# Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution



## LillyBBBW (Mar 25, 2010)

I just watched this and thought it was pretty good. I cringed when I first saw the promo but from what I could see here the show seemed fairly respectful. Anyone else? Thoughts? It's a bit long but worth sitting through it. 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/136381/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-episode-101


----------



## Saoirse (Mar 25, 2010)

I lovelovelovelovelove Jamie Oliver. I think he has a genuine concern about what kids are eating in schools. A lot of that stuff is complete crap. I'll definitly watch!


----------



## pdgujer148 (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm cautiously optimistic, but no ready to endorse it quite yet.

However, this is a network reality show and it will be interesting to see how much he has to compromise his message for the sake of having a a venue to spread it.

He seems like a sincere person, but I'm skeptical as to whether he has the guts and clout to take on a network bent on getting good ratings and advertisers who would just as soon he shut up about how nasty chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas are for you.


----------



## FatAndProud (Mar 25, 2010)

I am watching this as we speak....I understand he's trying to help. I see the food that these families and the schools are feeding the children...

However, I have a problem with knowing that everyone will watch these shows and assume that all fat people eat that way. I certainly don't eat that way - not even close. I don't like to eat processed foods or anything with ingredients I can't understand. I eat my veggies and my fruits and whole grains. I just think shows like this are ridiculous. Really, the school systems and families need to take responsibility and begin a healthier eating style. I dunno.


----------



## lozonloz (Mar 26, 2010)

I have issues with Jamie Oliver's campaign against school dinners in that I think its now gone abit too far.

YES lets get schoolkids eating healthily,
YES lets cut down on the junk food available,
YES lets serve healthier options and 
YES lets encourage schoolchildren to have a healthy diet.

My problem is that now many schools have become incredibly controlling about what kids can eat. My Godson is 7 and cant take a slice of birthday cake, or a chocolate biscuit, or any sweets in his lunchbox with his sandwiches and fruit juice, because it will be confiscated from him.

I think its the parents job to pack his lunch and I dont like that the school are taking his food from him. Its his mothers responsibility to feed him, not theirs. He isnt even overweight.


----------



## Paquito (Mar 26, 2010)

I have issues with a promo I just saw him in for a new episode of Oprah.

*cue dramatic music*
*flash to Oliver going through a pantry, throwing out tons of food*
-cut to Oliver wheeling out two coffins. One normal size, and, SHOCKER, the other about three times as wide as the first.-
"Jaime Oliver wants to SAVE YOUR FAMILY."


----------



## Rojodi (Mar 26, 2010)

Jamie Oliver isn't that good of a cook. He uses WAY too much salt, way too much oil.

Yes, schools need better food. But there are still many administrators that have the Reagan-esque thinking that ketchup is a vegetable. That being said, there are some school lunch people that have swung the other way.

I use to send my son to school with a peanut butter/chocolate/fruit sandwich (apple or banana). His school's "Dietician" did not like the chocolate syrup mixed in his peanut butter and did not allow him to eat it. He was upset, went to the office, called me. I went there, talked with the principal. The "Dietician" was just a concerned mother who thought ALL chocolate is bad! I told her that MY nutritionist said that, for a 12-year-old, the sandwich is PERFECT!


----------



## indy500tchr (Mar 26, 2010)

I am not a fan of what our school feeds these kids. It's usually fried, full of sodium and down right gross. I feel bad for these kids b/c most of them this is the only meal that they get that day.

We have a school wellness policy but it isn't as strict as what some of you are saying. For the most part our kids bring healthy choices. We don't allow soft drinks or more than one serving of candy or sweets.

If students don't bring a healthy lunch or don't bring one we are required to make them get a school lunch. They don't have to eat it but it has to be in front of them.

I will be interested to see if Jamie can help schools eat healthier.


----------



## Blackjack (Mar 26, 2010)

free2beme04 said:


> I have issues with a promo I just saw him in for a new episode of Oprah.
> 
> *cue dramatic music*
> *flash to Oliver going through a pantry, throwing out tons of food*
> ...



The ads that I've seen on LOST seem so heavyhanded that it's almost insulting.

*pointing to a table heavily laden with pizza and twinkies*
"THIS IS GOING TO KILL YOUR CHILDREN."

Seeing the kids cooking is great, but the introduction just feels like shock tactics.

ETA: And yeah, school food is shit. In my high school they pulled the soda machines because they were "promoting unhealthy behavior", but pizza was still offered for lunch on a daily basis- and, by the taste of it, it was lousy frozen stuff absurdly high in sodium.


----------



## toni (Mar 26, 2010)

He needs to go back to Britain.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 26, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> Jamie Oliver isn't that good of a cook. He uses WAY too much salt, way too much oil.
> 
> Yes, schools need better food. But there are still many administrators that have the Reagan-esque thinking that ketchup is a vegetable. That being said, there are some school lunch people that have swung the other way.
> 
> I use to send my son to school with a peanut butter/chocolate/fruit sandwich (apple or banana). His school's "Dietician" did not like the chocolate syrup mixed in his peanut butter and did not allow him to eat it. He was upset, went to the office, called me. I went there, talked with the principal. The "Dietician" was just a concerned mother who thought ALL chocolate is bad! I told her that MY nutritionist said that, for a 12-year-old, the sandwich is PERFECT!



I usually see too much salt and oil as a plus for tasty cooking Roj.  I have to agree though, Jamie is not a good cook if he can't get anyone to touch any of the stuff he makes. There wasn't a single thing he made that struck me visually as being particularly inviting and the kids weren't impressed by either the smells or the taste from what I could see. In general people don't want food with good taste, people want food that tastes good and his missed the mark. For years I've heard regular commentary from travelers that British food is terrible. Jamie needs to cater to a different palate if he wants to win friends and influence people in this part of town.

