The 'Awful American Syndrome' Julia Child Said Every Home Cook Needed To Heal From

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If you've ever flipped through a challenging cookbook and put it right back on the shelf after feeling intimidated by complicated-sounding recipes, you're not alone. If you need some inspiration to bolster your culinary bravery and try something new, Julia Child has your back. She once discussed the importance of letting go of fear in the kitchen, and even alluded that she feels a fear of culinary failure is a uniquely American trait.

In an episode of "The French Chef," she discussed the importance of trying new and difficult recipes — specifically, desserts. Child stated, "I think a lot of people are just so scared of any recipe they see that says sugar, syrup, or caramel" (via YouTube). She went on to describe it as an "awful American syndrome of fear of failure," saying that fear can stop people from learning how to cook. Cooking, after all, involves a lot of mistakes, experimentation, and trial and error till you finally learn to nail things. Child said that it's imperative to develop the "je m'en fourisme" that the French tend to have — the term translates to an "I don't care" attitude. Finally, Child wrapped up by saying, "If you're not gonna be ready to fail, you're not gonna learn how to cook."

In addition to adopting an "I don't care" attitude in the kitchen, Julia Child offered a ton of cooking tips that helped make every meal a work of art, including never fearing fat and using fresh ingredients whenever possible. Thomas Keller, Michelin-star chef and owner of The French Laundry, shares a similar philosophy to Child's, stating in "The French Laundry Cookbook" that, "When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear; to make people happy. That's what cooking is all about."  

Child's advice applies not just to home cooks; even pro chefs are just as scared of failing. Take, for instance, chef, cookbook author, and Food Network personality Ina Garten, who has an unexpected opinion about her own cooking — kitchen nerves sometimes get the best of her as well. She's said that she's a very nervous cook, and she has to follow her recipes exactly to feel confident in the kitchen.

Remember, no matter what cooking tips you decide to incorporate into your kitchen philosophy, make Child proud by not being too scared to start (and take a page out of her cheeky playbook and simply feed any failed dishes to your significant other). In addition to fearlessness in the kitchen, she recommended keeping a positive attitude. "This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun," she wrote in her book "My Life in France."