What a riot! Last week's Drunk History episode on Comedy Central orbited around food, and it featured a rollicking retelling of the life and times of Julia Child, the willowy 6’3” chef whom everyone knows and loves. I was told by some outlets that this video will "make my day." Hm...did it? Does it pass the smell test?
Well, it’s narrated by consistently belching comedienne Lyric Lewis, who takes sips of her cocktail as she tells us the story of Ms. Child, from her halcyon days as a (sort of) spy for the American government during World War II (“hey girl hey,” the country of Sri Lanka chirps), decides she’s ready for a man, and finds a vessel for her libidinal longing in the form of a handsome "tall glass of milk."
Hilarious! Now, it’s been a good seven years since I’ve seen Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia, and I bet it’s been that long for you, too. So my memory’s obfuscated more granular details of Child’s life, namely how she jettisoned her career as a spy into that of a chef. Think you know Julia Child? Uh, yeah...guess again. Talk to me after you watch this video, right here. Lewis tells the story of Julia Child's life better than I would sober.
Drunk History airs every Tuesday on Comedy Central.
Mayukh Sen is a James Beard Award-winning food and culture writer in New York. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Bon Appetit, and elsewhere. He won a 2018 James Beard Award in Journalism for his profile of Princess Pamela published on Food52.
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