Happy trails

Julia Child died peacefully in her sleep at 91, three days shy of her 92nd birthday.

"I think these fake foods aren't worth eating," she said in 1992. "Either have
the real thing and a little of it or have something else. I like real hamburgers
and real meat, real butter. Eat everything. Have fun."

I want you to think of every pale-skinned, tofu twink, hemp-shirted hardcore vegan you've ever seen in your life, and then I want you to ask yourself if all of them combined has ever had as much fun as she did.

Then, think about when her show first came on, in 1963. Remember what American food consisted of? Meatloaf. Steak. Potatoes. The strongest spice in the kitchen was ketchup. A lot of people, including my parents, bought her books, watched the show, and learned and taught that there's a lot more to the world than McDonalds and Kraft singles. Could you imagine a Williams-Sonoma without Julia Child? Cooking classes for the hell of it? There wouldn't be celebrity chefs. She was the first.

Eat everything. Have fun. God bless.