chair of the refreshment. committee for the senior prom and the. fall dance one year at Smith College.

And that that's not really much of an. exaggeration. That really probably is. the closest she came to being a foodie. before she got into cooking later on in. life. >> Yeah, she was a history student. Uh she. was going to be a writer. Uh and like I. said, she was tall. She was 6'2 and she. was athletic. She played basketball. She. played tennis. She played golf. Um she. graduated in 1934 and moved to New York. and was uh you know said she wanted to. be a writer. She was an advertising. copywriter for Sloans which was a. furniture company. Um, so that was her.

first gig. Um, but she was always a. well-liked person. She was very, like I. said, gregarious. That wasn't just a TV. persona. Um, very, very sociable. People. really seemed to like her um, her whole. life. She was a life of the party, but. she wasn't like just, you know, even. though she she loved her wine, she. wasn't just some some souse at the. party. She was apparently pretty, you. know, responsible human. Even early on, >> like if she put a lampshade on her head, she remembered doing it the next day. It. [laughter] was on purpose. >> Yeah. Exactly. She was she also had a.

really great work ethic um which served. her well throughout the rest of her. career but really from the outset helped. her because when World War II broke out. she's like I want to become a spy. So. she joined the OSS the office of. strategic services the direct. predecessor of the CIA and worked. directly under no less than while Bill. Donovan the guy who founded the OSS. Yeah, he was a general and apparently. that she didn't, you know, have a whole. lot of like direct interaction with him, but it was a a very big gig for her.

>> Uh, it was pretty menial work. Um, even. though it was a a job of um, you know, responsibility that she was put in, it. was kind of precomputer work, like they. needed human beings to do stuff that. computers would do. So she would type up. profiles on uh note cards of OSS. officers just to keep sort of in the. file cabinet uh before they had you know. computers to do that kind of thing along. with um several other women that she. worked with. >> And um like I said she was charming. You.

said she had a great work ethic and she. got promoted like several times through. that job. >> Yeah. And she actually was promoted to. become a member of the emergency sea. rescue equipment section. um which was tasked with coming up with. a shark repellent because sharks were a. problem for downed pilots um shipwrecked. sailors. I think at least 20 sailors had. been attacked by sharks since the. beginning of the war and this is only a. couple years in so they needed some sort.

of shark repellent that would keep. sharks away um but that was also highly. portable. Apparently, shark repellent. did not exist to this point, and the. shark repellent they came up with was so. effective, it's still the shark. repellent that's used today. >> Yeah. Uh they would also, you know, bump. into sea mines that were supposed to hit. German hubot and detonate those, which. is no good for the cause or for the. shark, obviously. >> Yeah. >> So, you son of a [laughter]. >> So, oh man, what a line. So, she was uh.

in in the test kitchen essentially. trying to come up with a shark. repellent. Um, obviously had a lot of. different tries on this. I think there. were over a hundred different attempts. at this recipe. >> Um, and what they came up with. ultimately was a mix of decayed shark. meat, um, organic acids, uh, and what. was the, uh, copper acetate was sort of. the main ingredient that that capped it. all off. >> Yeah, copper acetate. They figured out. mixed with black dye mimics the scent of.

a dead shark. And I guess sharks don't. like to go near other dead sharks. >> No, who would? >> And they figured out how to basically. make this into a little cake. >> Um, you know, a cake meaning like a. little puck, not a cake, like a birthday. cake, >> right? >> And you could attach it to your life. vest and it would apparently keep sharks. away for six to seven hours. >> It's not bad. >> No. And she very um facitiously but also. charmingly referred to that shark. repellent as her first big recipe.

>> You gonna say it like her? >> I Okay, let me. [clears throat and laughter]. My first big recipe. >> Oh, that's perfect. That's also sounds. like half of your Halloween characters. >> Yeah, [laughter]. it really was pretty bad. >> Wait, hold on. Let me do it nasely. My. first page. [laughter]. >> We had one person that wrote in said. they couldn't get through it because. >> I know. I felt kind of bad for him. Oh, that's right. Uh, from 44 to 45, I think. these were her last two years in the. OSS. Um, she served as chief of the OSS.

registry, and was sent to some pretty. far away places. She went to China, uh, and son, which is modern-day Sri Lanka, and had some really top-notch security. clearance. It was, uh, you know, she. really worked her way up the ladder in. the OSS. I saw that she had top secret, the highest level security clearance for. that assignment, which is it's just. nuts. Um, one thing that uh we'll see. later on is that she's basically always. considered herself a feminist. And.

that's a good example of that. She. worked her way to the top of the OSS to. have the highest possible security. clearance during the 40s at a time when. women were not really. >> I know that women worked a lot to. support the war effort but that seems. like an unusual position for a woman at. the time. >> Yeah, for sure. Uh all that you know due. to her hard work. Um one of the biggest. things that happened though in the OSS. uh was that she met her future husband. uh Paul Child. He was an officer and I. say that not you know in like oh she met.

