Celeb Chef Jamie Oliver Wants to Start a 'Revolution'

By Denise Warner Posted Mar 24th 2010 03:30PM

Jamie Oliver traveled to what was called the unhealthiest city in the U.S. -- Huntington, West Virginia -- to educate the residents about the food "that's killing America" in his new series, 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution,' which premieres March 26 at 8 PM on ABC. (A special preview aired on the 21st.)

During his tenure, the people of West Virginia put up a lot of resistance. A radio DJ in the town bluntly told him, "We don't want to sit around eating lettuce all day!" And the women in the school cafeteria were equally upset with the British chef's presence -- causing Oliver to break down in tears. "They don't understand me," he cried.

However, the British chef persevered, determined to make a difference in everyone's diets and consciousness about their health. Jamie chatted with PopEater about his experience on the show.

"We're not painting a perfect picture of me walking in there and going 'Da da dah.' We follow what really happened. Even to the bitter end," he says.

I really enjoyed the premiere. There are so many misconceptions about the people from that part of the country, and I think you're really helping the world to understand.
Thank you. I think Huntington comes out looking just beautiful over the series. Reality TV has got a bit of a dodgy rep, so we played with it very sensitively.

Were you expecting the kind of resistance you encountered when you first got there?
Honestly, yes. I've never done anything worthwhile involving change that hasn't gotten resistance. Change is the hardest thing in the world and resistance is normal. It's never particularly much fun, but you have to just keep going and push through it and try. It did take about a month and a half before I broke the back of it. The thing that really helped was working with individual families – them spreading the word that I was there for good reasons and I actually was changing their lives and allowing them to live differently.

Watch the First Episode

It seemed that the first family you visited were much more willing and positive about the experience than others.
All of the families that I came in contact with were never saying, "We don't want you, get lost, go." It was more of the opposite. It was, "Help, please. I feel like a bad mom. I know what I'm doing is wrong, I just don't know how to do it right. No one's ever taught me to cook at home or at school, so I'm sitting here with four kids wondering, 'What on Earth do I do?'" Telling that story is quite important. I think there are going to be a lot of parents feeling a bit bad about that. You can't really blame the parents when the whole culture and the whole horizon of food is all the same. Knowing how to shop and to cook a few things gives you so many choices to live differently.

You just want to tell them it's not all their fault.
Absolutely. It's not their fault to a point. Obviously, there comes a point when they've got to deliver. It's all right saying, "You know, you're doing it wrong," but you've got to go and do it. You have to invest time in it. It's not like when your kids learn to ride a bike, they've done it straight away. You've got to invest time in that. When your kids learn to talk or walk, you have to invest time in that. Cooking is no different. Cooking knowledge is no different. I know I'm a biased, but the way I look at it, you use cooking three times a day, normally in your life. Then, probably the second biggest amount of money that you spend in your life is at the supermarket. You might as well get good at shopping and save yourself the money. I haven't actually worked with a family yet who I haven't saved them $100 to $150 dollars a week.

You said it took about a month and a half for the people of Huntington to accept you. Will we see more struggles in upcoming episodes?
The show is very fun and natural and it is what it is. We're not painting a perfect picture of me walking in there and going 'Da da dah.' We follow what really happened. Even to the bitter end ... I'm not saying it's a happy ending. I'm saying that wonderful things are achieved. Really, the happy ending is what's going to happen in the next year or two years.

What's the best advice about cooking that you have?
Oh that's a hard one. Of course, you can keep it simple. You really only need, I call it ten recipes to save your life. Recipes that you enjoy from stew to pasta to sauces to stir fry -- knowing how to make salads taste delicious and making greens taste delicious. Everyday dishes like that, that's the kind of thing you want to have in your repertoire. And ten simple recipes, as well. The other thing is when you're shopping, organizing what you buy so you don't waste money. But one of the biggest things is -- if you turn around a pack and you don't understand what's on the back, if it sounds like a science lesson, don't buy it. That's a quickie.

