Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
on ABC
By Ally Matteodo
In an attempt to begin solving
the national crisis of childhood obesity in America, famed chef Jamie Oliver
becomes a lightning rod for change as he sets out to assist the community of
Huntington, West Virginia with their food and eating habits in Jamie Oliver’s
Food Revolution, ABC’s dynamic new program and the Best TV Show of the
Week. Airing on Fridays at 9:00 p.m. ET, the first episode premiered on
March 26. In the April 2nd episode, the second in the six-part
series, Jamie chose Huntington, West Virginia as his initial location to lobby
for change due to its reputation as the unhealthiest city in America. Of
course, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and Jamie’s initial attempts to revamp the
school lunches at Central City elementary move in fits and starts. One lunch
lady expresses her dismay over the new choices: the kids don’t appear to find
the food savory, and she also complains about the lack of help in the kitchen.
However, others believe in Jamie’s mission and provide him with encouragement.
Ultimately, Jamie wants to take over all 27 schools in Huntington. In this
episode, Jamie’s next move focuses on Huntington High School. Here, French
fries are considered a vegetable, and the kids are crazy about them. Enlisting
student ambassadors, Jamie seeks to put families and emotions behind the
statistics. Yet Rhonda McCoy, the director of food services, expresses the
problem with the new selections Jamie introduces. Although delicious, to make
food from scratch costs more than using cheaper processed meals. Jamie knows he
must raise money, and takes over Frankie Ds steakhouse with his student helpers
to cook for 80 people -- the local movers and shakers of Huntington, including a
senator! In a twist, Jamie instructs the students to prepare the meal, which
they do tirelessly and beautifully. The diners laud the meal, thinking it was
cooked by a gourmet chef, and are shocked to find out the students did most of
the work, proving Jamie’s point that anyone with enthusiasm can be taught to
cook in a healthy manner.
This show arrives in the nick
of time for America, where numbers of obese and overweight individuals continue
to rise. Jamie’s hope that a successful grassroots campaign in one community
will cause chain reaction in the rest of the country is smart, especially since
his British series, Jamie’s School Dinners, acted as a catalyst of change
for school dinner programs in all of England. Parents should be aware that
occasionally bad language (“ass,” “piss”) is used on this show, although any
extreme profanity is bleeped, and these instances make up a small portion of the
episode. The larger and main point of the series explores not only how to make
school meals healthier, but also how everyone, by making small changes in their
diet and eating habits, can exact major changes. Jamie’s emphasis on nature and
fresh ingredients as opposed to synthetic foods and preservatives clearly
represents the healthier, happier choice. In addition, his involvement of the
students is empowering; at the dinner at Frankie D’s, the students speak out on
why they want to help Jamie. One student, Marisa, comments on how she’s lost
family members to obesity, and never wants to experience that again. Another
student, Ryan, explains how cooking with fresh ingredients gave him direction
and something that could one day lead into a career. Jamie proves that
sometimes, all it takes for students to shine is a challenge. More often than
not they will rise to the occasion if they know someone believes in them.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
