{"id":5191,"date":"2016-06-12T19:17:27","date_gmt":"2016-06-12T13:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:31:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:01:00","slug":"julie-and-julia-anniversary-nora-ephron-cooking-meryl-streep-amy-adams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=5191","title":{"rendered":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

F<\/span><\/p><\/div>

or most Nora Ephron is the queen of rom-coms who gave us timeless gems such as <\/span>When Harry Met Sally<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Sleepless in Seattle<\/span><\/i>. But two years before she passed away, she gifted us a film, her last, about cooking, writing, and life \u2013\u00a0 <\/span>Julie & Julia<\/span><\/i> \u2013 and that\u2019s my Bible. The movie encapsulated all the anxieties of a creative life, by deftly portraying two biopics in one \u2014 of Julie Powell and Julia Child. I think Nora knew her storytelling touched many lives, mine included. For the writer in me, everything is an act, but the cook in me sees that act as a recipe. Here\u2019s a part of that act, told in three recipes.<\/span>\n\nFrench Onion Soup<\/b>\n\nTraditional Ingredients:<\/b> Onions, Beef Stock, Red Wine, Parmesan <\/span>Cheese\u00a0<\/span><\/a>\nYour Ingredients:<\/b> Red Onions, Vegetable Stock, Amul Sliced Cheese, Feni, and a dash of insecurity and unguided ambition.<\/span>\nDate of Prep:<\/b> November, 2013, two years before watching <\/span>Julie & Julia<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\nSteps:<\/b> Come home after a long night shift, and instead of going to sleep, get inspired by an old black-and-white video of an old, wizened woman making French Onion Soup. Her voice is caramel laced with a hint of coriander. It\u2019s warm and comforting.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThink you\u2019re God\u2019s gift to the Indian <\/span>kitchen<\/span><\/a> despite only having made palak paneer before. Then saute onions until they caramelise. Burn the bottom of the pan and fret over your own inadequacies as a cook, writer, person. Look around for a wooden spatula because you can\u2019t keep stirring with a spoon. Ask Mom for spatula. Get scolded for messing up the kitchen counter with \u201cpyaz ke chilke\u201d<\/span>\n\nApologise.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n\"meryl_streep\"\n\n

\n

Pray to Meryl Streep at the altar of acting. And thank Nora Ephron every time you open Netflix. Wish she was still alive making movies.<\/p>\n