her husband there so that's what matters. but she met her life partner and love of. her life who um helped nurture her. career and serve her and they they by. all accounts they just seem like this. really really wonderful uh couple like. the kind that you've always you know. want to be in yourself that kind of. relationship you know. >> Yeah I saw from basically every source. that talked about it that they were the. envy of their friends. >> Yeah. Um, so yeah, they stayed together. They were married for almost 50 years.

from 1946 until Paul died in 1994. >> That's right. Uh, and the takeaway here. is is they landed in France at one point. in 1948 as part of uh, his assignment in. the USS. And when they were in France, they and you know, it's it's that. sliding doors thing. Had they not gotten. stationed in France, who knows if we. ever would have gotten Julia Child. >> Yeah. >> Because he was a foodie and she wasn't. and he said, "Hey, I'm going to take you. out to a real French meal and see what.

you think." So, he took her to this very. famous restaurant. Uh, how do you. pronounce that, Josh? >> Laoron. >> Lacoron, which is the Crown. >> Uh, this is in uh the Normandy region. along the river there in northern. France. And it has been a restaurant. since the 1340s. So, it is legit. Some people uh claim. it's the oldest inn in all of France. >> That's pretty cool. So, they know what. they're doing with French cuisine, which. by the way, if you don't really.

understand French cuisine, and I don't. really claim to. I appreciate it, but um. it's not like that's that's what Yumi. and I are making on Tuesday night at. home. >> Uhhuh. >> Um yet, because I got her cookbook. recently, and I'm very excited about it. Um, but just to kind of like a little. back of the the envelope sketch of it, French cuisine, French cooking was the. first cuisine in the world to be. recognized as a world heritage by. UNESCO. That's how distinct and.

important French cuisine is. And this is. the moment when Julia Child was. introduced to it, this lunch at Luron. >> Yeah. And as I understand it, uh, French. cuisine, I've watched a lot of Top Chef. over the years. >> Okay. uh all of it. In fact, uh French. cuisine is is very humble, a very basic. ingredients. It's not this fancy thing. Um you think of, you know, French food. if you don't know much about as being. like super super fancy, but it's. actually very humble with very basic. ingredients, but really quality. ingredients, really perfect technique.

>> Um real fats, real butters, real cream. Uh that's French cuisine basically. It's. like impeccable technique. uh com you. know paired with very simple humble but. very well sourced ingredients. >> well put I I hope so. >> made by Frenchies you forgot that part. >> yeah generally. >> so at this lunch in 1948 uh her first. French meal uh she had oysters. >> all right. >> pulle fume wine which is the official. sinon blanc.

>> okay. >> and so munair. munier means miller's wife so like you. were saying humble simple dishes it's. soul fish um that's fled and made with. capers, lemon, butter, parsley, and not. much more. Um and she said that that. first true culinary experience, there's. a few quotes I think we should trade off. with. >> Okay. >> She said that it was an opening up of. the soul and spirit for me, that first. meal, it changed her life quite.

literally. >> Yeah. Uh she also said it was a kind of. coming to Jesus. And what else? She said. it was the most exciting meal of my. life. >> Yeah. And then that dish, that do soul. that you know, you it's fried fish. You. flour some soul, fry it up in some. butter, put some I think I think uh the. lemon and h parsley and capers is part. of any uh what is it? The minè. >> Munir, I think any mun that's basically.

what it is. >> But a very simple dish and that became. one of her, you know, one of her big. signature dishes. >> Yeah. You put a little ketchup on there, you're in hog heaven. [laughter]. >> Oh man, you and my daughter. >> So, because she was moved by She likes. ketchup, huh? >> Oh god, it's so annoying. >> She's very cool. We have a lot in. common. >> It gets her to eat some stuff she. wouldn't normally eat. Uh, so that's. good, I guess. >> Like broccoli. >> No, she doesn't put on broccoli. She. doesn't like broccoli, but she eats uh. >> Yeah, I don't like broccoli either. Does. she hate peas, too? >> No, she loves peas. She, in fact, she.

eats frozen peas as a snack. Well, they're really that's probably like that. distinction. erases all of the similarities because I. hate peas so much. [laughter]. >> Oh, yeah. >> I hate them so much, Chuck. >> Yeah. She loves sushi now, which was a. big surprise for us. >> That's awesome. >> She just kind of started eating it when. I got it and uh cuz I think she likes. stealing my food. >> So, it started as a joke and then now. she's just eating it. >> Do you remember what kind she eats? Is. it like California rolls or nigiri? >> No, man. Like, yeah, And just.

any kind of crazy roll I get, she'll. eat. >> Man, that's awesome. That's great. >> Soy sauce, though. >> You're not supposed to eat much soy. sauce, if any, with it. >> I don't care supposed to or not. I'm. telling you what I like. >> Oh, that's fine. I'm just saying like. she's she's actually she could go to. Japan right now and they wouldn't bat an. eyelash at her for it. >> Hey, you think I don't remember our. sushi episode? >> I didn't know. We did the black hole episode twice. >> That's a good point. Uh, all right. So, where are we? Julia Child has eaten this.

meal. Mhm. >> Uh it blew her mind because she was. raised on American food, like you said, was not a foodie. And not only American. food, but in recent years, post-war. American food, which is when stuff. started to get really sort of. mass-produced and not very good, like. very processed. Uh and this French food. just blew her mind. >> Yeah. Um so she wanted to understand how. that could happen, right? >> Yeah. So she started taking cooking. classes and again like she's a total. novice here and I think she's again in.

her late 30s. So this is 1948. She's. about 36 at this time and her life has. just changed like she's just figured out. what she wants to do in life. So she. starts taking classes uh ends up. enrolled in Lordon Blue. >> uh in 1951. That same year, she founds her own. cooking school that she runs out of her. own kitchen with her uh who would become. long longtime collaborators Simone Beck. and Louisette Bertol. Um and they. founded the school called Leole de Tuis.