I will say though that I was appalled at the food I saw on that show. The stuff they served in that school, the food that family ate, etc. After the segment describing the school lunch, the camera went to this commentary from Jamie in his British accent, "Welcome to America." I didn't like that at all. I don't like how that show broadly portrays Americans and fat people as grease guzzling pigs across the board. What I did like about the show was how that school lunch crew chewed him up and made him cry for his portrayal of them. Good on them! Still I can't stop hand wringing over how bad the food was at that school. I do hope something good comes of it but like another commentator said, I worry how the network and sponsors will shape the show.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 26, 2010)

One more comment. I never heard of schools confiscating food from kids at lunch time!  OMG, Really? Back in the day you couldn't carry aspirin or tylenol in your bag, you had to leave it with the school nurse but do they actually have the supreme ability to take food away from kids that has been provided from home? Sounds strange to me.


----------



## lypeaches (Mar 26, 2010)

fwiw, I saw Jamie on Larry King last night...and he said,

"I just want to be clear, the problem is not just with obesity, there are plenty of scrawny people too who are very unhealthy".

I think that he personally means well... but I can guess how the network is going to frame it.


----------



## joswitch (Mar 26, 2010)

toni said:


> He needs to go back to Britain.



No, no, please you keep him! He's an irritating mockney tosser! And his tongue is waaaay to big for his gob! We don't want him back! 

Any chance of him quietly being dropped into the gulf of mexico? Along with James bloody Blunt??


----------



## joswitch (Mar 26, 2010)

free2beme04 said:


> I have issues with a promo I just saw him in for a new episode of Oprah.
> 
> *cue dramatic music*
> *flash to Oliver going through a pantry, throwing out tons of food*
> ...



Ahaha! that's such BS! Even as a promo it fails to make the point - cos hello! whatever the size of the coffin - it's built for someone who IS DEAD. :doh:

That thin person in the thin coffin is not somehow, magically, less dead...


----------



## Saoirse (Mar 26, 2010)

lypeaches said:


> fwiw, I saw Jamie on Larry King last night...and he said,
> 
> "I just want to be clear, the problem is not just with obesity, there are plenty of scrawny people too who are very unhealthy".
> 
> I think that he personally means well... but I can guess how the network is going to frame it.




I love him!!!!! It'll be a shame to see the network make it look like he hates fatties.


----------



## pdgujer148 (Mar 26, 2010)

Blackjack said:


> The ads that I've seen on LOST seem so heavyhanded that it's almost insulting.
> 
> *pointing to a table heavily laden with pizza and twinkies*
> "THIS IS GOING TO KILL YOUR CHILDREN."
> ...



In context that sequence wasn't as offensive as you would think. He took the family grocery bill from the previous month, brought is all of the raw groceries she purchased, and had he cook a month's worth of food. His point wasn't the volume of food. His point was that everything she cooked was fried, prepackaged, processed, crap. He says something to the effect, "I don't see anything green--everything is golden brown." Then you get to the"you are killing your children" bit.

I'm going to stay on the fence about Oliver (and ABC).


----------



## Gingembre (Mar 26, 2010)

This is not a dig at you, Lilly, but your post was a good way for me to try and get my view across. I just want to point out that...



LillyBBBW said:


> Americans and fat people [are] grease guzzling pigs across the board



I realise that this is not true...



LillyBBBW said:


> British food is terrible.



...but this is not true either. Both stereotypes that we have of the other.

I havent seen the US version of the show but I like Jamie Oliver and, although I do not always agree with his methods, I think his heart's in the right place and I like that he's trying to do something about the crap that is served in a lot of schools (in the UK and the US) and encouraging people to eat healthily/think about what their kids are eating.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 26, 2010)

I agree. I've been there and I didn't notice any vast difference in the quality of food there than we have here in the states. I do notice though that what is wildly popular in the UK sometimes doesn't go over too well here in the US, and vice versa. That is what I was referring to in trying to explain the phenomenon of why people say the food in the UK isn't good. It may simply boil down to a difference in taste. I never heard of Jamie before this program and the program notes say he's renowned in the UK. I think that it might do some good for him to acclimate himself to the subtle differences in food tastes here than what he is used to in the UK. 





Gingembre said:


> This is not a dig at you, Lilly, but your post was a good way for me to try and get my view across. I just want to point out that...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## superodalisque (Mar 26, 2010)

i'm glad someone is bringng more attention to how we eat as americans and how we feed our children. our food is horrible. i'm really happy that he said that there are thin unhealthy people as well. we are all unhealthy for the same reason--processed foods suck!


----------



## lozonloz (Mar 26, 2010)

LillyBBBW said:


> I agree. I've been there and I didn't notice any vast difference in the quality of food there than we have here in the states. I do notice though that what is wildly popular in the UK sometimes doesn't go over too well here in the US, and vice versa. That is what I was referring to in trying to explain the phenomenon of why people say the food in the UK isn't good. It may simply boil down to a difference in taste. I never heard of Jamie before this program and the program notes say he's renowned in the UK. I think that it might do some good for him to acclimate himself to the subtle differences in food tastes here than what he is used to in the UK.



Yes, he is well known over here. He had this massive media campaign to alter school dinners which I guess he's carrying onto the US. Before that he was a celebrity chef. We have lots of those. Kind of like Gordon Ramsey but not quite as popular. He's also the face for Sainsbury's supermarket. 

He does mean well- he set up Fifteen, which is this restaurant where he takes troubled/disadvantaged teens and trains them to be chefs. He's a good guy, just abit too focused on his campaign for health and abit weird about naming his daughters. The too focused thing also happened with Fifteen when he out his house up for collateral without telling his wife...


----------



## Saoirse (Mar 26, 2010)

lozonloz said:


> He does mean well- he set up Fifteen, which is this restaurant where he takes troubled/disadvantaged teens and trains them to be chefs. He's a good guy, just abit too focused on his campaign for health and abit weird about naming his daughters. The too focused thing also happened with Fifteen when he out his house up for collateral without telling his wife...



I still dont see how someone can be "too focused".