Columbia Pictures\/ Netflix<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nCall friend up and ask, \u201cFrench Onion Soup piyega?\u201d despite knowing fully well that the concoction you\u2019ll end up making is nothing more than a brown, unappetising liquid with chunks of onions <\/span>swimming<\/span><\/a> around like eels in sea.<\/span>\n\nBoil leftover veggies in water until they resemble \u201cstock\u201d. Fret over your inadequacies as a cook, writer, person. Dump said stock in onions. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and some cumin and coriander as well because… fuck the French. Rub your eyes because you\u2019re drowsy and decide not to go to sleep but massacre a perfectly good kitchen. Scream because your fingers are laced with spices. Go to answer the door with tears streaming down your cheeks while <\/span>Mom<\/span><\/a> snidely suggests, \u201cBeta, bread-butter kha kar so jao.\u201d<\/span>\n\nIgnore Mom\u2019s snide remarks because pride. Welcome friend.<\/span>\n\n\u201cBhai taste to wine se hi ayega.\u201d Heed friend\u2019s advice. Fret over the absence of good alcohol in the house. Get excited at a feasible workaround, and then cast a mournful glance at the bottle of Feni your Dad brought from <\/span>Goa<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nCommit the extreme sacrilege of ruining a French dish which asked for wine with Feni. Realise you should have used Feni to deglaze the pan first. But the wise woman said, \u201cIn <\/span>cooking<\/span><\/a>, you\u2019ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.\u201d That attitude keeps you going.<\/span>\n\nTop the brown concoction with those square Amul abominations called cheese, instead of Parmesan.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nServe hot.<\/span>\n\n***<\/span>\n\nChicken Stroganoff<\/b>\n\nTraditional Ingredients: Chicken, Peppers, Mushroom, Butter, and other usual suspects.<\/b>\nYour Ingredients: Same as above, with a teaspoonful of dedication and honesty.<\/b>\nDate of Prep: July, 2015, two days after watching<\/b> Julie & Julia<\/i><\/b>\nSteps:<\/b> Get inspired by watching Nora Ephron\u2019s modern masterpiece, <\/span>Julie & Julia<\/span><\/i>. Realise that the French <\/span>Onion<\/span><\/a> Soup woman was none other than Julia Child. Slowly begin to find hints of Julie Powell in yourself \u2014 she was answering calls of 9\/11 survivors with PTSD, and you are fielding calls from frustrated hotel front desk staff who couldn\u2019t operate their own hotel\u2019s software. Julie Powell had had enough with her job and needed an out. She needed a deadline. You just keep screaming to yourself, \u201cTera khoon kab khaulega, Faizal?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nJulie wrote a blog. You\u2019ve quit writing one because it\u2019s too much commitment. It\u2019s all better on paper, honestly. But Julie is on the clock and is dedicated. And so are you, when it comes to thinking up stories.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nJulie is making one dish a day. You\u2019re <\/span>writing<\/span><\/a> a story a day. You\u2019re still putting words on a page, despite the shifts, despite the red in the whites of your eyes, despite the black under them.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nWrite story. Finish story. Edit story. Submit.<\/span>\n\nWait.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nCheck mail. \u201cWe\u2019d like to use your story in an upcoming issue of our magazine.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\nRealise you\u2019re an adequate writer after all. Jump in joy and scratch the itch in your palm which says, \u201cAaj kuchh special banana jaaye.\u201d Call the same <\/span>friend<\/span><\/a> over, \u201cStory published. Chicken Stroganoff khayega?\u201d<\/span>\n\n\u201cFrench Onion Soup jaisa banayega toh nahi,\u201d he says.<\/span>\n\n\u201cBetter,\u201d you say with barely disguised confidence. This time, you remember to deglaze the pan which holds onions and mushrooms with a hint of <\/span>whiskey<\/span><\/a>, even though the original asks for cognac. Because you\u2019ve learned to experiment like Julie, and as Julia Child said, \u201cCooking is one failure after another, and that\u2019s how you finally learn.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\n

Because you\u2019ve learned to experiment like Julie, and as Julia Child said, \u201cCooking is one failure after another, and that\u2019s how you finally learn.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\nYou learn that some improvisations end up with better taste but still fret over your inadequacy as a cook.<\/span>\n\nCook the chicken with <\/span>mushroom<\/span><\/a> and bell peppers and bury it under loads of butter. Because, as the French say, there is no such thing as too much butter.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nPour fresh cream. Stir.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nServe hot with rice.<\/span>\n\n***<\/span>\n\nChocolate Babka<\/b>\n\nTraditional Ingredients: Flour, eggs, chocolate, vanilla extract, the whole shebang.<\/b>\nYour ingredients: <\/b>Same as above.<\/span>\nDate of prep: March, 2019, four years after watching Julie & Julia for the first time\u00a0<\/b>\nSteps<\/b>: Turn 30. Realise you\u2019re the same age as Julie Powell was in the movie. You\u2019ve achieved so much while she was just starting out. 30 is the new 20, you remember a line from the movie. Thank Amy Adams for that anxious, vulnerable, brilliant portrayal, because you\u2019ve been Julie Powell at various stages of your life. Pray to <\/span>Meryl Streep<\/span><\/a> at the altar of acting. And thank Nora Ephron every time you open Netflix. Wish she was still alive making movies. Dream about writing your own <\/span>Sleepless in Sion<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>You\u2019ve Got Mail.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\n\nMaybe you\u2019ll end up writing <\/span>Trisha and Tarla<\/span><\/i>, inspiring a writer, a baker, or a person somewhere, someday.<\/span>\n\n\"amy_adams\"\n\n

\n

Thank Amy Adams for that anxious, vulnerable, brilliant portrayal, because you\u2019ve been Julie Powell at various stages of your life.<\/p>\n

