Comments on: Julie & Julia: Enough with the whining

By: Next Day Gourmet

Next Day Gourmet — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:53:34 +0000

Your blog is more helpful than most and it contains information that has helped me to get to grips with a problem I have had for a while now. Thank you for the Julie & Julia: Enough with the whining « Will Write For Food post. Regards, Gregory

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:07:06 +0000

Maybe I’m naive but I’d (still) like to believe that if a person has talent and something interesting to give to the world, he/she will succeed.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:45:34 +0000

Whoa, I see Laura Shapiro has waded into this swamp over at Gourmet: http://www.gourmet.com/food/2009/08/julie-julia-movie

Ouch. I agree with others who say that Julie Powell’s blog opened many eyes to Julia Child, even some who aren’t fans of Powell’s writing. Why all the acrimony?

By: Andrea King Collier

Andrea King Collier — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:09:02 +0000

We all better get more clever. And that’s what she was. She thought outside of the box to make it work for her. I am not a classically trained chef, but if I get a movie deal about my grandma’s recipes, then all the chefs will just have to be pissed off.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:41:50 +0000

Great blog post, Dianne! Unfortunately there will always be sour grapes out there. What sells is a great story and great writing, whether on a blog or in traditional print media. That’s what we, as writers, all have to strive for. BTW, any form of publicity or media that enamors the younger generation with the classics, be they cookbooks or literature, has my vote!

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:55:23 +0000

I see why she says she’s not a blogger. The blog was her way to tell a particular story, and when she was done, the blog ended. For the rest of us, it’s an ongoing way to communicate.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:40:58 +0000

I don’t much care for Julie Powell, but I wouldn’t say I’m bitter. Her story/blog struck a chord with many readers and she’s a talented writer, that’s a big part of why she is successful. Oh yeah, plus the Amanda Hesser article in the NYT, that helped! I do think she has bitten the hand that fed her, so to speak by continually claiming she is not a blogger. It’s also not that she wasn’t a serious cook exactly but that she didn’t seem to actually take the cooking very seriously or take much pleasure in it either.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:14:38 +0000

Yes, as you say: enough whining. Powell did a formidable job on her blog and in her book. She opened doors for younger writers and food enthusiasts. She’s making Knopf (Julia’s publisher) lots ‘o money. Seems to me everyone wins here.

By: Virginia Willis

Virginia Willis — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:51:30 +0000

I love your perspective – as well as the dialogue the movie is creating.
Thanks for including me on your post. Best VA

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:32:18 +0000

Thank you Dianne. I think you and Mr. Leite have it exactly right. The Julie/Julia Project was a unique and compelling personal story. It’s as simple as that. People forget that 2003 was a long time ago in “internet time.” There were no photos (can you imagine that today, a food blog with no photos?) and Julie used to write each post at about 6AM before going to her soul-sucking job. Sure, she wrote in a stream-of-consciousness style, but wouldn’t you at 6AM?

To this day, I think it was a challenging project and I’m amazed that she pulled it off. Nowadays we have lots of “cook through the book” blogs but I can’t think of any where the blogger cooks every night and posts about it the next day, especially considering how complex Julia’s recipes can be.

I can’t wait to see where else this new world of electronic food writing will take us.