I could at times be overly emotional, but was lucky to have the kind of orderly mind that is good at categorizing things. - Julia Child

Remember, ‘No one’s more important than people’!” In other words, friendship is the most important thing — not career or housework, or one’s fatigue — and it needs to be tended and nurtured.

I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. … Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed—eh bien, tant pis! Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile … then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile—and learn from her mistakes.

The service was deft and understated, and the food was spectacular. It was expensive, but, as Paul said, “you are so hypnotized by everything there that you feel grateful as you pay the bill.