----------



## HereticFA (Mar 26, 2010)

Saoirse said:


> I still dont see how someone can be "too focused".


Also known as short sighted (or myopic), or approaching an issue with blinders on. 

Think of it as having good intentions to get everyone to eat properly but ignoring the implicit authorization to self-appointed public enforcers of his philosophy. Are you ready for your fellow grocery shoppers to feel "empowered" to remove items from your shopping cart based on his guidelines?


----------



## Saoirse (Mar 26, 2010)

HereticFA said:


> Also known as short sighted (or myopic), or approaching an issue with blinders on.
> 
> Think of it as having good intentions to get everyone to eat properly but ignoring the implicit authorization to self-appointed public enforcers of his philosophy. Are you ready for your fellow grocery shoppers to feel "empowered" to remove items from your shopping cart based on his guidelines?



What do those people have to do with him? He's not telling people to push themselves on others, just to make healthy decisions for themselves and their own families.


----------



## LovelyLiz (Mar 26, 2010)

I taught in an inner-city public school for several years in a big city where all of the students ate the school lunches for free. When word came from on high to make the school lunches healthier, they started making these chopped vegetable cups (a bunch of random raw vegetables - carrots, peppers, broccoli, etc. thrown into a chopper and ending up with a raw chopped veggie mix). Each time they were served as a side dish (which was 2-3 times a week) 90% of these vegetable cups ended up in the trash without one bite being eaten.


----------



## Saoirse (Mar 26, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> I taught in an inner-city public school for several years in a big city where all of the students ate the school lunches for free. When word came from on high to make the school lunches healthier, they started making these chopped vegetable cups (a bunch of random raw vegetables - carrots, peppers, broccoli, etc. thrown into a chopper and ending up with a raw chopped veggie mix). Each time they were served as a side dish (which was 2-3 times a week) 90% of these vegetable cups ended up in the trash without one bite being eaten.



Probably cause random, raw, chopped-to-shit veggies are not yummy. There are ways to spice them up and get picky kids to eat them.


----------



## LovelyLiz (Mar 26, 2010)

Saoirse said:


> Probably cause random, raw, chopped-to-shit veggies are not yummy. There are ways to spice them up and get picky kids to eat them.



Yeah. No kidding. I'm just saying there is more to it than, "serve more veggies."


----------



## leekelbel (Mar 26, 2010)

I'm excited to see more of this show!


----------



## HereticFA (Mar 26, 2010)

Saoirse said:


> What do those people have to do with him? He's not telling people to push themselves on others, just to make healthy decisions for themselves and their own families.



Some percentage of his viewers will feel empowered by his program to also "help" all fat people eat better. It's no different from the over zealous food police in schools who prohibit cupcakes for birthdays or in any kid's lunch brought from home. They mean well but it creates a problem by "criminalizing" one narrow category of foods, instead of teaching they are OK to eat in limited quantities for special events (like a birthday).


----------



## mszwebs (Mar 27, 2010)

I think its weird that some people don't know who Jamie Oliver is in this country...He's the flipping Naked Chef and has been cooking on US TV in some form or another (whether actual shows here or just repeats of his British shows) for years.

Maybe I just paid attention to him when I saw him years ago because I thought he was hot lol.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 27, 2010)

LOL. I've heard of the naked chef though that's all. I'd never seen him before. In my defense though, I never watched TV till just two months ago so there are lots of things I've never heard of. Never saw the Gosslins, the Kardashians or American Idol. Not that I'm complaining, either.


----------



## AnnMarie (Mar 27, 2010)

HereticFA said:


> Also known as short sighted (or myopic), or approaching an issue with blinders on.
> 
> Think of it as having good intentions to get everyone to eat properly but ignoring the implicit authorization to self-appointed public enforcers of his philosophy. Are you ready for your fellow grocery shoppers to feel "empowered" to remove items from your shopping cart based on his guidelines?



They already openly tsk-tsk, so reaching in would hardly shock me.


----------



## mszwebs (Mar 27, 2010)

LillyBBBW said:


> LOL. I've heard of the naked chef though that's all. I'd never seen him before. In my defense though, I never watched TV till just two months ago so there are lots of things I've never heard of. Never saw the Gosslins, the Kardashians or American Idol. Not that I'm complaining, either.



I wouldn't be complaining either. 

You're right about presentation though, and it is part of the reason that I never ate school provided hot lunch ONCE in my 12 years of schooling.

People used to get so excited over Pizza or Chicken Nugget day, but I just have visions of peas that look like green leather stretched over a wiffle ball and I start crying. Could be why I hate peas now.

NONE of the food ever looked appealing, and as picky an eater as I am, I was never tempted to try it.

The thing is, the kids know that pizza and chicken nuggets are treats, because if that's what they're eating at hime, they know they love it OR if their parents don't serve it, that's what they're going to want...so the trick is going to be making "fresh" food appeal to the children. It's not so much a American audience thing, so much as a Kid thing.

Chicken drummies ain't gonna cut it.


----------



## BBW Betty (Mar 27, 2010)

I found this opening episode pretty interesting. I kind of got the feeling that the school cooks might be open to change more than we think but are afraid to buck the system, so they sort of sabotage it so it fails and they can say they gave it a whirl.

When is the next one on? I went looking to find the show last night, (it's Fridays on ABC, right?) but did not see the program listed.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 27, 2010)

BBW Betty said:


> I found this opening episode pretty interesting. I kind of got the feeling that the school cooks might be open to change more than we think but are afraid to buck the system, so they sort of sabotage it so it fails and they can say they gave it a whirl.
> 
> When is the next one on? I went looking to find the show last night, (it's Fridays on ABC, right?) but did not see the program listed.



I think it's a Friday night program. I can totally relate to those cooks though. In just about any part of the working sector, every time the word 'improvement' gets tossed aroundt by management it always translates in to more work for the little guy with no change in pay. The way it's set up now it is *just* where it needs to be so things can go smoothly. Being a cook on your feet all day in a hot kitchen is not an easy job, no one wants it to get harder. And no one wants to clean up more mess. For fun it would be nice to try what he's asking but no one wants to be left behind having to slice 80 cloves of garlic each day after he returns to England the toast of the town.


