Juila Child... Spy

Somehow I suspected this....

Way before becoming famous as the French Chef, Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services which was the predecessor to the CIA. She and some colleagues were assigned to solve a problem that was plaguing the U.S. Navy during World War II. Sharks would hit the underwater mines thus setting them off and warning the approaching German U-boats of the deadly trap.

"So", said Linda McCarthy Curator of the National Women's History Museum exhibit, "Clandestine Women: The Untold Stories of Women in Espionage", "Julia Child and a few of her male compatriots got together and literally cooked up a shark repellent," that was used to coat the explosives.

I bet she even told them "bon appétit"!