Child was deemed “too tall” for both the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) and Women’s Army Corps (WAC) so she took a position at the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). She helped invent a shark repellent that is still in use today.
Child did not have a natural talent for cooking. In fact, she was a self-admitted disaster in the kitchen until she began taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
Child spent her early years working for what would become the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1993, she joined another CIA: the Culinary Institute of America. The group inducted Child into its Hall of Fame that year, making her the first woman to ever receive the honor. She was also awarded the French Legion D’Honneur and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
She credited her long life to red meat and gin. Some great quotes:
- A party without cake is just a meeting.
- The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.
- If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.
- Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed. Eh bien, tant pis.
- Small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything.
- I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food…
- With enough butter, anything is good.
- Everything in moderation… including moderation.
- The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.
- As you get older, you shouldn’t waste time drinking bad wine.
- Cooking well doesn’t mean cooking fancy.
- Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?