Julie and Julia Makes Me Want to Blog

I didn't see Julie and Julia when it came to the theatres, partly because everyone said it made them want to cook, or at least eat. I thought, "that's the last thing I need. I'll end up spending a fortune at Williams-Sonoma and then never using the muffin tins in the shapes of dinosaurs or the cherry peeler." I have a vexed relationship with food, so I ended up not going.

What no one told me is that this movie is about writing. Julia Childs struggles to publish her massive cookbook, and Julie starts her blog because she wants to be a writer. Julie feels like a failure; all her friends have high-powered jobs, while her early potential faded into a government cubicle. The process of writing the blog turns her into a success and into a writer. It isn't easy. She has doubts and meltdowns and almost blows her marriage, but in the end she learns to think of herself as a writer.

I heard several of my friends say that Julie's story was much less interesting than Julia's. While I agree that much more happens to Julia, Julie experiences profounder changes. Since I myself yearn to be acknowledged as a writer, I identified with Julie more than Julia.

Post-script confession: The movie did make me want to eat out. I had a nice lunch today at Parkside Grill.