----------



## FatAndProud (Mar 27, 2010)

Episode 2 is up: http://www.hulu.com/watch/138201/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-episode-102


----------



## pani (Mar 27, 2010)

Oliver is doing tremendous harm to fat people by using the most sensationalistic stats he can find. He had an article on Alternet that was absolute garbage. Of course the bigger the "problem," the more he can make himself look like a hero by "solving" it. The dynamics of condescending to and shaming fat people are the same ones used by Fundamentalists ministers who manipulate people's guilt to increase their hold over them. The approach Oliver has taken has been used for decades. If pathetic overblown theatrics worked, why aren't we thin by now? I think the idea that Americans should feel guilty over their weight is more dangerous than ever. This is a time when we need to be outraged at how we have been taken advantage of by the bankers and others in the power-elite. We don't need to feel like naughty children because are buttons are being pushed by dingbat dieting demagogues like Oliver!


----------



## Tooz (Mar 28, 2010)

Um frankly I think his mission is a good one. When you have six year olds who don't know what a POTATO is, you're fucked as a town/state/commonwealth/whatever. I find myself pleased that he cares more about REAL food than "HEALTHY" food. He uses oil. He uses salt. He makes food with real ingredients. Chicken drumsticks, etc. I think some places in the US could really stand to get back to that.


----------



## cinnamitch (Mar 28, 2010)

Tooz said:


> Um frankly I think his mission is a good one. When you have six year olds who don't know what a POTATO is, you're fucked as a town/state/commonwealth/whatever. I find myself pleased that he cares more about REAL food than "HEALTHY" food. He uses oil. He uses salt. He makes food with real ingredients. Chicken drumsticks, etc. I think some places in the US could really stand to get back to that.



I agree with you.


----------



## Ernest Nagel (Mar 28, 2010)

To paraphrase Marcus Tullius Cicero (though oft misattributed to Barry Goldwater) "Extremism in the defense of _health_ is no vice. ... Moderation in the pursuit of _nutrition_ is no virtue."

He reminds me a bit of a culinary Steve Irwin. Same irrepressible enthusiasm, same over-the-top generalizations and broad-brushing. When you get down to it though there's an authentic passion and commitment to what he believes in. He's rattling cages that need rattled imo. A little chipped paint on the bars of size acceptance is acceptable collateral damage if you ask me. I can forgive an outsize ego and a little self-aggrandizement in pursuit of outrageous and improbable objectives. :bow:

Bottom line for me is kids (<16) are in no position to give informed consent as to their dietary choices. Schools have taken a path of least resistance. Empty calories, easily and cheaply prepared that kids will wolf down. What's next? Cartoon textbooks? Points for almost right answers? Letting kids decide what they eat is the most egregious possible example of letting the lunatics run the asylum or foxes guard the henhouse. Why not just turn the cafeterias into giant Pez dispensers? Bravo, J.O.!


----------



## pdgujer148 (Mar 28, 2010)

Just watched the second episode. Nothing offensive as far as I am concerned.

Well, the lets panic the family by bring them to the doctor sequence bordered on sensationalism (after the commercial break will find out if little Timmy is a diabetic--now some commercials for a bunch of shit full of high fructose corn syrup!).

However, the next scene with Oliver teaching the kid how to stir fry was spot on.


----------



## HereticFA (Mar 28, 2010)

Ernest Nagel said:


> "Extremism in the defense of _health_ is no vice. ... Moderation in the pursuit of _nutrition_ is no virtue."



That's probably the scariest concept I've seen this year (or longer).

That philosophy would change the stakes in the war on the obese, er, war on obesity.


----------



## Ernest Nagel (Mar 29, 2010)

HereticFA said:


> That's probably the scariest concept I've seen this year (or longer).
> 
> That philosophy would change the stakes in the war on the obese, er, war on obesity.



Only if you presume it's impossible to be fat and healthy.


----------



## moniquessbbw (Mar 30, 2010)

I enjoyed the show. I hope he can teach the kids something about good food. When i use to eat fast food I use to feel sick after eating it,yet I ate it anyway. Now I cook every meal so I can control everything that I eat. I don't eat anything processed. Plus it doesn't hurt that I love to cook. My 1 year old nephew already loves to eat veggies. Start them young on veggies and they learn to love it.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Mar 30, 2010)

pdgujer148 said:


> Just watched the second episode. Nothing offensive as far as I am concerned.
> 
> Well, the lets panic the family by bring them to the doctor sequence bordered on sensationalism (after the commercial break will find out if little Timmy is a diabetic--now some commercials for a bunch of shit full of high fructose corn syrup!).
> 
> However, the next scene with Oliver teaching the kid how to stir fry was spot on.



I always thought that pasta wasn't good for people with diabetes, that is should be consumed in moderation. Possibly my belief is a misconception but I was a little angsty watching Jamie teach him to make this pasta dish directly after his ticking time bomb diabetes scare on that kid. It makes me wonder if there is a doctor or nutrition expert being consulted in this or is this simpy Jamie's herioc dream sequence?


----------



## pdgujer148 (Mar 30, 2010)

LillyBBBW said:


> I always thought that pasta wasn't good for people with diabetes, that is should be consumed in moderation. Possibly my belief is a misconception but I was a little angsty watching Jamie teach him to make this pasta dish directly after his ticking time bomb diabetes scare on that kid. It makes me wonder if there is a doctor or nutrition expert being consulted in this or is this simpy Jamie's herioc dream sequence?


 
The boy didn't have diabetes. I'm diabetic and have no problem with pasta in moderation. 

However, good point and well taken.


