Category: Uncategorized

  

I often used to think is too late to discover oneself, till I saw this movie called Julie and Julia. So, I was watching this movie called Julie and Julia. It’s about this American lady Julia Child moves to Paris with her diplomat husband and she asks the same question, “Is it too late to discover oneself?” And here she learns the French cuisine .In the school where she ‘s learning she discovers that this is a male dominated profession as all her classmates are male. But that doesn’t deter her. Rather she becomes a pioneer in introducing French cooking to America.

Julia Child was born on 15th August 1912 in United States of America. She moved to Paris in the year 1948 and was there till 1954. During her stay in Paris she immensely enjoys the French cuisine. So,she decides that while she’s there she learns French cooking herself. She enrols herself in the famous ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ cooking school. With her determination to learn she proves to her counter parts that nothing can deter her from learning the French cuisine.

She starts teaching in 1951. And here she writes the book’Mastering the art of French Cooking ‘ which becomes a bestseller.

She returns to USA and she gets to do television shows on cooking,’The French Chef, Julia Child: Bon appe’tit, Julia Child & Company, Dinnerat Julia’s, Cooking with Master Chefs,Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking with Julia, Julia Child & JacquesPe’pin Cooking at home. As the television shows in 1960s were unedited and live her various blunders would appear on the television, which made her so real to American housewives. Always in her pearls and well dressed with her many mistakes and corrections she introduced ‘Art of French Cooking ‘ to America. Julia Child became a household name.  She wrote various books like Mastering the art of French Cooking, The French Chef Cook Book, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, The Way to Cook, My Life in France, From Julia Child’s Kitchen and many more.

In 1981, she founded The American Institute of Wine and Food. Julia Child ‘s kitchen from her to show is displayed in National Museum of America. Julia Child died on 13 th August,2004 and leaving behind her legacy in the form of ‘The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts.’

Impressive life of an ordinary woman who turns into a legend.

 

 

    Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1

One of my favourite motivational books are the Chicken Soup for The Soul series. Just like a few sips of chicken soup is soothing for a cold, similarly, these books are soothing for the reader’s soul. These books are compilation of stories shared by people.

In 1993 motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor started with an idea that people could help each other by sharing their stories.So they compiled the best 101 stories in a book.

They were turned down by one publisher after the other until they met the publisher Peter Vergso. He read the book and loved the stories and decided to give the book a chance. Chicken Soup for The Soul turned out to be the most popular and loved books ever published, it sold 11 million copies. Today they have more than 250 books in the series.

Domestic Violence is something that we consider synonymous to the uneducated people. But it happens every where, it is a vicious web from which it is difficult to come out of. There is a lack of self esteem on the part of the victim. Fear created in the mind of the victim so that she doesn’t have the courage to get out of it. The victim is isolated from her family and friends so that she isn’t able to run away from the clutches of her oppressor.

Some very good books written by authors like Rashmi Anand, KC Bernard, A Paris, Tehmina Durrani, Lundy Bancroft, Jane Corey, Sherry Lewis etc.

Most people have the question why does she stay with him? You will get your answers from the book ” Should I Stay or go” by Lundy Bancroft. It’s a vicious cycle which makes it difficult for a woman to escape. Most people say that stay for the sake of your children, the book “Trauma and Survivor Syndrome ” by Sherry Lewis will give you an insight to it. KC Barnard, RashmiAnand, Tehmina Durrani are themselves been victim of domestic abuse.

Some of the books that are an eye opener to domestic abuse are listed below :

Behind Closed Doors

Love by Deception: A harrowing true story of love and betrayal.
My Feudal Lord
Room 103: Nanakpura Thana
Trauma & Survivor Syndrome: Effects on Children Who Witness Domestic Violence
My Husband’s Wife
Behind Closed Doors

I am currently reading this book. In this book Alex Haley traces back his ancestry through six generations as slaves, freedmen, farmers and blacksmith, lawyers and architects . Back in Africa he discovered 16 year old young boy named Kunta Kinte. It was this young man, who was taken away from his homeland and brought to the slave markets of New World, who held the key to Haley’s deep and distant past.

This book won Alex Haley a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.

This book opens ones eyes to the horrors of slavery and how each generation struggled to survive. It gives us an insight to the tribal life of Africa and how each member of the tribe was assigned duties in an organised way. This book helps us to understand that each and every race needs to be respected.

Much time and energy has been spent accusing Haley of plagiarizing various aspects of Roots. Personally, I think that to dwell on this criticism is to totally miss the significance of the novel, which told for the first time a story that had remained largely unknown to white audiences in America and Britain. Whether fact, fiction or “faction”, Roots opened the eyes of western audiences to the oppression of their black brothers and sisters, and encouraged second and third-generation immigrants to take pride in, and ownership of, their cultural heritage. As an Indian I always fail to understand that were and are racially discriminated by the Europeans ( the white race) and still certain sections of our society is still so racist. It really is disturbing to see racism.

Dan Brown is an american author of thriller fiction in 2003 he wrote The Da Vinci Code . His books usually features keys, symbols, codes, consiparcy theories.

Some of his books are listed below:

Digital Fortress

Deception Point

Angels & Demons

The Da Vinci Code

The Lost Symbol

Inferno

Robert Langdon is the main character and the books are set in a 24 hour period.The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon)Also available on kindle.

His 4 th novel The Da Vinci Code was on top of the best sellers list in 2003.

This book earned him an income of US $250 million

.