Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

[Pseudonym]

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Tuesdays at 8.30pm | TV ONE

Anyone watching this? I stumbled across last week's episode on TVNZ On Demand.

Jamie goes to Huntington, West Virginia - which has been called the unhealthiest city in America - to start his new cooking initiative and tackle obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the US. There's a fantastic culture clash between a good-food-loving Pom and the fast-food-loving US lunch ladies. Great TV.

[courts87]

Yea I watched that too they were so rude to him! All those ridiculous regulations etc i'm suprised he even stayed. Got a lil emotional toward the end too didnt he! But yea I cant believe they count pizza as a healthy bread :shock:

[Jigga]

don't normally watch this stuff but i'm finding it pretty interesting so far

[Maximus]

I downloaded the season a few months ago and thought it was pretty funny. I won't ruin it for anyone but some of the people in there must be there for entertainment. They can not be real.

Saying that I have spent a lot of time in the States and junk food in general is so cheap it is not funny. You can see why people are so fat and bloated. I forget the name of the coffee/shake thing, but there was one being sold in Starbucks that was about 2500 calories a pop. Jesus !!

KFC were doing "Kentucky Grilled Chicken" though and I thought that was a step in the right direction.

[teamfatboy]

It's an interesting programme, for sure, and it seems (after only two episodes) to be getting towards the key facts:

a. the US education system's so cash-strapped that if they're to feed people at the minimum cost, with the minimum labour costs, processed goop seems to be the only solution they can find (tonight the School District Catering manager said that Jamie's food invoices were TWICE their budget for the same period);

b. people (more so over there than here, but even here to an extent) are not being taught the basic skills of cooking, in favour of a packet/can/ bottle of goop (with additives to add "mouth feel" or preserve it) - why else would Watties show people waiting for the One News how easy it is to cook, even with their ingredients;

c. Take the extra cost of "real food" (whether real or perceived, doesn't matter), and the parents' lack of skill, and add in a fear of failure if they mess up, mix with time pressures to eat on the run; and

d. add in the corporate food giants' motivation to produce a dividend for their shareholders (not their customers, note!) and therefore to cut costs to the bone, remain price-competitive, some tax breaks for offering state schools a discount, and

Bingo! an unholy mess with an obesity epidemic the inevitable consequence.

[Phaze]

Yes, brilliant show!

Change is often faced with resistance, yet it is the only thing in life guaranteed.

He's so brave going up against all those major corporations who profit from ill health....all the manufacturers of processed/synthetic 'foods', and the pharmaceutical companies & doctors who's livelihoods are based on profiting from sick people. Conspiracy theoriest believe this to be a process of population control....through the chemicals being used in drinks and foods.

Yep, Jamie would have to be a power lifter with them big ol' cast-iron balls he's got alright!

[Gym rat]

I have only seen the add's for Jamie Olivers food Revolution and from what I make the add's I think Jamie is doing the right thing by teaching kids on how to eat right by having healthy lunches and eating right instead of having junk food all the time which can lead to major health problems such as high blood preasure etc

[time in motion]

I am going to watch this when i get home from work.. it'll go nicely with what im reading at the mo.. Fast Food Nation.. its an eye opener, fast food is such a swindle

[Pseudonym]

I could have done without Jamie's attempt at bro-talk this last episode - it just made me cringe. But that aside, there were some interesting points raised... like the fact that the school never put out cutlery with its meals (in fact, they didn't even have any knives in the school cutlery set at all!)

At the time I was suitably horrified, which was obviously the desired effect, that these kids were going through primary school without ever learning to use a knife and fork. It's only now that I realise, "Hang on, Kiwis don't have school meals, so our primary schools won't be teaching kids their cutlery skills either." Does this mean the kids are picking the skills up at home? Or, on a diet of pizza, burgers, and other finger-food, does it mean Kiwi kids will also lack cutlery skills?

[Cameron_R]

(slightly off topic)

Understand your thought process Pseudo but IMHO cutlery skills is one step too far in terms of expectations on a school.

Parents need to take responsibility and raise their own kids and not expect an underpaid, over worked teacher to do everything for them.

(just a personal bug of mine).