Gormand which means the school of the. three gourmands. >> That's right. Uh I didn't get this. verified but I did read somewhere that. she was either the only woman in her. class at Lordon Blue or one of only two. maybe. Mhm. >> Uh it just, you know, back then and you. know, there's still a lot of sexism in. in the in chef's kitchens and. restaurants. It's come a long way, but. for many many years, it was it was a. profession of of white men. You know, I. feel like that's something we say a lot. on this show, but that's the case. Uh.

within 10 years of being at Lordon Blue, uh she had sold her bestselling cookbook. that you just bought, I guess. Did you. get the OG? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. What's the name of that? Mastering. the art of French cooking. >> That's right. 700 plus pages. And then. about 50 years after she enrolled at. Lordon Blue, her actual kitchen that she. cooked in uh would be in the Smithsonian. Museum of American History as a. permanent exhibit. >> Pretty neat. >> Pretty amazing.

>> I say we take a break and we'll come. back and we'll talk about that cookbook. that I got because it was groundbreaking. to say the least. >> All right. [music]. >> [music]. >> Learning stuff [singing] with Joshua and. Charles. Stuff you should know. [music].

So, Chuck, uh, you said you mentioned. the Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this, um, cookbook that, um, Julia Child. made with Simone Beck and Louisette. Bertol. Um, and it was designed. specifically for America, for the United.

States, to introduce them to French. cooking. And up to this point, cookbooks. were basically like, take a a little. handful of flour and throw it at, you. know, the elf that's helping you and um, put a little oil in there and fold it. together and voila. >> Yeah. >> Um, like they were not very helpful and. they assumed that you already had some. sort of training, maybe apprenticeship, something like that. the mastering the. art of French cooking did the exact. opposite because having not that long. ago been a total novice, Julia Child.

realized um what people who are being. exposed to this new way of cooking, new. foods, new techniques, new ingredients. would need to know. And that was. essentially everything. So they laid out. everything that you would need to know. to make these recipes in this cookbook. Training anyone who bought this cookbook. on French cuisine. Yeah. Like, you know, a recipe might have said, "Julian these. carrots and then put them in butter.". And she would say, "Well, what if they.

don't know what that means? Here's how. you julianne." Right. And not only that, but here's the kind of knife that's. ideal for that kind of thing. >> And the butter, too. >> Yeah. And the Oh, boy. She talked a lot. about butter. >> Yes. >> Um, but like here are the tools, here. are the techniques, and here's how you. do all of these for these 524 recipes. And uh it really just sort of it broke. down a wall in that it demystified um. you know sort of high class cooking. because she's like this is something. that you can do in your kitchen and you. know Shboan.

>> Exactly. [laughter]. Oh Shabboan went nuts for this. >> Of course. >> All the men grew pencil thin mustaches. and wore berets. The women all wore. pencil um pencil pants. >> Pencil pants. >> Yeah. >> Pencil skirts. >> No. What are the little short almost. clam diggers, but they were much more. svelt. I thought they were pencil. something. >> Oh, I don't know. Maybe. I know what. you're talking about though. Koolots. >> No. >> No. >> I don't think those are French. I think. those those don't no country will claim. those. >> Oh, the coach of the Falcons wears.

those, which is probably why I suck so. bad. That. >> is crazy. [laughter]. So on the book um you know where she's. uh demystifying the process and talking. about quality ingredients and quality. fresh herbs and high quality butters and. good meats. You would think that'd be. like a slam dunk cuz they would say no. one's ever done anything like this. before. Uh but it got rejected, you. know, like most success stories in the. book world. Um there's usually like, yeah, I got rejected by like eight. publishers. and she got rejected quite a.

bit before she finally uh landed with a. editor named Judith Jones at uh Alfred. Knublishing. >> Uh yeah, so Judith Jones was already a. legend by this time because just a few. years before she'd kind of discovered. this obscure French book um and. recognized how important it was and had. it translated in English and published. it as the diary of Anne Frank. So she. was the editor who got the diary of Anne. Frank out to the English-speaking world. So she already had a pretty great uh. nose for this kind of thing and she.

recognized that in mastering the art of. French cooking. Not that it would be as. important necessarily as the diary of. Anne Frank, but that not necessarily. that it would be that far behind as far. as changing the the world goes or at. least the United States. >> Yeah. Man, we should do a short stuff on. Judith Jones. >> Okay. Could can you imagine like walking. into any publishing event? She's like, "By the way, Diary Van Frank and uh the. art what it m the mastery of French.

cooking." What is it? >> Mastering the art of French cooking. Yeah. >> Yeah. She would say it better than that. She'd say both those those are mine. >> Those are mine. Uh we should also do an. episode on Anne Frank sometime. >> Yeah. I'm surprised we haven't actually. >> I am a little bit too. >> Yeah. Let's let's do that. So, one of. the other things that um made the. cookbook finally successful when it when. it did get published, and boy was it. successful. I saw in one place that it. spent five years on the bestseller list, but I couldn't find any other place to. verify it. Still worth mentioning, >> but.

>> we were on there for two weeks. >> We sure were, buddy. I think more than. that, actually. >> I think it was two. >> Okay. Well, let's say two and a half. We'll split the difference. [laughter]. >> But Frenchiness was very chic at the. time. >> Yeah. Uh there was a French chef uh in. the White House kitchen. Uh of course. you had you mentioned Audrey Hepburn and. uh wearing those French clothes, French. designers. Jackie Kennedy was as well. >> Pencil pants. >> Pencil pants that um French wine was. starting to be a thing at a time when. you know again now wine is so popular. but it wasn't that hugely popular in the.

United States at the time. So um French. wine kind of became a thing. >> Yeah. Um, and the first volume was so. successful, a few years later, I think. nine years later in 1970, they released. volume two, which had another 257. recipes. And apparently, you can spend. up to 10K. Actually, I saw more than. that to uh buy assigned volumes one and. two together. Oh, wow. Of the first. edition. >> That's awesome. >> Yeah. I mean, they became Bibles for.

cooks in America. And again, this it. wasn't like people were already primed. for this. This is what made people. primed to consider cookbooks Bibles in. their kitchen in the United States. >> Yeah. And you know, Judith Jones, also. the Bible. >> That's right. [laughter]. She she helped write it. >> Uh so, everyone's probably saying like, "Yeah, this book's great, but what about. television?" Because that's where I. remember her from my childhood. >> Uh here's where we get to TV because she.

moved around Europe uh during the 1950s. with her husband Paul, came back to the. States in the 60s. Uh I believe they had. come back before on some uh I don't know. if you want to say visits maybe some. forced visits. >> uh when her husband Paul was called uh. for the blacklisting uh blacklisted. McCarthy hearings. >> So that was a thing. Um I don't think he. got in trouble though, right? >> No, they were friends with a woman who. was a suspected communist in the. government and they wanted to know about. her. >> Right. So they brought him in. Uh but.

they ultimately um landed for good in. Cambridge, Mass. And uh when she was, you know, uh promoting her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I. finally got it. >> She went on PBS uh at WGBH there in. Boston for a book review show called. I've Been Reading Ellipsies. And she was. just doing a little demonstration on how. to make an omelette. She brought. everything with her, you know, they her. little hot plate and sauté pan, her. tools, and her eggs. >> And everyone loved it. Everyone was like. writing into the station saying like.

this woman that you had on cooking that. omelette was funny and gregarious and we. just loved her and we also learned. something and so they said hey we should. give you your own TV show. >> Yeah. Within a year the French chef her. first cooking show was on the air on. WGBH. And this is at a time where cooking. shows were not a thing. A lot of people. say the fact that cooking shows are so. widespread today. You can essentially. thank Julia Child for that too. That's. right. and thank the French chef. Um, it.

had a 10-year run and because it was a. PBS joint, other PBS stations around the. United States picked that up. It made. its way to Europe and the UK via the. BBC. Uh, it became a really big show. very quickly and Julia Child became the. most widely recognized chef in the. entire world at the very least in the. United States during this period, the. early 60s to the early 70s. Yeah, we had. a TV show for a year. >> We did. And we became the most widely. known cooks in the world, if not at.

least the United States. >> One thing I'm learning is that to. compare our career to Julia Child's. [laughter] humbling experience. >> You were a spy for that little while or. you pretended you were at parties. >> Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Uh she won an. Emmy uh and a Peabody award for that. show. Uh and this is just a little. feather in her cap. I think it was the. first TV show in the United States to. feature uh closed captioning for the. deaf and heart of hearing community. >> Yeah, open captioning I saw where it was.

for everybody. Everyone read it, but. yeah. >> Oh, is that what closed captioning. means? >> Yeah, where you have to select it to see. it. Yeah, I didn't know that either. So, I guess it was open captioning, but yes, that didn't exist on TV until then. >> Man, I'm just learning so much because. of you, my friend. >> Hey, right back at you, buddy. Uh so you know the TV show was a big. hit. She because she was just so lovable. and she wasn't patronizing and she uh.

you know had her closing phrase. bonapetit and she would just uh she. would get in there and get dirty and. make mistakes and like she would want. people to leave the you know the editors. to leave the mistakes in there. She's. like that's part of cooking. >> Yeah. That's a big deal because it also. not only made her approachable, it made. the people watching uh who were trying. these recipes too realize that she. wasn't infallible and therefore they. didn't need to worry about not being. infallible too. Like mistakes are part. of it. You just learn from them.

