re: Republicans who hate me, and love Julia

From an interview with the great Christopher Lydon:

"As always, she was waiting for the conversation to turn to politics.  Julia Child was a Roosevelt Democrat at home, an Acheson Democrat abroad--an unrepentant celebrant of The Best and The Brightest in politics and government.  "Tell me," she said, with another of her half-winks, "what happened to the Democratic Party, which seems to have disappeared."  And why did Hillary Clinton stir up such feeling?  "I think she's marvellous," Julia said.  "This is the first time we've had a modern young woman as a President's wife," not excepting Jacqueline Kennedy.  "She's kind of a wild woman," Julia reflected, but the hatred she stirred in Washington was our problem, not Hillary's.  "With a woman who does something," she said, "men are afraid and women feel inadequate.  And the reaction to inadequacy is hatred."

Reason #, say, 5 of the thousand and one reasons I love Julia is that she did not suffer fools lightly. I also like that she was a a rebellious democrat, who defied her beloved, Republican father because she saw the great flaw in his beliefs. That's not to say that Julia hated Republicans - that's my job - but she knew what was right, to her mind.

And I love her very much.

Not Our Type, Dear.

It turns out I'm not to everyone's taste. Those pure of thought and deed and word wish I'd shut my dirty mouth. Many republicans, mostly those who object to being called "evil" by such an expert in political analysis, dislike me. People who thought I was writing a book about cooking aren't too fond of me either.

And then there are the Spence School parents.

The parents at the the Spence School don't hate me or anything. I'm just not really their milieu. I went to a book fair their just before Thanksgiving, and I have to say, it was the most excruciating three hours of my life. There's something about trying to explain my book about a financially and existentially struggling Queens secretary to a woman with perfectly honeyed highlights, a $3,000 sweater and a suspiciously unlined face that just gets me down. It's the blank look that passes across their eyes when you say "Queens" or "temp work" that does it. They just don't get it. They smile with that look of comprehension they've cultivated, and you can just hear them thinking, "This is a poor woman. I've heard about them."

Oh well.

I did another event for some distinctly nonplussed people at L'Ecole in Soho - the NYT Times-hosted one I mentioned before. It was me, the chef from Artisanal, and two TV chefs. Bunch of upper west side foodies in the audience, very nice people I'm sure, definitely big Food Network watchers. That was the second most excruciating hours of my life. I don't mind that everyone was there to see not me but a borscht-belt-by-way-of-Puerto-Rico Daisy Martinez hold forth. She's smart as a whip, and was funny, if you like that kind of thing. (Though she told her best story, a nicely disgusting one about monkfish, in the green room beforehand. I'm not going to tell it, because if Daisy has a grain of sense she'll publish it at some point, and I don't want to steal her fire....) And I don't mind that there's this whole society of celebrity chefs that have a whole world of gossip I know nothing about. But I just wondered why I was there. These people are food people. They're going to read my book, and they're going to figure out it's not really about food, and they're going to hate me. That's the way it happens. So I sat there in front of this big audience, feeling their animus in advance. I don't like it when people don't like me.

But, I'm learning, that's just the way the shit goes. Which is sort of a great thing to learn, actually.

Tomorrow's event

So, yes. It is ticketed. It's $50 a head, and included food - as well it should. I don't know if it's sold out but tickets were for at least awhile available online or by calling 800-NYT-1870.

Cheers...

Sorry, sorry...

Don't know what was going on with the posting there. Well, hopefully it's fixed itself now...

So yes, I have some event tomorrow night at L'Ecole in New York. It's hosted by the New York Times, there's going to be food, and I think it's probably a ticketed event. That's all I know. I'm trying to get further information, but so far no dice.

What else? Yes - so Eric ran the marathon, and he wasn't even sore after because, for which all should feel free to hate him. And for Thanksgiving my parents have rented a house in Vermont and we're all going up there, wine and green chiles in hand. Out to be fun, but not so interesting for you....

And I'd like to say that I think this weather is calling in the horsemen of the apocalypse. 65 in mid-November in New York is just scary.

Testing, 1...2...3...

Hellooo? Is this working?????

We are experiencing technical difficulties...

The Shit Goddamn New York Marathon, Take Deux

The Shit Goddamn New York Marathon.

I suck.

I know it. Whatever, get over it.

SO - The Texas Book Festival was fun. HUGE, but fun. I read together with James McWilliams, who shares JC's maiden name (well, it's not his maiden name, obviously....) He wrote a book called A Revolution in Eating, about how food shaped early America. He's awfully entertaining, and can actually speak extemporaneously, something I cannot to AT ALL. I felt a little uncomfortable reading in the Capitol Extension Building, so close to Rick Perry, so I pick a pretty clean passage to read. Though I guess if the governor says Mofo, I can say fuck, right? And it was a great crowd, only partially packed with family, and I met tried-and-true blog reader Mary and new-and-welcome blog reader Trailing Buffalo. And all was well.

Then I went home. I love Austin, but I was very, very glad to come home.

Robert is the best dog ever.

Night before last I did a reading with Amanda Hesser at the KGB Bar in the east village. I'm such a terrible New Yorker that I've never been to the KGB Bar before, though Eric has. It was great fun. A very young cool crowd - hip, but not too, you know, like real people. And everyone bought me gimlets. And I got to see "Sally", and "Heathcliff," and Stephanie, and Lisa&Konrad&babyMax, who's this baby like you wouldn't fucking believe. He's a cartoon baby. He's the baby to end all babies.

And Amanda really is tiny. And she really is cute. And we went out to eat after, at some pasta place called Frank's, and it was nice, though I made the mistake of getting the special ravioli, and you know how when you're with real food people you always feel like you got the wrong thing? Well, that's how I felt.

And that's my week so far. Except that also, I had lunch with a very famous Hollywood person. Not a movie star, more of a other-side-of-the-camera type. Which was creepy, but good. The caramel fondue helped.