Julia Child was America’s sweetheart in an apron… but what if her real recipe was persuasion?
Before she taught us how to truss a chicken, Julia worked for the OSS—the spy agency that became the CIA. Then suddenly, she’s on TV—warm, goofy, beloved—guiding an entire generation into a brand-new way of eating. Coincidence… or the perfect cultural hand off?
From French kitchens to the Mediterranean Diet craze, this episode peels back how Julia’s charm helped rewrite America’s food identity—nightshades, wine, wheat, “wellness,” and all. And once the palate shifted, the food pyramid practically sold itself.
Was it propaganda? A cultural psyop? Or just the most effective rebranding in American culinary history?
Let’s just say… the secret ingredient wasn’t butter.
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