>> Yeah. >> But like that was it. She made it way. more approachable to people by doing. that. >> Yeah. Yeah. And I also read that um this. is from uh I believe the women who made. the documentary about her, Julia, which. is really really good. >> Okay. >> Uh that another reason that she left the. mistakes in was especially uh for women. because she felt like uh women felt like. they they needed to always feel bad when. they messed something up um in life. period. Uh but especially in the. kitchen. And she was like, "No, it's.

okay to mess up." And and while you're. in that kitchen like um you know it was. it was kind of an an opposition in a way. to like the feminist movement of the. time which is like get out of the. kitchen. Julia Child was saying like no. like get in that kitchen and own it and. cook for you and learn to make stuff. that you want to make and not just like. maybe what your husband and kids are. yelling at you to make like. >> like. >> take over the kitchen as something that. you love doing and that's for yourself,

>> right? I saw Bustle magazine describe. her as a bump, which I'm not familiar. with, but they based on context, it. seemed like it was a a good thing. >> What does that stand for? >> All right. Well, Josh just told me off. air what it stood for, and [laughter]. I agree. >> My joke. So, you mentioned mistakes. There's. actually some famous mistakes that she. made. One was she was pulling a cake. from the oven. Um, and apparently it. fell flat on camera. She said something.

like, "Well, that didn't work out.". >> Can you Can you say it? >> Well, that didn't work out. >> Very nice. And then everybody knows that. she once dropped an entire raw turkey on. the floor on camera, left this in, picked the turkey up off the floor, kind. of brushed it off, and put it in the. oven and baked it like nothing ever. happened. Um, apparently. >> I would do that. >> Well, yeah. Yeah, we did a whole episode. on the 5-second rule. >> Yeah, but I mean for a raw thing like.

that, I know it sounds gross, but I you. can wash that thing off and bake it and. it's fine. >> Yes. That you don't have a cooking show. >> No. Exactly. [laughter]. >> So, yes, the fact that she did this. Well, I should say not the fact because. that's actually a urban legend, a rumor. It's something did happen, but it. morphed into like the most spectacular. version of itself. >> Oh, so wasn't a turkey? >> No, it wasn't. Snopes dated it back to. at least 1989, but she once the closest.

they could find was that she was. flipping a potato pancake and flipped it. out of the pan onto the countertop and. it crumbled. >> Yeah. >> And um she said like uh I think she said. when you're in the kitchen, nobody can. see you. And she pushed it back together. and put it back in the pan and cooked. it. >> Yeah. That I love that because that's. how it goes when you're cooking in your. house, you know. >> Yeah. you you I've never not flipped a. potato pancake onto the countertop. [laughter]. >> Uh she had, you know, a string of.

successful cooking shows um after that. first one all the way from the 70s. through the 80s into the '9s. Uh I. believe um she had 12 Emmy nominations. total and seven wins. >> Mhm. >> Uh and by the time uh she got into the. 1990s, uh they were shooting that show in her. home kitchen in Cambridge. uh her. husband Paul designed this kitchen that. was like part kitchen, part TV studio. and uh you know just so they could spend.

time at home and he was heavily involved. apparently at times he was on the floor. with Qards uh and he helped design the. original patch uh for the uh the three. gourmans that uh when she worked with. the other two chefs. >> and so they were really a a um sort of a. power couple working together to enrich. her career. >> Yeah. Um, Chuck, I say we take our. second break and come back and talk. about why Julia Child is so beloved. >> All right, we'll be right back. [music].

[music]. Learning [music and singing] with Joshua. and Charles. you should know. [music].

Uh, all right. Why was Julia a child so. beloved? I feel like we've already made. a case, but let's talk about it some. more. >> All right. I mean, we've covered some of. it, but but not all. Um, a big one is. that she introduced fresh ingredients to. America. This is really kind of we hit. on this, but it's worth saying. This is. a time when people were using canned. soup as an ingredient, not just the. canned soup, right? So, everything was. very processed. and she insisted on.

fresh ingredients. Like there was there. was no way around it. You had to use. these or else these things weren't going. to turn out very well. >> But at the same time, she also said like. you need to let the food stand on its. own. Like yes, you want herbs, but you. want the herbs to complement it. You. don't want the herbs to cover up. You. don't want to use a bunch of A1 on your. soul munier. Um like you you let the. thing stand on its own. You let the fish. taste like fish. like that was kind of. like a like a subt text I guess of.

introducing fresh ingredients teaching. people to enjoy the thing that they were. cooking rather than the thing that they. were cooking plus again A1 sauce. >> Yeah. Exactly. And and that technique, you know, if you if you cook a piece of. fish perfectly, you don't need anything. more than a little salt and pepper and. butter. >> No. >> Uh and maybe a squirt of lemon, >> even tilapia. >> Yeah. Uh but despite all this, she was. not a food snob. She was very. approachable. Uh she loved In-N-Out. Burger. >> Mhm. >> Um she used Helman's mayo in her tuna.

salad. Uh apparently she liked Costco. hot dogs even. >> I I don't blame her. [laughter]. >> I've never had one. What's. >> Oh, they're great. They're like a. >> What's different though? Isn't it just a. hot dog? >> Um yes, it's just a hot dog. But do you. know how every once in a while your. school lunch would give you something. that you're like, "This is amazing.". >> Yeah. >> That's like their hot dogs. They have. their own taste and it's an amazing. taste, but they are on par with like a. school lunch type hot dog.

