'Julie & Julia' & Peter

I must admit I was really looking forward to seeing the movie “Julie & Julia.” I always enjoyed Julia Child, and in my previous incarnation as a reporter covering television, I actually had the pleasure of meeting her.

Julia Child truly was bigger than life. She was taller than me, six-foot-two, an undeniable reality that was portrayed very well by Meryl Streep in the movie. Oh, the magic of movies, as the five-foot-six Streep was filmed cleverly to always give viewers the understanding of Child’s towering presence.

I met Julia in the early 1980s when she was readying a TV series, for PBS (if I recall correctly). I met her at a hotel, again relying on fault memory I believe it was a suite at the Algonquin. Her husband Paul (portrayed brilliantly by Stanley Tucci in the movie) was there too. I recall her greeting me loudly with a two-handed handshake. Her voice is unmistakable, her energy amazing. She sounds just like Julia Child (as stupid as that sounds). After going through my obligatory list of questions regarding her new show, I could not resist asking about Dan Aykroyd’s imitation of her on “Saturday Night Live.” For those not old enough to recall (check You Tube), it was delightfully included in “Julie & Julia.” I just loved how he blurted “I cut the Dickens out of my fingers,” as blood starts to shoot all over.

While Paul Child had remained silent on the nearby couch for the entire interview as Julia and I sat and spoke at a table, suddenly I hear the slightest giggle from his corner of the room. Julia, still bigger than life, was joyous in telling me how much she enjoyed Aykroyd’s performance. It showed me what a good sport she was. She loved to laugh almost as much as she loved to cook.

I remember her autographing a cookbook for me. I gave it to my mom. With the incredible resurgence in interest in her books since the debut of the movie, I better make a note to ask my mom if I can have that book now.

I loved the movie. Streep is one of my favorite actresses, so that certainly helped. (I needed to get over “Mama Mia!”) And Amy Adams is always adorable, even if they certainly played that down in this movie.

My son Ethan thinks I “could earn a million bucks” if I did my own spin on what Julie Powell did. He thinks I should cook Giada De Laurentiis’ entire cookbook. (She’s our mutual favorite from the Food Network.) Instead, in a nod to Julia, I think we will attempt to make Julia’s classic beef bourguignon.

Ciao—make that chow—Julia, you were one of a kind.