----------



## FatAndProud (Mar 30, 2010)

I used to have the dark ring around my neck like the young man does  It was embarrassing...I thought it was fungus at one time...and I got the courage to ask my doctor what it was. Instead of him telling me it's insulin resistance and related to diabetes, he just said "bigger people have darker skin in certain areas"...I think he was trying to make me feel better, but I didn't appreciate it. I don't have the rings anymore because I've started a healthy living style, but still...I remember that and it sucked.


----------



## joswitch (Mar 31, 2010)

Ernest Nagel said:


> Only if you presume it's impossible to be fat and healthy.



Which is *exactly* what authority does, in fact, presume.


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 1, 2010)

joswitch said:


> Which is *exactly* what authority does, in fact, presume.



not always. things are changing slowly and even some of the authorities are fat or were fat as children or have fat friends they care about. not everyone is going crazy.


----------



## CuteFatChick (Apr 1, 2010)

I have had a weight issue from about the age of 5 on. When I was in fourth grade, I had this teacher that would take my lunch tray from me. And then tell the other kids not to give me anything from their trays, either. She said it was 'to help me.' I saw it as a singling out. She had a bit of a weight issue herself, as did her son. I don't know, it has stuck with me all these years.


----------



## Tooz (Apr 3, 2010)

Alice (the cook) is a tremendous bitch, wow.


----------



## fattyjiggly (Apr 3, 2010)

I like his geniune concern for the kids. I personally think processed food is disgusting. I got fat by real home-cooked foods, and i personally think that that is a better way to go. Good for the kids.


----------



## Ruby Ripples (Apr 3, 2010)

I have only read the first post in this thread, before replying here.

I cannot BEAR Jamie Oliver. His holier-than-thou, know-it-all, utterly patronising attitude, and Mockney "hello matey" crap to people older than himself, makes me want to throw up (over him). He's been ranting on about childhood obesity here in the UK for years now, and his attempts at transforming school lunches here, failed miserably. He simply couldnt produce nutritious meals on the budget that the schools are given, so he produced stuff at about three times the price instead. Virtually no parents would or could pay that, they would give their kids a packed lunch instead. I dread to think how much money that whole fiasco cost, for the very very limited success it had.

Im sure he is the kind of person that truly believes that if you eat a healthy, nutritious diet, you'll be slim, and that if a child is fat, theyre eating unhealthily. Everything he's said on the subject makes me believe that is his thinking. 

All of the above, plus the fact that the few recipes of his I tried didnt work at all, and his huge tongue lisping over the food he's cooking/rubbish he's talking, just make me turn the tv channel over every time he appears. 

:blush: I feel better after that...


----------



## jewels_mystery (Apr 3, 2010)

I agree that processed foods are bad. However when that is all you can afford, what are you going to do? I checked out some of his recipes, they seem to be very high in salt. Let's not forget that most of his recipes call for some items I normally do not keep in the house.


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 3, 2010)

i agree with the affordability issue. i was really glad to hear that one big program in the focus on childhood obesity plan here is to find ways to make healthier food affordable. i mean Jamie Oliver can't do everything. we have to press congress to spend just as much if not more money to subsidise healthy food as they do subsidizing farmers to destroy extra crops and products that we don't need. the truth is that we overproduce most things and farms are paid to destroy them. what about just bringing the over production to market cheaply and just paying the farmers extra over market price?

i really don't think its the answer to allow children to just continue to eat unhealthy food and get illnesses that people try and blame on their obesity. i eat very healthy food and i'm still an ssbbw but i don't have heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes and i know a lot of people like me. maybe there could be more like that if we start out early introing kids to good and healthy food. and if it reduces the amount of health problems fat people encounter whats the problem with that?

i'm really having a a problem understanding what the big issue is with all children having access to better food. what is it that we are really afraid of?are we really afraid that fewer people will be fat like us and we'll receive even more negative attention? are we afraid that there will be fewer fat people to admire? shouldn't being fat be a choice anyway and not just a function of being a prisoner of an environment that doesn't provide for you properly? are people afraid that a lot of people would not choose fat?


----------



## joswitch (Apr 3, 2010)

superodalisque said:


> i agree with the affordability issue. i was really glad to hear that one big program in the focus on childhood obesity plan here is to find ways to make healthier food affordable. i mean Jamie Oliver can't do everything. we have to press congress to spend just as much if not more money to subsidise healthy food as they do subsidizing farmers to destroy extra crops and products that we don't need. the truth is that we overproduce most things and farms are paid to destroy them. what about just bringing the over production to market cheaply and just paying the farmers extra over market price?
> 
> i really don't think its the answer to allow children to just continue to eat unhealthy food and get illnesses that people try and blame on their obesity. i eat very healthy food and i'm still an ssbbw but i don't have heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes and i know a lot of people like me. maybe there could be more like that if we start out early introing kids to good and healthy food. and if it reduces the amount of health problems fat people encounter whats the problem with that?
> 
> i'm really having a a problem understanding *what the big issue is with all children having access to better food.* what is it that we are really afraid of?are we really afraid that fewer people will be fat like us and we'll receive even more negative attention? are we afraid that there will be fewer fat people to admire? shouldn't being fat be a choice anyway and not just a function of being a prisoner of an environment that doesn't provide for you properly? are people afraid that a lot of people would not choose fat?



I don't think anyone is arguing against this issue in bold.
Certainly I'm not.
And none of the fat-oriented fears (that you conjure above) motivate my dislike of Oliver.

All me (and Ruby?) are saying is, that Jamie Oliver's TV series is not, in fact, going to achieve this. Largely cos: 
1) he does not represent the chain-of-command so has no power to effect lasting change.
2) even if he did, he fails to come up with food that the cooks on the ground can deliver given time/skill/budget
3) he fails to come up with food kids really want to eat (see: kids desperate to escape locked school grounds in the north of england - to go buy burgers - rather than eat a la Oliver)

So:
Jamie Oliver = irrelevant.
He does not = saviour of all children.
And TV changes do not = changes in RL.

And IMO he = irritating mockney tosser.
That's all.


