Paris, France, was full of surprises for Julia Child. She quickly learned that Parisian apartments were not only cold, but came equipped with their own mice. The answer to the mice problem was clear to Julia’s maid. One day, Jeanne appeared with a basket that held the soon-to-be mouse catcher, a mud and cream colored cat. Julia named her Minette and then Mini for short.

At first, Minette was content to stay in the basket. But when she smelled Julia’s soup, curiosity took over. Minette jumped onto the shelf above the stove. She watched Julia work to recreate the mushroom soup she enjoyed at a restaurant. From Julia’s very first meal in France, she was determined to learn to cook the French food she loved. Julia’s soup didn’t turn out to be an exact copy, but Minette seemed happy with it and ate a saucer full.

Another Paris surprise for Julia was how much she adored her French cat. “I had never been much of an animal person,” she said. “She was my first cat ever, and I thought she was marvelous.”

Julia invented Minette’s favorite game, batting at a Brussel sprout tied a string.  And Julia enjoyed watching Minette’s tail switching around when she ducked her head under the radiator. Occasionally, Minette showed her appreciation for Julia’s affection and good food by dropping at mouse at Julia’s feet.

Minette found her way into Julia’s heart at the perfect time.  In their kitchen, Julia practiced cooking the French food she later became famous for. And lucky Minette tasted it first.

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author

To learn more about Julia’s cats visit: https://juliascats.com/

You may like Jane Goodall https://barbaralowell.com/jane-goodall

A Book For Kids:

Minette’s Feast by Susannh Reich, Illustrated by Amy Bates

Celebrate Julia Child’s Life: