Jim Lewis Remembers: Julia Child’s Car Talk

From Jim Lewis

In 1985 Julia Child received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Smith College. One of WGBY’s supporters, cookbook editor Charlotte Turgeon, arranged for her old classmate to stay on the day after the ceremony to do a reception for our donors called Tea with Julia.

Charlotte asked me to pick Julia and Paul Child up at a hotel in Northampton and drive them to the WGBY studio in Springfield.

Julia and Charlotte hopped into the back seat of my car, while Paul sat next to me. I tried to engage him in conversation, but he didn’t want anything to do with me or the event, so just sat there sulking.

While we rode in silence, Charlotte and Julia, who sat immediately behind me, chirped back and forth as I drove south on I-91.

“And these food faddists,” Julia exclaimed, “always going off in some strange, new direction. These vegetarians! How can you have a lovely dinner party and not serve meat?”

Suddenly it got very quiet in the back seat. I could feel her staring at me. She reached forward and pounded me on the shoulder. “Oh, dear,” she said, “you’re not one of THOSE, are you?”