Jamie Oliver, better known to most as the energetic British chef who dazzled the US with his humor, charm, and great recipes as The Naked Chef started what he called a Food Revolution a couple of years ago. His goal was to help reintroduce people to their home kitchens and encourage them to cook fresh, cook smart, and eat sensibly.His message, while simple, was something of a nuisance to those who were hell bent on keeping this world fully processed, always fried, and never informed. In short, he wasn't hawking high-fructose corn syrup or advocating the consumption of meat at every meal, so he was not as marketable to the masses as a Bobby Flay or a Paula Deen.
Yet he managed to garner a huge following and many awards for espousing a fresh message to those who were looking to make a change in their eating habits and his philosophy of eating fresh foods (homegrown if possible) resonated with those who were getting fed up with the corn-fed ways of this world. He helped spark the migration of many individuals back into their kitchens, gardens, and local farmer's markets.
So, although I am not one for watching much reality television, I was intrigued to see him take on "the man" in the second season of his television series: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It was clear from start, though, that Oliver would be taking on a much bigger fish than the one he found in season one.
Los Angeles definitely wasn't West Virginia.
You can read all about the madness in L.A. here but, in short, Jamie wished to see all L.A. schools ban flavored milk from their menu.
In L.A. , school lunches are served with the option of chocolate or strawberry milk. However, one small carton of flavored milk is loaded with more sugar than even one can of soda. So, Oliver, in only the way he can, decided to make a push to get rid of the option altogether.
His suggestion was met with a lot of resistance, but he eventually got what he wanted—at least that's what we've been led to believe—but the proof will be in the pudding when the next school term begins.
Curiously enough, after Oliver's second major run-in with a school lunch program—this time in the epicenter of the entertainment world—his show has been cancelled. ABC has pulled Food Revolution show from it's schedule in order to air more Dancing With The Stars recap shows.
Coincidence?...Maybe, but it's one heck of a coincidence if it is one.
I sincerely hope that another network decides to continue with Oliver's premise and offers more programming of this sort to the masses because it's definitely something that needs a platform—even if it's not always easy to accept the message it sends.
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