Julie, and Julia

When I saw this poster being advertised in the cinema, I was instantly attracted to it, and I told myself, " Julie and Julia" is a must - watch! The first reason was because Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are such great actors that it would seem a pity to give them a miss. Secondly, it is simply because this show is about cooking. I mean, how often would you watch a show about cooking in the movies? Also, I just love food.

Watching the show, however, has opened my eyes as the show is certainly more than meets the eye! Little did I know that there was actually a woman who loved another woman's cooking so much, that she decided to cook from all her recipes, and blog about them! Such a true story can really be quite inspirational.

Focusing on how Julie Powell blogs on her cooking, I realized that there are actually many characteristics of public blogging that I can pick out, which is rather interesting; but at the same time, I wonder if I actually do blog the way she does.

Blogging, after all, is a "performing" act. We all blog to show, to tell, and to express not only to ourselves, but to others as well.

The language that Julie Powell pens on her website is definitely one that is clearly thought through, and "censored" to a great extent.

When she quarrelled with her husband in the movie, Julie wanted to talk about how she quarrelled with her husband because of her blogging and cooking, but chose not to go into detail about it. This goes to show that when we blog, we actually create an image that we want our viewers to have of us. Thus, nothing nasty usually ends up there.

Also, Julie actually turned to blogging, not simply because her friend suggested it to her, but also because she felt that her working life was rather bleak. When she got into the w , hole lifestyle of cooking and blogging after work, these routine became a source of therapy for her. It was as if she immersed herself into the realm of cooking and bloggingand nothing else matters anymore (her husband was neglected, in her case).

Truly, do we treat blogging as our "everything", and do we use it as a platform for a "public purpose"? Can blogging ever be a real journal or diary?

Surely, if Julie Powell wrote a diary instead, the content would certainly be more exciting than what she blogged.

BON APPETIT!