In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.

Child contrasts French and American attitudes toward food, suggesting that in France cooking is treated with the seriousness accorded to the fine arts and with the popular enthusiasm of a widely followed sport. The line captures her lifelong argument—shaped by her postwar years in Paris and her training at Le Cordon Bleu—that technique, tradition, and public pride make French cuisine both culturally prestigious and broadly participatory. It also helps explain her mission as a teacher and broadcaster: to demystify French methods for American home cooks while preserving respect for craft, patience, and pleasure at the table.