Wailing! Gnashing of teeth! Beating of breasts! It's a dark, dark day for the food world.

Fortunately, we have an incredible canon of work to reflect on -- countless books, numerous TV series and innumerable anecdotes and memories from food luminaries who owe their livelihoods to this remarkable woman.

Her autobiography is a very enjoyable read. Julia and Jacques Cook at Home is still one of my perpetual go-to bibles for classic dishes.

I am shedding a happy tear on the passing of our friend Julia. As a latch-key kid I watched her cooking shows, not knowing exactly why the show was so funny. I remember fondly the lobster who tried to escape, and the knife accident, as well as sauces not quite setting. As the great Ms. Child herself quipped " a little wine for the cook, a little wine for the sauce".
What an institution. I owe her at least 2" of my waistline.

Never really watched her show as a kid, sadly.

What I *do* remember is Dan Ackroyd's sketches on SNL. "Oh, dear! I do believe I've cut the dickens out of my finger!"

It says a lot about Ms. Child that she (a) loved that sketch and (b) never quite took herself all THAT seriously.

That being said, when *I* buy men's underwear I *always* go sneaking off to buy a new meat tenderizer. Doesn't everyone?

Me am sad. Gonna cook me some eclairs this weekend as a tribute.

I had learned some basic cooking from my mom, but I only really learned to cook in my twenties, thanks to a roommate armed with major gourmet ambitions and a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. At last, I finally understood what a white sauce was, and why I should care.

I never ran into Julia while I lived in Boston in the 1980s, but I had acquaintances who did--she apparently could be found puttering around food markets near her home like any typical Bostonian foodie.

I always thought Julia was a hoot. I loved her attitude, and I confess I also loved that she was such a big strapping woman. Seeing her on TV in recent years, so severely bent over (I assume from osteoporosis?) saddened me, even while I was glad to see her still so active. She sure did get a whole lotta living packed into that long life.

Oh man, I'm gonna miss her. The next time I see "Cooking at Home with Julia and Jacques" (probably tomorrow) I am going to cry like a fool.

I love the opening credits: Jacques in a toga, Julia looking at him like he is insane; Jacques fixin' to beat some egg whites, Julia with a starter pistol; Jacques doing a flambé, Julia armed and ready with a fire extinguisher...

She just seemed like a great lady and a generous and genuine person.

Oh, crap. Crying at work.

Julia Child would've taken any or all of the Iron Chefs to school so fast their little hats would have been left spinning in the air.

An interview I was tipped off to on another website:

pollyfrost.com/julia.html

Ahhh, Julia!

I love the way she just talked to her "audience" instead of lording it over...filled many days home sick and all..she's the one who got me to experiment with food because she made it all look so easy...:)

Salut!