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 3, 2010)

he might be irritating but he's starting a conversation that really needs to be had in this country. the food here is truly bad. and it might be the very thing thats making so many fat people unhealthy. if we could improve that then just maybe at the very least some of the prejudice might be reduced and at the most the quality of our lives would be better. i think its important not to lose sight over the actual merit of the argument over personalities. i know that people i don't care for say and do a lot of things that might actually help me when i'm open to that.


----------



## joswitch (Apr 3, 2010)

superodalisque said:


> he might be irritating but he's starting a conversation that really needs to be had in this country. the food here is truly bad. and it might be the very thing thats making so many fat people unhealthy. if we could improve that then just maybe at the very least some of the prejudice might be reduced and at the most the quality of our lives would be better. i think its important not to lose sight over the actual merit of the argument over personalities. i know that people i don't care for say and do a lot of things that might actually help me when i'm open to that.



Was there really no dialogue in the USA about healthy eating (for kids) B.O.?
Before Oliver?

Seriously?


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 3, 2010)

joswitch said:


> Was there really no dialogue in the USA about healthy eating (for kids) B.O.?
> Before Oliver?
> 
> Seriously?



Mrs Obama has her thing going but before that hardly anything. and any other people mentioning have been made to look like horrible leaf eating vegitarians who'd take all of our flavor away. the food industry here has been behind a lot of it because its more profitable to feed people fat and salt rather than whole food with good flavor. the problem is we've been indoctrinated to believe here that good healthy tasteful well made food is only for the wealthy.

we don't have to depend only on this guy to get the message across but the truth is he is able to get a lot of people talking. thats what we really need. people need to be concerned about whats going into thier mouths. i don't need to like him or to even agree with him to be glad a discussion is happening. i understand that people don't want fat people scapegoated or publicly beat up on. but on the other side of that we don't need to come off as so paranoid that what we have to say about our health comes off as unreasonable and irrational.


----------



## joswitch (Apr 3, 2010)

superodalisque said:


> Mrs Obama has her thing going but before that hardly anything. and any other people mentioning have been made to look like *horrible leaf eating vegitarians* who'd take all of our flavor away. the food industry here has been behind a lot of it because its more profitable to feed people fat and salt rather than whole food with good flavor. the problem is we've been indoctrinated to believe here that good healthy tasteful well made food is only for the wealthy.
> 
> we don't have to depend only on this guy to get the message across but the truth is he is able to get a lot of people talking. thats what we really need. people need to be concerned about whats going into thier mouths. i don't need to like him or to even agree with him to be glad a discussion is happening. i understand that people don't want fat people scapegoated or publicly beat up on. but on the other side of that we don't need to come off as so paranoid that what we have to say about our health comes off as unreasonable and irrational.



Ok then....

lol'd @ "horrible leaf eating vegitarians" btw....


----------



## Saoirse (Apr 3, 2010)

I ADORE JAMIE!! <3 <3

I think he's doing good. He's genuine and trying to leave his mark.


plus hes cute.


----------



## Ruby Ripples (Apr 3, 2010)

joswitch said:


> I don't think anyone is arguing against this issue in bold.
> Certainly I'm not.
> And none of the fat-oriented fears (that you conjure above) motivate my dislike of Oliver.
> 
> ...



Yup yup!


----------



## Big_Belly_Lover (Apr 3, 2010)

Tooz said:


> Um frankly I think his mission is a good one. When you have six year olds who don't know what a POTATO is, you're fucked as a town/state/commonwealth/whatever. I find myself pleased that he cares more about REAL food than "HEALTHY" food. He uses oil. He uses salt. He makes food with real ingredients. Chicken drumsticks, etc. I think some places in the US could really stand to get back to that.



How can some kids not know what a potato is?!

And earlier on in this thread someone said tosser but it wasn't edited out but I said hater in one of my posts and that did - why?

Matt.


----------



## mszwebs (Apr 3, 2010)

Big_Belly_Lover said:


> How can some kids not know what a potato is?!
> 
> And earlier on in this thread someone said tosser but it wasn't edited out but I said hater in one of my posts and that did - why?
> 
> Matt.



...Well, probably because tosser is not a commonly used American phrase, so perhaps the meaning didn't come across as something that needed to be edited.

OR, I am just responding and have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, which is also possible.


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

After watching him, I've noticed a few things:

1. He uses too much salt!!!!! A snow storm of salt on a portion for one?

2. He uses olive oil. EVOO is expensive! The people he wants to help aren't going to go out and pay $3.49 per 16 oz bottle. He should have them use Canola..cheaper, has NO flavor, and has the SAME calorie count as olive oil.


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> He uses olive oil. EVOO is expensive! The people he wants to help aren't going to go out and pay $3.49 per 16 oz bottle. He should have them use Canola..cheaper, has NO flavor, and has the SAME calorie count as olive oil.



Yeah, it is expensive. I pay 10.49 for the like...1.5 L bottle. It lasts about 7 months. Pretty good investment, I'd say. Calorie count aside, EVOO boasts benefits Canola can't hold a candle to. This is not a valid criticism, dude.


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> Yeah, it is expensive. I pay 10.49 for the like...1.5 L bottle. It lasts about 7 months. Pretty good investment, I'd say. Calorie count aside, EVOO boasts benefits Canola can't hold a candle to. This is not a valid criticism, dude.



So you're telling me that my nutritionist is wrong? That, though Olive oil has Omega-3's that Canola doesn't, but can be added later with supliments, that she doesn't know what she's talking about? Wow~!!!


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> So you're telling me that my nutritionist is wrong? That, though Olive oil has Omega-3's that Canola doesn't, but can be added later with supliments, that she doesn't know what she's talking about? Wow~!!!



most people don't absorb suppliments that well. its always better to get what you need from whole foods.

but i do think he uses too much salt!


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

superodalisque said:


> most people don't absorb suppliments that well. its always better to get what you need from whole foods.
> 
> but i do think he uses too much salt!



