Gotta admit, I was skeptical that this would be interesting, and maybe it's a sign of where I, as a nutritionally conscious no-added fat vegan comes from, that it was astounding to see what the kids in the unhealthiest city in the US were eating for breakfast and lunch (hint: pizza), the amount of highly processed crap being served by cafeteria staff that think it's all fine, then the family that has glazed home deep-fried donuts with scrambled eggs for breakfast. I've seen this in lunch menus posted in the local newspaper. Frightening.
Even so, I don't think I'll ever forget looking at this women and her children (reminds me, as pointed out by the delightful Ms. V., of the spaceship passengers in "Wall E") and Jamie stacking up, on real plates, the actual food they consumed the previous seek. I admire his true compassion and dedication, and it will be interesting to see how far he goes. Yeah, there's the usual "reality show" careful editing to add drama, pathos, tears, heavy emotions, pissed-off looks, and so on. A lot of that is filler, but hey, it's TeeVee.
As noting from an earlier post about his recipes and TED award, I'm doubtful that a man who publishes a recipe for fish wrapped with smoked bacon and lemon mayo can help a town eat healthier. Maybe it's a matter of scale. If someone wants to go vegetarian, would I encourage it? Hell yes. Sure, I'd prefer that they make the leap to vegan, but it certainly is a step in the right direction. But I do believe in the passion of Dr. Esselstyn noting that he doesn't just want to reduce the number of people dying from heart disease, but destroy heart disease itself (paraphrased)? Positively.
Okay, I'm watching the show and writing this post... Jamie just poured a bunch of olive oil (measured by counting) into a non-stick pan to fry garlic for the pasta dish for his first meal with the Fat Family. Is this a good idea? Is it good transitional? I don't know. Probably oil in the salad dressing. But gawd, these people are so obese. He could help them live longer, but they'd live even longer without the oil (in all probability), but is that too drastic a step? Probably.
Cool meeting he has with the gal in charge of food services for 20+ schools... quite fascinating when she's pulling out the "authorized" USDA meal recipe cards. The stakes are raised: he's got one week to (a) follow the "nutritional req'ts" of the USDA, (b) prove that the kids accept it, stay on budget, or (c) they revert back to pizza for breakfast. Now that's drama! Of course, they wouldn't televise the show if he didn't do it... right?
The first big meal at school: roasted chicken, salad, yogurt, fruit, crudite. "Real chicken, real olive oil..." Yup, pouring olive oil from a gallon can for the marinade. WTF? The official guidelines call for "two breads a day" and Jamie's trying to serve rice? Amazing. Parents should look into what's being fed to their kids and mobilize to change matters. That's clear. Of course, "pizza" is a worship word and it won over his meal.
CONCLUSION: it's worth watching so far (roughly 43 minutes in length), if nothing else, to see the honest astonishment Oliver experiences as he tries to do his best to change things and the reactions of the townspeople. I truly admire his spirit and efforts, even though I struggle with his recipes (and the tears wear thin a bit at times). But, overall, it reminds me of the battle between the welfarists and absolutists in the Animal Rights debate: which is better? Making it more humane as you kill animals for food, or stop killing them altogether. Help these people gradually eat better, or just get it right at the start? I don't have the answer, but am thoroughly intrigued by the question. And, I might add, I truly respect Mr. Oliver for at least trying to make a difference. Our society needs more of that kind of selfless effort. If nothing else, he deserves credit for trying to make a change... everything else I've written is just sidebar.
ADDENDUM 03/24/10: this is, ironically enough, from Jamie's website:
pizza with green and red grapes, rosemary, pinenuts and ricotta "starter: This might sound odd but it's totally delicious for breakfast or dessert. Especially with a ball of vanilla ice-cream – great!"
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