Reading My Life in France brought home to me for the first time that the funny, endearing woman on our TV screen during my formative years was not a character but an actual, simply genuine person. She worked very had to make cooking the food she loved understandable; and she revelled in that pursuit. During her half-hour segments, it is clear that she took the technique seriously, but was always also having fun. American cooks who had no idea they wanted to master any art in the kitchen could relate to the joy she conveyed with her voice, expressions, and gestures.
As a community TV producer, it tickled me pink to read her description of her home station, WGBH, when The French Chef piloted in 1962. "WGBH, Channel 2, was Boston's fledgling public TV station. It didn't have much mazuma and was mostly run by volunteers, but they had managed to cobbled together a few hundred dollars to buy some videotape." Fewer resources than my local access station; but so much of the same spirit. And they bought a television set for the first time, in order to watch it (pulled out from its hiding spot).
So much has changed in the last few decades. But people still need to witness a person they can relate to enjoying the pursuit of something worthwhile. In that light, perhaps there is a chance for Bite-size Green to make a difference. Angelina's enthusiasm certainly shines through, as does the dedication of the guests. And the core messages of starting with fresh, local ingredients in season is well-founded in the principles Julia Child herself passed along to us from the farmers and chefs she learned from.
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