Mix in a little deception.

So as I read the days news and poked around the fringes of possible stories to use I came upon this gem. It's already starting to make the rounds of the news sites but it's still a fun little story.

Chef Julia Child's first big job was not as a chef, but as a spy. During WWII she worked for the OSS (it turned into the CIA). She and her team were tasked with creating a method to keep sharks away from underwater explosives. Seems the sharks were setting off underwater bombs that were laid to snare German submarines. Even if the sharks didn't set them all off, they sure as hell let the German's know where the shit was.

Julia McWilliams, her maiden name, started her spy career shortly after Pearl Harbour. A tall (over 6 feet) good natured girl who enjoyed her fun, she was not exactly what the US military wanted, but through friends in the OSS she started as a clerk. her natural take charge attitude earned her promotions and got her noticed. One of the first real OSS type projects she worked on was to see if water could be squeezed from fish. Bleh. Apparently not. Downed pilots in life rafts would have to look elsewhere.

When a chance to work in the far east arose she was first in line. She arrived in Kandy, Sri Lanka and set to work with the other women in her unit. Although she trained as a file clerk, she in fact was privy to the highest secrets on a daily basis. Her good humour and obvious talents for quickly making sense out of chaos did not go unnoticed.

It was here that she met Paul Child. Check back tomorrow for part 2.