"I had a lack of confidence, which caused me to back down from forcefully stated positions; an i was overly emotional at the expense of careful, "sci… - Julia Child

I was thirty-seven years old and still discovering who I was.

"Too much trouble," "Too expensive," or "Who will know the difference" are death knells for good food.

My sievelike mind didn't want to lock away dates and details; it wanted to float and meander. If I mixed all those facts and these up with a little gelatine and egg white, I wondered, would they stick together better?

"...the average Frenchman would shrug, as if to say: "These notions of yours are all very fascinating, no doubt, but we make a decent living. Nobody has ulcers. I have time to work on my monograph about Balzac, and my foreman enjoys his espaliered pear trees. I think as a matter of fact, we do not wish to make the changes that you suggest.