ALL TV cooks and chefs use too much salt.


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> So you're telling me that my nutritionist is wrong? That, though Olive oil has Omega-3's that Canola doesn't, but can be added later with supliments, that she doesn't know what she's talking about? Wow~!!!





superodalisque said:


> most people don't absorb suppliments that well. its always better to get what you need from whole foods.
> 
> but i do think he uses too much salt!



Thanks, SuperO  I appreciate it. Yes, your body will absorb it more readily from the EVOO. EVOO > most other oils. Period. Worth the money, overall awesome. Don't dis THA FOOD OF MAH PEOPLE >:

btw not all nutritionists know what they're talking about 

Yes, too much salt. I barely add any to my cooking.


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> Thanks, SuperO  I appreciate it. Yes, your body will absorb it more readily from the EVOO. EVOO > most other oils. Period. Worth the money, overall awesome. Don't dis THA FOOD OF MAH PEOPLE >:
> 
> Yes, too much salt. I barely add any to my cooking.



Not Italian, not Greek, so I taste olive oil when it's used. I don't like the "fruity, green taste" EVOO adds to my veggies.

Preferably, I'd like to use peanut oil more, but like olive, it's too expensive. It, like olive, doesn't store long enough for me to have it on hand. Two teaspoons, 3 tablespoon a week, no, not good to buy, not worth the expense. Maybe it's because I eat TONS of raw fruits and veggies olive oil wasn't pushed on me.


----------



## lypeaches (Apr 5, 2010)

There's some controversy as to whether canola oil is, or isn't good for you. (having to do with it being made from geneticly engineered plants, how it's processed). I really don't know whether it it is, or is not, just saying it's not a fact that everyone agrees apon. In fact...it seems like all the information on various oils is rather....shall we say....fluid. 

Rojodi...you might try the cheaper, straight olive oil (as opposed to EVOO), it's much less "green" tasting.


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

lypeaches said:


> There's some controversy as to whether canola oil is, or isn't good for you. (having to do with it being made from geneticly engineered plants, how it's processed). I really don't know whether it it is, or is not, just saying it's not a fact that everyone agrees apon. In fact...it seems like all the information on various oils is rather....shall we say....fluid.
> 
> Rojodi...you might try the cheaper, straight olive oil (as opposed to EVOO), it's much less "green" tasting.



I've tried all types of olive oil - EVOO, virgin, and refined. All have a taste to them that takes away from the other foods, the ones I want to taste. Yeah, I have one of those palates that can tell the difference. (Def coffee tastes like a penny to me as well.)


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> Not Italian, not Greek, so I taste olive oil when it's used. I don't like the "fruity, green taste" EVOO adds to my veggies.
> 
> Preferably, I'd like to use peanut oil more, but like olive, it's too expensive. It, like olive, doesn't store long enough for me to have it on hand. Two teaspoons, 3 tablespoon a week, no, not good to buy, not worth the expense. Maybe it's because I eat TONS of raw fruits and veggies olive oil wasn't pushed on me.



See, I LOOOOOOOVE the taste. It is SO GOOD on EVERYTHING. I like peanut oil, too...but not as much. Not a day goes by that I'm not using it on something.


----------



## lypeaches (Apr 5, 2010)

Personally, my favorite with vegetables is butter :eat1:


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> See, I LOOOOOOOVE the taste. It is SO GOOD on EVERYTHING. I like peanut oil, too...but not as much. Not a day goes by that I'm not using it on something.



Pork chops sauted in peanut oil..mmmmmmmmmm melts like buttah!!!


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

lypeaches said:


> Personally, my favorite with vegetables is butter :eat1:



I roast veggies - summer squash, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, onions - I put on a little oil so they don't stick to the pan...and allows the little salt, the peppers - cracked black and dried cayenne - and garlic powder to stick.


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> Pork chops sauted in peanut oil..mmmmmmmmmm melts like buttah!!!



I love doing pan fried noodles-- boil egg noodles, rinse with cold water. add 1T sesame oil, toss to coat and then add to a hot skillet with 3T peanut oil until outside is crispy. mmm. I add a bunch of duck sauce.


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> I love doing pan fried noodles-- boil egg noodles, rinse with cold water. add 1T sesame oil, toss to coat and then add to a hot skillet with 3T peanut oil until outside is crispy. mmm. I add a bunch of duck sauce.



I'm allowed to do that, too..but have to add freshly smashed garlic to the pan first...Hey, I'm French/Cajun. Can't cook without garlic. It's unnatural LOL

I did see Jamie do noodles and vegg. My son did as well. He and his "womens" - has over 10 girls he texts with :doh: - would LOVE to have that option on their school menu. Hey, he'd even like me to make him cold sesame noodles again, but this time, boil the garlic with the noodles, and not fry them LOL


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> Can't cook without garlic.



I'm Italian...you will never see my cook a food (desserts aside LOL) without garlic by the truck load.



Garlic: the base of my food pyramid


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> I'm Italian...you will never see my cook a food (desserts aside LOL) without garlic by the truck load.
> 
> 
> 
> Garlic: the base of my food pyramid



We should tell Jamie this:

The more garlic you use, the LESS salt is!!!


----------



## Tooz (Apr 5, 2010)

Rojodi said:


> We should tell Jamie this:
> 
> The more garlic you use, the LESS salt is!!!



Let's write a group letter


----------



## Rojodi (Apr 5, 2010)

Tooz said:


> Let's write a group letter



We should.

Dear Jamie,

It is a known and proven fact that, when you cook using garlic - fresh, jarred, powered, granulated - you use less salt.....


----------



## FatAndProud (Apr 5, 2010)

Episode 3; I can't stop watching it at this point!! lol


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 5, 2010)

garlic is my GOD!