Tags: jamie oliver, jamie olivers food revolution

Comments

(152)

Thursday 25 March

By Vickie

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Check the dictionary. Ignorant means uninformed not stupid. The government changed the nutrition standards in the 1980's and kids across the nation are fat and suffering. That means the government has pulled the wool over the eyes of the best intentioned parents without informing them. Therefore, parents across the nation are ignorant, not just where you live. I live in California where we are supposedly super careful of our food. Our kids are the fattest I've ever seen. I'm nearly 60 and my mom was the lunch lady who worked her way up to district supervisor of the cafeterias. She'd roll in her grave (actually give the fish indegestion...her ashes are in the Pacific Ocean)if she saw what the gov't has done to her beloved schools. Keep in mind those of us who went to school when ketchup was a condiment not a vegetable, when bread, peas, corn or potatoes were starch and one starch per meal was the right way to eat know that you folks are far from stupid...you've been mislead by someone who realized fat and starch were cheaper than good nutrition. I'm hanging in there for someone to realize the truth instead of misinterpeting a phrase. We'll all know how smart you've always been when you stand up for your kids nutrition and stop the idiots who make up the standards without checking thier facts. Good luck...

By kbats41

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It's Huntington WV not Huntington VA, you do know that West Virginia ia a state? Talk about people from there at least they know their states.

By tim

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He did do this in England and ran into the same problems. I have family in WV and poke fun at there expense. But him being an out side was the problem. They thought he was out to make them look bad. I'm sure his producer new were he was going and the resistance he would face. Personally I think he is for real, and A nice guy wanting to help.

By Dana

Actually kudos to Jamie. People should be aware what the school system is feeding are childern. What child needs two starchs per meal....None. The United States is the most obese country in the world. Diabetes is at it's highest. And not just among adults. There is nothing wrong with awarness. And knowing how to eat right.

By Bob

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As a "stump jumpin, ridge runnin hillbilly", I believe Jamie is using the people of WV. He should be asked to leave the state.
He is not a health expert.

By basketpam

Well that's AMericans for you. Someone tries to do something to help them and they just shove it back in their face. And it doesn't shock me about the West Virginia residents either. Most in the state wouldn't know something good for them if it jumped up and bit them on the ass and then screamed hello at them. I live about 10 miles from the WV border, have worked with the residents at the local VA when I've had to go there for medical research work and let me tell you, I've seen it all out of WV people. I feel so sorry for Jamie Oliver. Here's a town that gets the help of a world-renown chef and all they do is treat him like crap. I hope he just told them where to stick all their greasy fat and oils. If for the last 25 years the school systems hadn't given into the demands of spoiled bratty kids and started serving garbage, they wouldn't be in the mess they are now. I almost fell out of my chair the day I heard our local schools were actually serving pizza everyday, had soda available and junk food. Hell would have frozen over before that would have been allowed when I was in school in the 60s or 70s. ANd you know what, we MAYBE had 4 kids in a class of 200 who were overwight, not even obese. I don't blame this epidemic on anyone but the parents and adults who have been in charge for the last 20 years. If they would have had a backbone this never would be a problem now.

By Susan

I am wondering what V.A. you do research work for? I work at the Huntington, WV V.A. and YES, as any other state that I have been in, there are over weight people, dirty people, uneducated people - I have been in many states for pleasure and business. WV is no different than any other people except maybe nicer. You most normally hear excuse me, thank you, please, may I help you. On the other hand, many states I visit you never know if you are finished with a transaction because no one says, "thank you, have a nice day" as we do here as we were taught to respect others.

By C.B.

Start it in England, you say? While you puff out your chest to declare your "Don't tell me what to do" attitude, you do realize that we do have an obesity crisis in this nation, right? Have you bothered to think about all of the underlying ailments that being obese causes? Along the same lines as being a smoker. I have a very healthy BMI number, and I notice every day here in Charlotte, NC or at home in Alabama, how much fatter people have gotten. When I was a kid growing up in the late 1970's and 80's, I remember it was rare to see a person that appeared to be morbidly obese in Alabama. Even during college in the 90's, there weren't a lot of students that were more than 75 lbs overweight or beyond. Now here I am in Charlotte and just in the last two hours spending time eating my lunch at a restaurant and running errands at a local drug store I saw at least 10 people that looked overweight enough to be pushing their body's weight limit to the point that illnesses like heart disease and diabetes and arthritis and knee replacements were close to being issues for them. What I don't get is that you have to know you are not healthy so why aren't you doing something about it?? It doesn't mean you will be thin, but at least maintain a healthy weight for yourself and your life! Does anyone remember what moderation is?

