Joie de vivre

If you're afraid of butter, use cream.

Julia Child, American French chef (1912-2004)

All afternoon I've been savouring page after page of As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child & Avis DeVoto, edited by Joan Reardon; as evening settled and I got comfortable in the living room easy chair, I thought about making a cup of tea but quickly recognized that Julia should be accompanied by a nice glass of wine. I wish I had a (half) bottle of champagne on hand because it would pair nicely with her effervescent personality that bubbles up in her letters, letters that cover multiple pages, filled with musings about mundane things like paring knives, shallots, dishwashers and pressure cookers (and American politics) and yet fascinate under the reflection of Julia and Avis. I aspire to Julia's joie de vivre. Bring on the butter! ;-)