Cooking, love and letters

You know, to be quite honest, I’ve never really understood the point of a blog. Sometimes, I think blogs are tools for people to just talk even more about themselves- let’s hope I don’t fall prey to this. I have tried blogging before as a way to keep up with my family, but that failed miserably. On the other hand though, I think “the blog” has become my generations way of journaling, or creating memoirs, if you will. Last night I went with some of the women I am working with to go see Julie/ Julia, this summer’s best movie if you ask me, detailing the true story of a woman who blogs her way through Julia Child’s Mastering French Cooking in a year. One of the reasons I loved the movie, (and I’ll probably enjoy reading Child’s book, My Life in France, even more) is because it shed light on the romantic relationship between Julia and her artist husband, Paul. The reason we know so much about this close relationship is through their letters. Not e-mails, text messages or tweets- all three of which I am dreadfully guilty of. Handwritten, sometimes typed, letters that were sent to all corners of the globe, to friends and family, sharing anything and everything from the recipe they mastered last week, to how much they loved their other half. How wonderful that people cared enough about Paul and Julia that they would then save those letters for years and years and years and years.

Ironically, my consultant friend, Courtney and I, had just had an intriguing conversation the day before on how much we missed handwritten correspondence. How come our generation does not communicate in this way? We both shared that we tried, as often as we could to send letters, postcards and notes to our family and friends, but let’s be honest; in our work we communicate via e-mail probably 95% of the time. Our own communication styles aside though, here’s a question… what will our generation have to look back at when 100 years from now, all that is left to read of someone’s life is an e-mail or twitter update or colorful blog? How will historians alter their research methods when some of the most reliable sources of information have become unreliable electronic fingerprints?

Here’s another downer. Because I’m on the road so much, I can’t get mail. Sad day. However, my sister and cousin, and dear friends Sam and Anna, can attest that I am excellent at sending letters in the mail. In fact, I love sending letters in the mail. So, if you’d like a postcard from the Sunflower State, or a present from DC, you’d better send me your mailing address…