>> in the best way. I got you. >> Yeah, it's worth people go to Costco. just to eat the hot dogs and the pizza's. not bad, too, but it's worth going to. just for the hot dogs, which technically. in a weird way gives it one Michelin. star. >> Well, you know, buddy, our friend uh Joe. Garden, >> a friend of the show, former writer of. The Onion. Uh Joe lives there in. Woodstock and he posts pictures on his. Instagram eating those Costco hot dogs. >> See, he knows what's going on. >> Joe always knows what's up. >> He's got his finger on the pulse of.

Julia Child. >> That's right. >> So, uh she also reintroduced America to. wine. Um Yeah. At the time, America. Americans were drinking the stuff that's. now on the bottom shelf of grocery. stores. >> Yeah. The jug wine. >> Yeah. So, not only did she reintroduce. America to wine, she she normalized She. normalized it by doing the same thing. she did with mistakes. She drank wine on. camera as part of her show. Um on some. episodes apparently she would start to.

get a little tipsy. Um she never got. drunk or sloppy or anything like that. But the fact that she was drinking this. wine and by the way pretty good wine um. made Americans realize what they were. drinking was just bottom of the barrel. stuff. And let's see what else we've. got. And as a result, California wine. became super dominant. Um, essentially. in part from her normalizing it. >> Yeah, I think that happened in the 70s. when California started making good wine. on par with the French. Uh, it, you.

know, according to everyone but the. French. >> Um, she also liked beer. And this sounds. very gross to me, but she she enjoyed. something called an upside down martini, which is uh you swap the vermouth parts. in the gin. So, it's much more vermouth. than gin. >> Yeah. It's also lower ABV, so you don't. get quite as trashed as quickly. >> Yeah. But man, that's kind of one of the. good parts about a martini, right? >> For sure. Um, she also had a really. great sense of humor. Apparently, another long-standing rumor that. sometimes fans would confront her with,

they were like, "I remember that time. you drank um wine directly out of the. bottle on one of your episodes." And. that apparently never happened either. Again, it was just the extreme version. of what she was actually doing, which is. drinking wine out of a glass. But she. said, "I would never do that on. television.". >> Right. [laughter]. Yeah. And you know, I I opened with the. uh Dan Akroyd bit. Uh if you didn't know. what I was doing, it was a very famous. SNL skit from back in the day in 78. where Dan Akroyd portrayed Julia Child.

>> Uh where he cut the dickens out of his. finger. >> and um you know, blood's just going. everywhere. Of course, they had the. blood pack just squirting blood all over. everything. And uh he was a big fan. apparently. And there was a real. incident um I think about a month before. that sketch where she was working with. Jacqu Pepan on Tom Snider's tomorrow. show where she had cut herself pretty. bad and I guess that was the inspiration. for that. >> She also apparently was very proud of. that sketch and thought it was. hilarious. So um she kept a videotape of.

and would show people sometimes and then. at a really particularly fun. enthusiastic dinner party she might act. it out like word for word by heart. >> Can you imagine? Oh, I would have loved. to have seen that. >> Yeah. Incredible. >> She was also super charming and funny on. um TV appearances, but particularly. Letterman. You you can watch. compilations of her on Letterman. She. could hold her own against Letterman, no. problem. >> Yeah, you sent me that one clip. I. actually think I remember seeing that in. high school, but uh Letterman was, you.

know, I love Letterman. He was I felt. like he was not being too kind about the. the food. >> Sometimes he's cranky. >> Yeah. So, I felt a little bad for her uh. in that she was serving him um kind of a. version in this one of a uh. >> tartar. What do you call? Yeah. Of a of. a steak tartar, but it was with ground. beef and melted cheese. And he just sort. of kept making fun of it and then he. spit it out and at the end I think she. said something that kind of made me feel. bad. She was like, "Well, maybe next. time I can serve something you'll like. or something like that.". >> Well, she used an acetylene torch to to.

melt the cheese, which is pretty. hilarious. I had the impression that. they didn't have the equipment she. needed to make a burger. So, she made. the most out of it. >> Oh, interesting. Uh, well, using a torch. is very common place in kitchens now, but Dave made it. I guess back then it. was unusual because Dave was like. thought it was the weirdest thing you'd. ever seen. >> For sure. >> Yeah. >> Um, one other thing we mentioned too. that that we have to touch on is she was. known for her love of butter. >> Um, she taught America to cook all. through the decades where America. started to become health conscious and.

fat-free and all that stuff. And so, she. would become criticized for pushing. things like real butter on people. and. she would say things like, "Well, if. you're afraid of butter, use cream. instead." Um, which is at least. [laughter] as bad as butter. Um, and her. whole thing was like, yeah, you. shouldn't just be gorging yourself on. butter all the time. But if you're going. to make a meal, use the real butter. >> and enjoy every bite of it. Like that's. the point is enjoying every single bite. of this stuff, not enjoying every single.

bite until you start eating mindlessly. because you eat this 10 times a day, right? >> Yeah. And she had she quote uh she. quoted Oscar Wild which I thought was. great. But um she said uh everything in. moderation including moderation. >> That's a great quote. I think so. I got. a little kitchen tip. If you're uh. health conscious and you're thinking. like I don't want to use a lot of. butter. Um I use olive oil or whatever. Uh use that olive oil. But you can also. throw in like one pad of butter in with. that olive oil. Mhm.

