COURAGE is not the same thing as fearlessness.
Having courage means there is fear, but you ignore that dry-mouthed stomach knottiness and do what you set out to do.
Imagine the courage it took for a 36-year-old Julia Child to move to Paris with her husband, even though she spoke no French; the mettle she possessed to enroll in a year-long cooking course at the Ãcole du Cordon Bleu; and the fortitude required to write Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
"The best way to describe it," wrote Child in her book My Life in France, "is to say that I fell in love with French food - the tastes, the processes, the history, the endless variations, the rigorous discipline, the creativity, the wonderful people, the equipment, the rituals."
She took that love - along with all that she'd learned - to the small screen, and taught North American TV audiences to appreciate French food the same way she had.
Small wonder she has been a role model and an icon to so many for so long.
Today, Aug. 15, would have been Child's 100th birthday, and her food-loving fans are celebrating all over the city.
The B.C. chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier is hosting a dine-around at 40 restaurants throughout the province.
Although it's mostly sold out, a few tickets remain. Check out Les Dames' Facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/ Lesdamesbc.
Bistro Pastis on West Fourth in Vancouver has been celebrating her centennial all summer with a series of special three-course prix fixe menus priced at $45. Executive chef Tobias Grignon has combed the pages of Mastering the Art of French Cooking to create dishes inspired by its recipes.
Each dish is annotated on the menu with the page number on which it appears.
This week's menu includes terrine, Pissaladière Niçise, or garlic soup to start; beef tenderloin, duck breast or bouillabaisse as a main; and orange mousse or strawberry tart for dessert.
Tomorrow night, Grignon will teach a demonstration class of some of Child's iconic dishes, including her Beouf Bourguignon; the five-course tasting menu is $65. The evening begins at 6: 30 p.m.
For information, call 604731-5020, or visit www. bistropastis.com.
If you don't head out to an organized event in celebration of her birthday, why not try a new recipe for dinner?
Julia would have.
"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook - try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!" As she said after the unforgettable episode when she flipped her potato pancake right out of the pan: "Bon Courage!"