----------



## lypeaches (Apr 6, 2010)

caught up on an episode last night....and while I worry a bit about the whole "fat is bad" angle, I have to admit that I think teaching teenagers how to cook is a wonderful idea, on so many levels.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Apr 7, 2010)

I tend to shy away from using olive oil in general. I don't like how quickly it burns and stains everything. You can't wash it off of pots and ovens and it creates an awful lot of smoke when it spatters, and it always does. The only time I use it is to make lamb. Maybe I'm using it wrong but I've found cooking with evoo unpleasant.


----------



## lypeaches (Apr 7, 2010)

I know what you're talking about Lillybbw. I pretty much only use it for lowish heat sauteing, or roasting (well, and of course, salad dressings).


----------



## Ruby Ripples (Apr 7, 2010)

LillyBBBW said:


> I tend to shy away from using olive oil in general. I don't like how quickly it burns and stains everything. You can't wash it off of pots and ovens and it creates an awful lot of smoke when it spatters, and it always does. The only time I use it is to make lamb. Maybe I'm using it wrong but I've found cooking with evoo unpleasant.



I've always been told that you should NEVER cook with extra virgin oilive oil. (Where did that irritating-as-jamie-oliver word "EVOO" come from?). Extra virgin olive oil is for dressing food, or using raw, eg. with bread and balsamic vinegar. It is farrrr too rich and flavoursome to cook with, it overwhelms the flavour of most food. It also smokes, spits etc at far too low a temp as you know. When I've been in Greece, Spain, etc they had extra virgin on the tables, and they cooked with the later pressings of olive oil which are much better suited, not overwhelming the flavour of food, and not being so smokey and spitty at lowish temps. 

Roj, I thought you were Polish? I swear every time I read one of your posts you're something different  btw.. you're actually all American!


----------



## LillyBBBW (Apr 7, 2010)

Ruby Ripples said:


> I've always been told that you should NEVER cook with extra virgin oilive oil. (Where did that irritating-as-jamie-oliver word "EVOO" come from?). Extra virgin olive oil is for dressing food, or using raw, eg. with bread and balsamic vinegar. It is farrrr too rich and flavoursome to cook with, it overwhelms the flavour of most food. It also smokes, spits etc at far too low a temp as you know. When I've been in Greece, Spain, etc they had extra virgin on the tables, and they cooked with the later pressings of olive oil which are much better suited, not overwhelming the flavour of food, and not being so smokey and spitty at lowish temps.
> 
> Roj, I thought you were Polish? I swear every time I read one of your posts you're something different  btw.. you're actually all American!



Thanks for saying that Ruby. I know so little about cooking that I'm always afraid to speak up on such things but I seriously avoid using recipes that call for cooking or sauteing in olive oil. I love the way extra virgin olive oil blackens the outside of lamb when roasted though. It forms a tasty crusty mixture that I love on lamb but boy does it make a ruckus of a mess.

Oh, and EVOO is not just an Oliver word. It's used a lot to desribe ingredients in home made hair and skin remedies. I had to look it up on the internet some years ago it was being used so much. I don't like it either but it's quicker than typing out extra virgin olive oil.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Apr 7, 2010)

FatAndProud said:


> Episode 3; I can't stop watching it at this point!! lol



Me either! Thanks for posting. I'm in to it but as I said before, I'm a little disturbed at the idea touted in the show that these food changes are going to be the weight loss miracle of the decade. Also I'm angsty about the added work to the cooks's workload with no increase in pay.


----------



## superodalisque (Apr 7, 2010)

LillyBBBW said:


> Me either! Thanks for posting. I'm in to it but as I said before, I'm a little disturbed at the idea touted in the show that these food changes are going to be the weight loss miracle of the decade. Also I'm angsty about the added work to the cooks's workload with no increase in pay.



yep thats a good point. healthy foods won't necessarily make you lose weight at all. and man, they way underpay everybody in the schools already as far as i'm concerned.


----------



## FatAndProud (Apr 7, 2010)

I dunno...I kinda think a cook could cook from scratch if you had a system going...I worked for a nursing home and the food the place would feed their residents? Oh. My. Gosh. It was terrible seeing the slop they gave these older folks (folks I considered to be like my own grandparents!!). I would often slip them something they actually wanted...we had it in stock...but the head cooks never used the stuff because it involved work....Truly sad. What's so hard about cutting up cucumbers and making salads and so forth? We had 200+ residents and three people in the kitchen...and we had worse equipment than the schools have. I don't know. I think it's sad that we feed shitty foods to those that can't provide/choose for themselves.


----------



## jewels_mystery (Apr 7, 2010)

I was watching the British version of this show "school dinners". Believe it or not, in the elementary school they set up constipation groups. Some kids went weeks without a movement.


----------



## LillyBBBW (Apr 8, 2010)

FatAndProud said:


> I dunno...I kinda think a cook could cook from scratch if you had a system going...I worked for a nursing home and the food the place would feed their residents? Oh. My. Gosh. It was terrible seeing the slop they gave these older folks (folks I considered to be like my own grandparents!!). I would often slip them something they actually wanted...we had it in stock...but the head cooks never used the stuff because it involved work....Truly sad. What's so hard about cutting up cucumbers and making salads and so forth? We had 200+ residents and three people in the kitchen...and we had worse equipment than the schools have. I don't know. I think it's sad that we feed shitty foods to those that can't provide/choose for themselves.



It's not just the cooking, it's the cleanup too. It doesn't take much effort to hose down after the meals they were serving before. The new methods will require scrubbing and the type of cleanup that is much more draining and time consuming. Having these ladies come in every day throwing their backs into this kind of prep cooking and cleaning on a daily basis is well and good but if they're still getting paid 10 bucks an hour it's slavery as far as I'm concerned. And if they don't have the stamina to keep up with this kind of work every day then where do they go? My mom did this kind of work and it is way more intense than what most people can conceptualize without having to do it themselves. This is what Oliver is putting on these ladies and I don't blame Alice for being upset. It also makes the work a tad more dangerous. A grease fire or a bloody cut in the kitchen is not good for business in an elementary school. I love that the food is working out but I think these are legitimate concerns.


----------

