Kathleen Flinn

“Living is like driving," my grandmother used to say. "You have to pick a lane." Have I chosen the right lane? It feels like this place, this moment in time, lies exactly halfway between my past and my future.”

“There is an old story that says that Julia Child dropped a chicken on the floor when she was filming 'The French Chef.' And then - that, in fact, is not true. She just, you know, dropped some potatoes she was trying to flip in a pan.”

“Cut the things out of your life that keep you from reaching your dream. It doesn't matter if it's cooking or belly dancing.”

“I wasn't a great cook, but I was a passionate one.”

“I think we are all programmed to please as we grow up.”

“Americans and French are notoriously monolingual, especially earlier generations. Language is a sense of pride in both cultures. I think that the French and Americans are like brothers or sisters who are so similar that they irritate one another.”

“In many ways, journalism school and culinary school are quite similar. They both teach fundamental skills and habits, but ultimately you learn through on-the-job training.”

“I don't have to tell you I love you. I fed you pancakes.”

“I'm a woman; in so many ways I've been programmed to please. I took the job and spent time hunkered over figures, budgets, charts, and fiscal-year projections. I tried, but I hated it."Working at a job you don't like is the same as going to prison every day," my father used to say. He was right. I felt imprisoned by an impressive title, travel, perks, and a good salary. On the inside, I was miserable and lonely, and I felt as if I was losing myself. I spent weekends working on reports no one read, and I gave presentations that I didn't care about. It made me feel like a sellout and, worse, a fraud.Now set free, like any inmate I had to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.”

“Most memoir writers will tell you that the hardest part of writing a memoir isn't what to include, but what to leave out.”

“I didn't realize it at the time, but writing obituaries was one of best jobs that I've ever had. After all, it's the only time that someone will ever laminate my work and put it in their Bible. Plus, let's be honest, writing obits in Sarasota is a very busy job. The old saying was that old people lived in Miami, but their parents lived in Sarasota.”

“I think that women like to use different parts of their brain and their hands. And I think that cooking allows you to do that.”

“There are so many things you can do with a culinary degree.”

“If you believe that life should be full of adventure , then you have to willing to let your kids have them, too.”