Twice in this episode, Julia Child has to deal with the role of women in the 1960's. In general, at the time, once an occupation commanded a good salary, it was male only. The exceptions were the "female ghetto" occupations: mother, nurse, teacher, secretary. In most instances, women were not even allowed to to apply for other kinds of jobs.
First, she encounters chef Andre Soltner at the New York French restaurant Lutece. At the time, home cooking was considered the province of women while restaurant cooking was in the domain of men. He tells Julia to remember that professional cooking can only be dome by men.
Next she meets Betty Friedan, one of the founders of women's liberation, who was fighting to give women an equal place. A clueless viewer reviewed this episode and called Betty Friedan a Marxist. She was not. (Marx wanted to replace private ownership with cooperative ownership to eliminate social classes.)
If you are a woman with a professional job today, you have Betty Friedan to thank. However, in this episode she wrongly thinks The French Chef was doing its part to keep women in their place, i.e. The kitchen.
Both Soltner and Friedan were wrong. Julia Child was sharing her love of French cuisine with the world. Both men and women watched her show, cooked her recipes, and ventured beyond what they knew. The French Chef made public TV popular and created the cooking show genre.
First, she encounters chef Andre Soltner at the New York French restaurant Lutece. At the time, home cooking was considered the province of women while restaurant cooking was in the domain of men. He tells Julia to remember that professional cooking can only be dome by men.
Next she meets Betty Friedan, one of the founders of women's liberation, who was fighting to give women an equal place. A clueless viewer reviewed this episode and called Betty Friedan a Marxist. She was not. (Marx wanted to replace private ownership with cooperative ownership to eliminate social classes.)
If you are a woman with a professional job today, you have Betty Friedan to thank. However, in this episode she wrongly thinks The French Chef was doing its part to keep women in their place, i.e. The kitchen.
Both Soltner and Friedan were wrong. Julia Child was sharing her love of French cuisine with the world. Both men and women watched her show, cooked her recipes, and ventured beyond what they knew. The French Chef made public TV popular and created the cooking show genre.