>> You can mix those two things and it's. great and it adds just a little. anxiousness that olive oil won't give. you. >> I love that. >> Yeah. >> And don't forget the A1. [laughter]. >> My friend Clay still loves that stuff. >> So, uh Well, it's it's classy. >> Yeah. I I mean, it's very specific. taste. I I love that tart tangy A1. I. just don't use it. >> Um so, Chuck, we talked about volumes. one and two of Mastering the Art of. French Cooking. We should say in. addition to the string of successful TV. shows, she had a bunch of cookbooks, but.

these were her two classics and put. together 781 recipes between the two of. them. But if you go on to food sites and. you look up something like Julia Child's. best recipes, some of them kind of um uh. percolate to the top where you're like. you see them on just about every list. And I think that we should go over a few. of those starting now. >> Yeah, for sure. Uh if you've ever seen. the movie uh Julia and Julia, did you. see that? >> I haven't. I heard it was great.

>> It's really good. Um that is the story. of uh a woman named Julie Powell who uh. I think was sort of felt lost in life. and and wanted to dive into this project. of cooking every recipe. >> Uh I think she had a blog or something. maybe. Um it was a really good movie. though. Amy Adams uh played Julie Powell. who very sadly passed away a few years. ago at the young age of 49. >> Oh wow. Uh, and Meyer Stre, I don't know. if she won the Academy Award. I know she. was nominated for playing Julia Child. So, it sort of tells those two stories.

um together. And it's a wonderful movie. from Norah Efron. But in that movie um. she's cooking all the recipes and one. the big big one from the book that she. was most well known for that she really. wanted to master out of the gate was the. buff bogan. >> Which is essentially a beef stew with. red wine. But again, you take some. deceptively simple ingredients and put. them together in the right way, it's. going to produce a a smash hit dish. And. that's what beepan is.

>> What else? >> Uh kish lorraine, which everybody knows. You can get kish lorraine at the grocery. store by the slice. >> Yeah. >> Because Julia Child introduced it to the. United States with her cookbook. >> That's right. Very, again, very simple. uh clean recipe. Bacon, onions, egg, cream, a few cheeses, some spices. Of. course, eggs. >> Well, I just real quick about bacon. Remember I said that um she didn't want. to cover up the taste. She wanted to let. things to stand on their own. >> Yeah. >> One of the things she talks about. mastering the art of French cooking was.

that with American bacon, you have to. blanch it first to remove the smoky. flavor. So, you actually lightly boil it. for a little bit until you get the smoky. flavor off and then you start to use. bacon, which I think is actually a huge. tip for a lot of people out there, believe me. if they don't like smoky. flavors, I guess. >> Or but the problem is is the bacon. smokeokiness is going to take over. Like. that's all you're going to taste. Whereas you're not if you can get rid of. that smoky flavor, then you're in you're.

in hog heaven as she always said. >> I don't mind. I like that apple with and. also cook it in the oven. I think that. is the best way to cook bacon. >> Agreed. >> And a uh on a baking sheet. >> with the little elf laying on it to keep. it flat. [laughter]. >> Uh what about a cule? That's a very. classic French dish. >> Yeah, it's pork and beans, poultry, sausage. There's a dark brown crust on. the top of the whole thing. She had a. great quote about that. >> Uh yeah, cassule that best of bean feast.

is everyday fair for a peasant, but. ambrosia for a gastronome. Uh though its. ideal consumer is a 300 pound blocking. back who's been splitting firewood. non-stop for the last 12 hours on a. subzero day in Manitoba. Mhm. And like. if you look at pictures of the castlet, it's like I want one so bad. >> Uh yeah, it looks really good. >> And what about chocolate mousse? >> Yeah, that's another one that apparently. she made a mistake on air. Uh it didn't. set correctly. And you know that mousse.

has to set. But good chocolate mousse is. out of this world. >> Yeah, I couldn't find the episode, but. apparently a 1992 WPO article mentioned. it. Um, but supposedly it is. surprisingly easy to make and the the. outcome is just amazing. I saw light, airy, silky, smooth, says the endless. meal. >> Um, and it's just a few ingredients. including rum, chocolate, coffee, >> and she teaches you these techniques of. how to make it, how to fold it, how to. whip the egg whites, and just get it.

just right. >> And yum. Yeah. Every time I hear. chocolate mousse, I think of chocolate. mousse from Top Secret. Oh yeah, >> he was great. >> Uh, this is a good movie. RIP, uh, Val. Kilmer. >> Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. >> Uh, and then of course, French Onion. Soup. I know that you and I both talked. on the air about our love for French. onion soup. >> Yeah. >> Uh, if it's on a menu, there's two. there's two things in my life. If it's. on a menu, I will get it. One is French. onion soup and the other is a French dip.

