Julia Child's Influences

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Chopping Up Social Standards: Julia Child’s Influence
For many people one of their fondest memories would be baking with their grandmothers. Their grandmothers would teach them many skills and some may decide to pursue cooking. Julia Child was someone who many people looked up to for inspiration for many reasons. She gave women a place in a professional kitchen and in the workforce in general. She helped the United Sated in World War II. Julia Child was one of the most famous female chefs in United States’ history. She was known for her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her show “The French Chef.” However, Julia Child was much more than just a chef; she was one of the most influential women in American history because
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The war was the thing that started Julia Child on the path to her culinary career. Since Julia Child was over six feet tall, she was rejected from the Women’s Army Corps and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, being too tall for the working conditions (Conant). She was then approached by the Office of Strategic Services and became a spy for them. Julia Child worked side by side with men and proved how strong and smart women were. Women at this time did not receive opportunities like hers, Julia Child was already crushing social standards. She was actually one of the first contingent of OSS women sent to Ceylon (Conant). At this time, women were meant to stay at home and clean, but now they are making major contributions to the war effort. Child helped a lot in many different areas in the war, including the navy. Soon she would put her “latent culinary skills to use in the service of her country” (O’Carroll). During World War II, the Navy had a shark problem; the United States would send in diver to use the mines against German U- boats, but the sharks were curious and would bump up against them and set them off (O’Carroll). When the OSS caught wind of the problem, they turned to Julia Child to set out and create a chemical shark repellent and she created “Shark Chaser;” which was placed in a water soluble pouch and would release a foul smelling dye upon contact with water, but it was ineffective (O’Carroll). Julia Child made her mark on the United States war effort, but it was time for her to move on. It was during the war where she met her future husband Paul, and is was with Paul that she discovered her passion for food. Thus the war was a stepping stone for Julia Child and from there she began her culinary