/ Food
Cheap Eat Beat: Julia Child in Shanghai
So I admit it. I recently watched the movie Julie/Julia, and was probably the advertising departments dream target. Meryl Streep was electrifying as the odd-ball awe-inspiring cookbook author, and I promptly became fixated on the idea of Julia Child and her recipes. So much so that for Christmas I asked my mother to buy me the mammoth two-volume bible "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." This was an intriguing request for my mother, as she knows that I follow recipes about as well as our dog.
She could not dissuade me though and starry eyed, I hauled the thousands of pages onto my 15 hour flight back to Shanghai. While traveling, I couldn't help sticking my nose into the first volume, which covers all the basics. Now, this may be my fault as I grew up with "stew" as opposed to boeuf bourguignon, but the book struck me with several sinking realizations.
1.Many of Julia Child's recipes involve cream, milk, massive quantities of butter and cheese...I'm lactose intolerant.
2.Many of Julia Child's recipes involve ingredients that are easily found in a French/American grocery store. I am in Shanghai, living off a relatively "starving writer" paycheck. I do not shop at Expatlandia, I shop at the local wet market. Where the hell am I going to find truffles, foie gras, tomato paste or un-salted bacon?
3.Many of Julia Child's recipes call for things like "electric mixers," "non-stick frying pans", "whisks" and "ovens." I own an over-sized toaster oven, a relatively non-stick wok and spoons.
Despite this rather sobering check, I remain fascinated by this massive tribute to the art of French food and I began to wonder. Can some of the recipes be adapted to my taste, paycheck and environment? If I put pork ribs into the Coq Au Vin and skip adding the roux, is it still French food?
Next week: Putting local flavor into Coq Au Vin