Smithsonian Spotlight: Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Museum of American History

So last weekend when we went to DC for my birthday, we had some time to check out the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I absolutely knew I wanted to go to that Smithsonian museum branch (there are 17, did you know?) to see Julia Child’s Kitchen. This kitchen is from her home in Cambridge, MA and she donated it in 2001.
It’s kind of funny to think of an entire kitchen being plucked from a house and put on display. I have to laugh to myself when I think about one of those big rig trucks with a kitchen attached to the trailer.
It was amazing to see all of the stuff that was in Julia’s kitchen! She had knives and gadgets and pots and dishes and serving platters crammed in every available space.
After the initial shock of the amount of stuff in the kitchen I just could not get over that this was Julia Child’s kitchen. This master, this expert chef, this paragon of food culture, a mentor and amazing woman, spent most of her life (1956-2001) here in this space and now I’m here. So I stood with my mouth open for a long while.
It has an amazing vibe. The blue is airy, light, not taking itself too seriously, much like how I assume Julia was. There is nothing heavy or industrial about this kitchen. It’s just pleasant and calming. It’s not modern or squeaky clean or efficient in any way. But it was Hers and I love every single thing about it.
Here it is:
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Fourth wall where this display of gorgeous copper pots was:
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Julia’s massive mortar and pestle:
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Julia’s gadget drawer
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Author: Domestocrat

I'm a lady who enjoys photography, football, cooking, long drives with the windows down, This American Life, kettlecorn, hot yoga, pop punk, my nephews, my cat Reggie, and my home: Boston.

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