Its Friday night and it’s quiet. Well kind of quiet, the dog is doing his nightly run around the table, across the living room, up the stairs and back again marathon but I just leave him to it, occasionally moving my feet (and glass) out of the way if he gets too close to the sofa. Soon he will tire and it will be peaceful. Outside it is bitterly cold and snow is forecast but inside it is warm and cosy. The fire is on and I have a bottle of wine on the go and I am watching Julie & Julia again for the millionth time.
This week I got hold of the box set of Jamie Oliver’s first TV series – The Naked Chef. Now I have to admit, when it was first broadcast quite a few years ago now, I tuned in for obvious reasons, to see a chef cooking in the nude. I thought it would be a laugh. I was wrong, it was the food that was “naked” not the chef. Jamie has been around now for a long time and he has gone from cheeky Vespa riding chappy to serious food campaigner, husband and father. But it got me thinking that he has not always been Jamie Oliver super-famous chef, once he was just Jamie. Chef.
I suppose my point is that everyone starts out somewhere and while, for most of us cooks, the fame and money that Jamie has amassed will never reach us but in our own right us food bloggers are published writers and even if we only have regular following of half a dozen people it is a following of people who listen to what we have to say about food and feel our passion for it.
Now I am just up to the bit in the film where Julie cooks her first egg. How was it possible that a woman of her age has never eaten an egg?
So, this week it was The Naked Chef and last week it was someone who I am fairly certain has never described herself as naked. Julia Parsons. Julia Parsons is a very well respected and followed food blogger who has just seen her first book published. I have been waiting for ages for this book and now it is here I have to say that it is just lovely. It is full of gorgeous food, personal stories and includes a very handy table that converts English measurements in to American ones (very useful for someone like me that reads quite a few blogs from the USA). When it arrived I showed it to my husband who looked at it and said “great another cook book”. My reply was “No, this one is special. Julia started off as a food blogger, just like me and look now she has a beautiful book.”. This peaked his interest and he even had a look through it and said how nice it was. I am sure he will love it even more when I try the recipe for “slow roasted belly of pork” one of his absolute favourites. To me Julia is a real inspiration and proof of what can be achieved from starting off by writing to just a few people, even if those people are family and friends reading out of love for the writer rather than love of food.
I am now watching the lobster killer part of the film, something I have never done. I think that, for now at least, I may prefer my lobster dispatched by a professional particularly as my husband, like Julie’s, will no doubt be chanting “lobster killer” as I send the little chap to his hot, watery death! Time for another glass of wine I think.
You can view Julia Parsons blog here.
So true, Natalie. We all have to start somewhere, but who knows where we can go! I’m looking forward to checking out Julia’s blog. And making your curry with my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Ooo good, I do hope that you like it. I am on a mission to make the richest beef stew in the world…keep and eye out for it!
Goodness me, what an honour! I was blushing reading your post Natalie, you really are too kind. I’m so thrilled that you like the book and your words mean so much to me; thank you. I really do hope I can inspire other bloggers to follow their dreams. Wishing you every success with yours.
Julia x
P.S. I laughed at the description of your dog running around, we have a big, bounding labrador who’s exactly the same!
P.P.S. ‘The Naked Blogger’ does have an interesting ring to it but I think I’ll leave that to someone else!
Thanks for the comment Julia, I am liking the sound of the Naked Blogger but I am not up for the task! I do hope that you will come back to visit me soon and maybe steer some people in my direction! I would really welcome your comments.
Guess what Natalie, I’m just about to watch Julie & Julia and I thought I’ll go online for a bit first… and hey…
When I was doing my Cook with Jamie project, I had to prepare a live lobster and it was a strange experience… It was delicious but I felt somewhat guilty.
Enjoy your weekend. Michael
And you Michael, thanks for stopping by again.
What a lovely tribute to Julia. I must admit it is the most wonderful feeling to add cook book author to your name. My husband and I have just published my first cook book and have now realised why EVERYBODY uses publishers. We are having my book printed for the third time!!! It is not fun having to deal with the continual excuses and stories from the printers. A very good lesson learnt for when we are ready to print my second book!
Mandy
You print the books yourselves? How do you distribute?
We were printing a fairly small amount for the first edition due the expense of printing and we were going to sell them via email to family and friends, facebook, via my blog and there are a few places here in Mauritius where we were going to sell from too; a new butcher with a store in the North and South of the Island, the Super U supermarket, and a few local markets. We were also going to have a write up in the local papers. Sadly though the printer has messed it up again – I am absolutely soul destroyed and shattered, so much so that I have now asked my husband to deal with the printer as my emotions will take over and then we will have a bigger problem on our hands. I had so much fund writing and putting the book together and I feel that this printer has taken that all away from me. So after many tears this weekend, I have vowed to move on and start putting together everything I have for a second edition, which will obviously now form part of a very delayed first edition.
Mandy
Sorry to hear about the heartache that has surrounded the book. I hope the second edition runs smoothly. I am off the brave the elements now, we appear to have snow!
If naked blogging is going to be the next big thing (no pun intended, there), then I think I’ll be excused; people would only be disappointed.
Julia’s book *is* a great read, surprisingly good for a first book!
They would be with me too! Naked blogging means naked cooking which just sounds dangerous to me!