By tiffany

i saw the episode. i couldnt believe that menu! pizza for breakfast then turn around and give them nuggets?!?! i live in virginia, i saw my pre-k sons diet, it was the same exact thing! i thought i was having him eat at school cuz it was healthier. the second i saw this i started feeding healthy bfasts @ home. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME REALIZE!

By john tester

Why didn't you stay in England? Were their no fat people there? Why don't you go back and check?

By sean

he never Made any bad remarks about the people of Huntington. Calling people ignorant is not an insult, despite what uneducated people might think. If you know that something is bad and you do it any way, you are being stupid. If you don't know something is bad and do it, you are ignorant. So these people know what they are doing is wrong, they know they are killing themselves and their children. They claim they don't know how to, or don't have the time to live and eat healthier lifestyles. That is all that was said, and it was not meant to demean anyone.

By conjaxestes

i watched the preview on Sunday night.. those people were so rude!! i felt so sorry for him.. for crying out loud he is trying to help them out.. the crap that is served in lunch rooms across america is crap.. and people wonder why america is the fattest country in the world.. i couldn't imagine why.. anyone with a brain can see that he is trying to help them and teach them that you can serve foods that are good for you in a lunch room.. a lot of those kids turned away the good food because the junk they wanted is what they are use to eating..

By Nick

How about teaching the Brits how to brush their teeth first?

By muffinfluffer

is he sure he didn't say da da dah? maybe he should have said da da dah. or maybe Ta da. or Ta da dah. the reply sections of these stories are more entertaining than the shows or the stories. you make me smile. what a bunch of ignorant illiterate morons you are. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Da da dah!

By john

What is a muffinfluffer? They must be made in England.

By Jennifer Perdue

I went to school at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. It is not anymore an obese city than anywhere in Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana. Any city is going to have that attitude. West Virginians are not too hip on foreigners though (whether they are from across the ocean or the Ohio River). LOL. Maybe that is why they chose Huntington...

By Patty

Wait a minute! I am from West Virginia, and we are not stupid...so one child, one young child, made a mistake on what vegetable Jamie was holding! Most of us here in WV have gardens and our children like to help us work in them and know which vegetable is which and how to grow them! None the less I am happy to see Jamie here teaching us and our children how to cook good nutritional foods. I think all of America can benefit from this.

By scarlet

Whether he's a "performer" or not he's still doing a good thing by introducing healthier ways of eating for the children and should be recognized for that.

By ospltenz

This guy is trying to open our eyes to a huge epidemic in this country. People are just plaint too damn fat in this country. Even I want to lose 15 pounds. I can't wait to watch his show so I can get ideas to help me and my family eat better. He is doing a good thing here and I hope he sticks with it. I doubt it is about money, it is about getting our fat asses motivated to do better for our families. These kids will have a shorter life span than any other generation before us. If all you bring home is junk food from the store, that is all your kids will eat. Truthfully as a parent with a child in school I pack a lunch, make sure it is a good one. And once in a while maybe they can have a school lunch. Or should we call it crap on a platter?

By Kristy

I disagree, it's important to have it on TV so people can learn that they CAN feed healthy and tasty food for the same price or even cheaper. He can't go to every town and school lunches are a serious problem across the country. When I was in school just 20 years ago we had about 5 kids who were overweight and they were not even obese, just a little chubby. Today overweight and obese is the norm. It started with the TV dinner and once processed food took off it all went down from there. People are afraid of carbs and afraid of fat and you really do not have to worry about either if you just don't eat processed food. I started avoiding processed food because I just don't trust the quality and cleanliness in these factories and I just didn't want to eat food that had ingredients in it that I couldn't pronounce. I had been feeling a bit worn down and had gotten a bit pudgy and just didn't want to continue doing that to my health. I was not looking to lose weight at all but was surprised at how the weight just dropped off and my migraines went away. And I eat all kinds of foods, chips, ice cream, fries, whatever I want. I just make sure it's made out of real food or I make it myself. Who wouldn't want those results?

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