Columbia Pictures\/ Netflix<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nWrite a scene. <\/span>Marvel<\/span><\/a> over how good you\u2019ve gotten over the years. Keep the nagging fear of failure at bay by creating art, all day, every day. Burnout fears you.<\/span>\n\nFind love. Lose love.<\/span>\n\nCelebrate your little inadequacies by making Babka, one of the toughest things to bake, because hell yeah.<\/span>\n\nGet wheat flour instead of maida because gluten. Get 85 per cent dark chocolate. Get yeast. Get to work.<\/span>\n\nWait. In baking, patience is key. And if years of obsessively watching <\/span>Julie & Julia<\/span><\/i>, banging your head at a perfect sentence, and burning endless onions have taught you one thing, it\u2019s this \u2014 patience is the virtue of <\/span>gods<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nWait. Let the bread rise.<\/span>\n\nFret over the absence of a good oven in your bachelor pad. Improvise. Use a pressure cooker instead.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nNow, bake. And wait again.<\/span>\n\nCall your friend and ask him if he\u2019s okay. He is. Only that he hasn\u2019t tasted your latest <\/span>masterpiece<\/span><\/a> yet. Too bad he is away sailing, eating sea \u2018glop. Listen to him and empathise with him, just like Julie tried to do in her job. Over the years, you\u2019ve learned this too. It doesn\u2019t cost anything to be nice.<\/span>\n\nSmell a delicious, warm aroma wafting your way from the kitchen. Say goodbye. Open the cooker.<\/span>\n\nWait. Let the bread cool down. Patience.<\/span>\n\nTake out the bread. Slice a chunk and serve it to your roommates. Marvel at your newfound brilliance as a cook.<\/span>\n\nOnly occasionally fret over your inadequacy as a person, because, let\u2019s face it, doesn\u2019t everyone?<\/span>\n\nBut then I think of the two <\/span>women<\/span><\/a> whom I\u2019ve fallen for over the years \u2013 Julie & Julia \u2013 and remind myself that if you get to do what you love, even momentarily, then that counts for something.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":5195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[8801,8802,6293,8631,7975,3856,8803,8804,8805,8442],"class_list":["post-5191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-amy-adams","tag-chris-messina","tag-cooking","tag-julie-and-julia","tag-kitchen","tag-meryl-streep","tag-nora-ephron","tag-sleepless-in-seattle","tag-stanley-tucci","tag-when-harry-met-sally"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amal Singh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amal Singh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amal Singh\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea\"},\"headline\":\"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191\"},\"wordCount\":1435,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1565254313.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Amy Adams\",\"Chris Messina\",\"cooking\",\"julie and julia\",\"kitchen\",\"Meryl Streep\",\"Nora Ephron\",\"Sleepless in Seattle\",\"Stanley Tucci\",\"When Harry Met Sally\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pop Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191\",\"name\":\"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1565254313.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea\"},\"description\":\"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1565254313.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1565254313.jpg\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":850},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5191#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arr\u00e9\",\"description\":\"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea\",\"name\":\"Amal Singh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amal Singh\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?author=293\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better","description":"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better","og_description":"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.","og_url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amal Singh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better","twitter_description":"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amal Singh","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191"},"author":{"name":"Amal Singh","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea"},"headline":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better","datePublished":"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191"},"wordCount":1435,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","keywords":["Amy Adams","Chris Messina","cooking","julie and julia","kitchen","Meryl Streep","Nora Ephron","Sleepless in Seattle","Stanley Tucci","When Harry Met Sally"],"articleSection":["Pop Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191","name":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","datePublished":"2016-06-12T13:47:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T16:01:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea"},"description":"Four years ago, I was inspired to become a better cook after watching Nora Ephron\u2019s Julie and Julia. That quest for improvement turned out to be never-ending and all-encompassing. Here\u2019s the story of a life, told in three recipes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","width":1520,"height":850},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5191#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Julie & Julia Showed Me, a Boy from UP, How to Write and Live Better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/","name":"Arr\u00e9","description":"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/aaaf71d1b21a55e00303014853d493ea","name":"Amal Singh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ac788d7df35f66fe215a0a02ed079607ce639997a2deaa37b2c518a18b35d85?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amal Singh"},"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?author=293"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1565254313.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5194,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5191\/revisions\/5194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}