Who We Used to Be Shapes Who We Become
Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer
When I mention the name Julia Child the first image that probably comes to mind would be Julia in her kitchen teaching us how to make something very French ending with the dish beautifully plated and ready to taste. Julia would end the program in her unique voice with her signature, “Bon appetit!” Julia McWilliams Child earned her fame from being the American cook who brought French cooking to the American public through her award-winning cookbooks and TV shows.
But Julia Child had as interesting and influential a past as her famous career changing the face of American cooking. During the Second World War Julia McWilliams was a spy! While never officially involved in clandestine field work, she headed the file department for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) reporting to the director, General (Wild Bill) Donovan, in Washington, with a “top-secret” clearance. While in Washington she worked for a year in the OSS Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section where she moved from file clerk to research assistant. She worked to solve the problem of sharks setting off underwater explosives placed to target German U-boats. Her solution was to “cook up” a shark repellent. Her formula is still in use today.
In 1944 she was first posted to the new OSS station in Kandy, Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), crossing the Pacific by ship. Once there, she organized the handling of the great volume of classified information aiding the war in the Pacific. As the war advanced, she was sent to Kunming, China, as head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat, the same work she had done in Ceylon. To reach her new posting, Julia flew over “the hump,” the dangerous air route over the Himalaya mountains. She was awarded the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service during this posting. She was known for her “drive and inherent cheerfulness.” In 2008 her OSS file was declassified and is available online. While in Asia she worked with a dedicated team of specialists including cartographer Paul Child. They were married in September of 1946. Paul joined the US Foreign Service, and in 1948 they moved to Paris, France. There she fell in love with French food and became a trained chef. The stage was now set for Julia’s second career.
If Julia had never embarked on her second career, she would still have had a major impact from her first. Yet, she did, making an even deeper impact on American culture as a cook, author, and media personality than she had as a spy. So, who does Julia remind you of? For me, it’s King David.
As a shepherd boy in Bethlehem, young David defended his flock and had plenty of time to practice his art as harpist and poet-singer (1 Sam. 16:23; 17:34-36; 2 Sam. 22:1). While future greatness was foretold, David kept on doing the things he needed to do in the present (1 Sam. 16:1-13). It was at this period of his life that David, an army of one, killed the Philistine warrior, Goliath leading to his inclusion in King Saul’s court (1 Sam. 17).
But, as you know, things didn’t go as planned and David had to flee the court of the jealous and fearful King Saul to save his life. He spent the next several years hiding from the king in the desert and acting as a guerrilla leader against the Philistines. The young war leader was learning the skills needed to be the ruler of a nation.
David became king at 30, fulfilling the Lord’s promise of so many years ago (2 Sam. 5). Under his rule a united nation gained a firm footing in the Land the Lord God had given them. David’s kingship, including both his failures and his successes, is the most important event in this remarkable man’s life. But the fabled rule of King David would never have existed without the exploits of shepherd boy David.
Our lives follow a similar, though usually less dramatic, pattern to those of the French chef and the Israelite king. There are remarkable deeds we have performed, there are hidden successes, and there are all the common days linking them together. What we are known for is only a small portion of who we are and what we have done. Our lives cannot be fully understood or appreciated by our best-known achievements (be they simple, like raising our children, or great, like gaining renown in our careers). We need to look at the whole to appreciate the impact we have on our world. We need both the correct measure and perspective to understand. We’ll look at what those should be in our reflection for Week Twenty-Two.
(Photo credit: RA Stites, near Pea Ridge, AR)
