The latest personality to conquer primetime television is a 30-something, crazy-haired British chef armed with a head of lettuce. His name is Jamie Oliver, and he is on a mission to change the way we eat.
Well, it’s about time someone tried. We’ve all seen the staggering research and statistics that point to the lamentable truth that kids today are on track to die at a younger age than their parents because of rampant childhood obesity.
Perhaps no one is more ticked off about this than Oliver, a world-renowned chef whose credits include revamping the British school lunch program. Now, he wants to accomplish a similar feat in America. His quest is documented on the groundbreaking new show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”
Oliver chose to kick off his project in the hotbed of American obesity: the West Virginia town of Huntington, which was recently singled out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the unhealthiest city in the United States.
When Oliver goes to inspect the menu at one of the local elementary schools, he encounters a rude awakening. Pizza for breakfast! Pink milk! Chicken nuggets! It’s a chef’s worst nightmare, and, as if that weren’t sad enough for Oliver, the people of Huntington don’t exactly welcome him to their town with open arms. He is scorned in the local newspaper and loathed by the town’s radio DJ, who tells Oliver, “We don’t want to sit around and eat lettuce all day. Who made you king?” The unwelcome reception prompts Oliver to weep in front of the camera, blubbering that no one understands him.
Okay, so it is still reality television, which means it does necessitate drama, but, when confronting a crisis such as obesity, maybe drama is all that will truly work to get people to listen. In a striking demonstration at the elementary school, Oliver has a dump truck unload the equivalent of one year’s worth of fat that is consumed by the school’s students. The horrified reactions of the teachers, students and parents prove that the sickening but effective demonstration undoubtedly struck a chord.
Oliver’s mission is certainly one worth paying attention to. This guy knows what he is doing and he knows how to do it. He starts his “revolution” in schools because he understands that, just like it is easier to learn a foreign language at a younger age, so too is it more likely that younger people will be more able to change their eating habits for life.
It is never too late to change these habits and it has also perhaps never been easier. Students at SLU, for example, recently witnessed an influx of nutritional value when Chartwells introduced new plans to revamp their menus to include some healthier options. These improvements ought to be taken advantage of by every student to prove that our generation really can live long, healthy lives.
Is “Food Revolution” the wake-up call Americans need to bury their fryers (which literally happens on the show; Oliver buries a family’s fryer in their backyard) and learn to whip up a salad? It’s hard to say, but, if the television ratings are any indication, people are at least getting the message. Hopefully, that message will translate into change.
