Jamie Oliver...Thoughts Please

I think he is so awesome! most people "care about school lunches" but he really takes it to the next level. And he makes it fun too!

I love that he is trying to educate people about "real" food. I think he needs to start with parents and not school systems. When kids go home, they usually have a plethora of foods to eat that are not healthy.

I like his cooking more than his 'revoloution'. He does a show in the UK called 30 minute meals and they all look delicious. No nonsense meals with fresh (mainly) healthy ingredients, brill.

I don't know if you've tried making any of his "30 minute meals" but it certainly takes me longer - but I still don't hold that against him!

I've done a couple, with modifications, but I'm not really bothered about it either to be honest, its just yummy food!

I love that he is trying to educate people about "real" food. I think he needs to start with parents and not school systems. When kids go home, they usually have a plethora of foods to eat that are not healthy.

I think what he is trying to do is get the kids eduated now and right off the parents as they are just too dumb to see they killing themselves with the sh** food the shovel in.

Adults will watch the program they may think twice about what they doing to there kids.

I've just started watching both 'Revolution' (up to Ep3) and the Hollywood one (Eps1&2), and I have to admit to being shocked....but I suppose that's the point. I was shocked when he did the UK version too! They are not going to show the parents who do provide their kids with healthy food, and who make healthy choices for themselves, are they?

I think change has to come from several areas, without blame being attributed to any one area. Everyone's hands are tied to an extent - from the person controlling the budget for the entire city/area, to the parents. I agree that the parents should be feeding their kids healthy foods but I also understand that not every parent knows what is healthy, so as with any form of education, it's more successful when parents and schools work in tandem. What I don't understand however, are the parents who were aware their kids were being fed rubbish at school, yet still let them have school food. Presumably it's not obligatory, that parents can provide their children with their own food?

The last school I worked at was on the brink of ditching school meals altogether because practically none of the children wanted them because the 'food' was dire. My Head had the brilliant idea of firing the catering company and sending home a questionnaire for parents and children to fill out, stating which kinds of foods they'd like to see on the school menu. It worked really well, and the cooks were happier because they got to make real food (plus were paid a better wage by the school, compared to what they received from the catering company), the pupils and parents were happier because there was decent food, and we were happy because we had pupils who were healthier and easier to teach! In fact the only people who weren't happy were the catering company! :laugh:

I really like Jamie (have done since the very first Naked Chef series) but I do worry that while his intentions are undeniably good, these programmes have a tendency to portray the American public as though they are uneducated and uncaring. I don't think it's Jamie's fault per se - more the producer and editor going for the sensationalist angle. And it may well be that a great deal of Americans *don't* really know much about nutrition, just as there are a great deal of British people who don't. In fact, I'd say that in most reasonably affluent nations, similar issues occur. However, I also know lots of Americans who are really health-savvy, so it sort of grieves me to see this kind of thing going on.

I also think it's all very well for Jamie to say "Should be, could be, ought to be", and in principle, I agree with him, but I'm not fond of the whole barging-in-and-telling-people-how-to-run-their-lives thing. Again, I don't for one minute believe that there wasn't a shedload of groundwork done beforehand, but the programmes do seem to be edited to show optimum resistance, frustration and jobsworth-ness (I know it's not a real word!). But I suppose if that's what it takes to get the point across....

Regarding the actual content of the programmes - I was gobsmacked when those children said they'd still eat not-really-chicken nuggets, even after almost vomming at the process they go through! And I was speechless at the whole ammonia thing. But then, I was also rather surprised that the elementary school children didn't use knives and forks, or know what the veggies and fruits were. I found it a bit of a culture shock TBH! And both programmes had me in tears on several occasions...because I do get a bit emo over suffering.

I really hope there's a happy conclusion to both of these series - I've seen the Revolution website where you can hover over a map of the US to see how many people have signed up in your state....it seems like an awful lot of people have, so I am optimistic that good things are beginning to happen.

His american show gets shown over here too and its funny how much he plays up to the american audience! Never ever says 'god bless' to anybody in his UK shows, yet practically ever person he meets gets a 'God bless brother!'..and that winds me up a bit, its fake.

Yes! That is soooo irritating! Be yourself, Jamie!

"And it may well be that a great deal of Americans *don't* really know much about nutrition, just as there are a great deal of British people who don't."

..But you Brits sure do make the world's best junk food. Yorkie bar, anyone?

Everyone knows that the Lion Bar and/or Picnic car rule them all. The One Choccie, as it were.

I've always found him off-putting. I think the premise is a good one. He irks me to no end, however. Having watched both the UK and US versions of Kitchen Nightmares, I can only imagine how they've added the "ADD" element to the US version. Ugh. Like showing the entire show recap after every commercial. Yeah, because we can't remember what we just watched during the previous 10-15 minutes.

Personally I think he is a bit of a knobber.

I love Jamie Oliver. Always have. My only complaint is that he does, as aforementioned, play up to the american audience a bit. I prefer his British-audience material over the stuff aimed at americans.

I really like Jamie, from the first episode of The Naked Chef that I ever saw. I have almost all of his cookbooks and the few great things I make, are from his books. I think he's trying to do great things. I hope he succeeds.