sandwich. >> You love the French. >> Two of my favorite things. Uh, and it's. not on, you know, the most menu. So, when I see it, I order it. And that. French onion soup, crusty on top, and. that delicious oniony broth and the. bread. It's just one of life's treats. >> Have you ever made it? >> I've never made it myself. I should try. that. >> It's really good. All it takes is. patience. It's not hard, but it takes a. while for everything to come together. It takes a while to like genuinely. caramelize the onions, but man, it is so.

worth it. It's really good. >> Don't you just get one of those Liptin. packets? >> Yeah. And out of the can. That's how I. do it. >> Well, you take one of those Linton. packets and you put it in a turkey. burger. That's what you do. >> Uh yeah, that's supposed to be pretty. good. I've not had that. I found a. recipe for a roast that has a packet of. ou, you know, the the dry ouet, a packet. of ranch, dried ranch mix, >> um pepperini, >> and like maybe one other thing in a.

roast and you put it in a slow cooker. and it it's supposed to be a knockout. dish and I can't wait to try it. Oh man, we got You got to watch Julia and Julie. and Julia. >> and then start cooking that stuff and. let me know how it goes. >> Okay. Yeah, I definitely plan to make. some stuff. So, I'll let you know for. sure. >> All right. Uh, sadly, we're at the end. of this episode. Uh, and Julia Child met. the end of her life at the almost age of. 92. I think she was just a couple of. days short of her 92nd birthday when she. passed away at her home at the time in.

Monaceto, California in August 2004 of. liver failure. >> Yeah. Uh Elaine Ducas, who I think is. the only three-star Michelin chef in the. world said, "Today the entire community. of cooks is sad and feels like orphans.". >> Oh man. >> I know. Isn't that sad? >> That's brutal. Yeah. >> So, she's actually buried in one of the. more interesting places I've ever heard. of. Had you heard of the Neptune. memorial reef before? >> No. That sounds kind of cool though. >> Yeah. So, they took her cremated.

remains, mixed it together with some. concrete, and formed a headstone out of. it, put it underwater. I can't remember. how deep it is, but this is an acre long. underwater cemetery uh off a key key. biscane in Florida. And um on the. headstone, again, made from her cremated. remains, there's a plaque. >> with a knife and a fork inscribed on it. and a quote from her. Fat gives things. flavor. >> I love it. >> Yep. >> That's pretty fun for a scuba diver to. see, I bet.

>> For sure. So, RIP Julia Child and thanks. for everything. >> That's right. Our berets are off to you. >> Uh, let's see. We talked about Julia. Child. You took off your beret. Yeah, that means it's time for listener mail. >> All right. So, this is from uh Nathan uh. Winger in Carmel, Indiana. And Nathan. went through the trouble of calculating. how many Olympic pools deep and how many. Big Macs we are.

>> Okay. >> As a show, uh, he loves, he says, "I. love nerd math, so I did some. calculations. [music]. Using my trusty search engine, uh, I. found out there are over 2600 episodes. of Stuff You Should Know. Um, we're. [music] just going to use 2600 to make. it simple," he says. >> Okay. >> Um, all told, the average length is 45. minutes, which that makes me feel good. because that's what we're shooting for. >> Yeah. Um, he said, "I'm going to He. said, "That seems low, though. So, I'm. going to adjust it up to 55." I think. these days it's 45. They used to be. longer, so that's probably what he's. witnessing.

>> Okay. >> Uh, at average conversational speed, humans speak about 130 words a minute. So, you guys do a great podcast and as. pros have honed your conversational. skills to not be fast nor slow. So, I'm. going to stick with that uh median. figure. >> Thanks. >> Uh, the average number of letters per. English word is five. [music] But since. you often talk about subjects that. require words like spooktacular and hint. or ky effect, I'm going to up your. average to six. And finally, we're going. to convert your speech into inches based. on the size of a standard size 12 font, which is.167 [music]. in. Man, I love this stuff.

>> Yeah. >> So based on all that, we can get inches. per word, 1, inches per minute of. speech, 130, inches per episode, 7150. Total episode [music] in 18,590,000. in total episode feet which is 1 [music]. 549167. ft. Uh that equates so one episode of. stuff you should know equates to the. [music] depth of 238,333. Olympic swimming pools. >> Wow.

>> A bit short of Josh's estimate of 10 to. 15 million. And for the sake of uh. transparency uh and Chuck's liking uh. that is 7.745. and change million Big Macs at an. average of 2.5 [music] interest per. burger. Woo man. Who is this? >> This is Nathan Winger or Winger. >> Okay. >> I'd say Winger. >> I think it's Winger in the [music]. tradition of Kip Winger. >> Well, it's we though. So that's Nathan.

He's in Carmel, Indiana. That's a lot of. work to go through, Nathan. >> Yeah, Nathan, I could tell you're a true. fan with that little um trusty search. engine aside. I caught that. >> I love it. >> Uh thank you for doing that. I always. wanted to know how many Big Macs we are. and Olympic pools. So, thanks a lot, Nathan. And happy Thanksgiving to you. Um and happy Thanksgiving to all of you. out there, uh including our Canada. friends. And if you want to send us an. email like Nathan did, send it off to. stuffodcast.com.

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