‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’ gets yanked by ABC for sweeps

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The crusading adventure of English “Chef and Food Activist” Jamie Oliver has nearly met its end, at least, as far as U.S. schools and the resulting television program are concerned. The second-season ratings for “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” have ceremoniously dropped, and ABC has pulled the reality program from its sweeps lineup and looks unlikely to renew it for a third season. Those familiar with the program will know that the first season featured Jamie allegedly transforming the eating habits of Huntington, West Virginia. This season, he moved onto bigger pastures and set his sights upon infiltrating the school system of Los Angeles (where, conveniently, Oliver has recently opened his own restaurant), which just wasn’t having him.

After the L.A. school board banned Oliver from directly accessing schools, he largely resorted to dressing up like a tomato, standing outside school entrances, and attempting to persuade commuting parents to take his food and insert it into their children’s lunch boxes. While I do believe that Oliver’s heart was initially in the right place, he certainly didn’t approach people in a friendly manner and was rather pushy about the whole thing to the point of shouting. If I were one of those parents confronted by Jamie Oliver, I’d probably have given him the finger and rolled up my window. While I already try to put healthy wrap sandwiches and fruit in my daughter’s lunch bag, Oliver’s superior attitude would have immediately alienated me. It seems that I’m not alone in my sentiments, for viewers have tuned out Oliver’s television message too:

Bad news for chef/TV personality Jamie Oliver.

ABC has pulled the the Ryan Seacrest-produced reality series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, from the schedule during May sweeps.

The show, which follows Oliver as he tries to change the way kids and adults eat at home and in school, will air its four remaining episodes beginning Friday, June 3 at 9 p.m.

ABC says the Dancing With the Stars recap was a better complement to the DWTS results show on Tuesday nights, though emphasizes it is still behind the anti-junk food series. The network had pre-empted the third episode of Food Revolution for a DWTS-related hour last week.

Food Revolution has dropped in the ratings in its second season, with the premiere slipping nearly 40 percent from last year’s series debut.

[From Hollywood Reporter]

Some people will undoubtedly decry the disappearance of “Food Revolution” as a sign that Americans just want to remain fat and lazy as a whole. Then again, Jamie Oliver himself is not exactly a picture of outward physical health, and I’d like to yell at him to hop on a treadmill before he deigns to lecture any of us on what we should feed our children. Yes, our kids should eat more whole foods and avoid too much sugar and fat, but there are more effective approaches than Oliver’s way of doing things; he could have worked out a system of distributing educational pamphlets to parents through the PTA before accosting them by basically throwing his meals into their faces. Of course, pamphlets don’t make for good television; as it turns out, neither does “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”

Here’s a clip of Oliver lecturing/harassing some cafeteria ladies (as if they could control anything) before he got banned from accessing the school system.

And here’s a full episode (wherein he tries to talk a fast food proprietor into cooking healthier food, whatever the cost) from a few weeks ago, if you can stomach it:

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Photos courtesy of WENN

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63 Responses to “‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’ gets yanked by ABC for sweeps”

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  1. RobN says:

    Perhaps the doughy Oliver could just go back to England and work on ridding himself of the double chins before he decides what I should feed my kid.

  2. TQB says:

    I watched the first season and I think you’re being a little hard on him. The sound bites make him sound like a much bigger, pushier jerk than he really is.

    I watched the premier this year and the minute he got shut out of the LASD I knew it was all over. He basically had NO back up plan and I think he got rather desperate. It was obvious that he (or more likely, Seacrest) just assumed that after their success in VA they would be welcomed with open arms in LA. You’re right about the accosting parents with the food; that was more about spectacle than education. At that point it became more about Keeping Jaime’s Show on the Air at all costs.

    But, I still take issue with the characterization that he’s just a big condescending jerk. He’s very caring and if you see episodes where he’s working with kids and teaching them to cook, he’s really terrific. He had a much stronger plan and much more buy-in ahead of time last season.

  3. Stephie says:

    Obnoxious or not, love The Naked Chef (however long go that series was). Right idea (Food Revolution) but bad execution I guess.

  4. Kloops says:

    I’ve only seen the occasional episode here and there of the UK version so I can’t speak with great knowledge, but he seems to always be badgering the wrong people. This is not the problem of the “lunch lady.” She’s just doing her job and is not responsible for carrying his torch. I share his beliefs but his delivery is counter productive.

    And, seriously, why is he so pudgy? He may be eating whole foods, but either his portion control is off or there’s not much exercise going on. It makes him come across as a hypocrite.

  5. Celebitchy says:

    I agree with Bedhead. Like I saw the first two episodes of this season and while he bonds with some people (like the teen who has diabetes in her family) he also is very pigheaded and has problems seeing anything other than his own viewpoint. For instance the guy with the fast food family restaurant was being very accommodating and trying to see his point of view but Jamie was just trying to use expensive meat and make smoothies without listening to what he was trying to say. He does want to help kids and I agree that he’s caring, but he barely tried to understand where the people he was working with were coming from, both this season and last season when his food cost so much more to make than the school had in their budget. I wish it was easier and that we could feed our kids better, I do, but I also get the criticism of him.

  6. curegirl0421 says:

    I think his heart’s in the right place, and I don’t disagree… I just think he’s taking aim at the wrong folks. He should try getting at the administrators, because they’re the ones trying to get the cheapest food out there. On the other hand, if they started getting more expensive food, the price for lunch would go up, and less and less kids would be able to afford the food. Then they’d bring lunch from home…

    Wait… 🙂

  7. Raven Sparrow says:

    I love the way this guy cooks. I loved watching The Naked Chef!

  8. alma says:

    i’m very sad that he isn’t doing as good as the first season. All the school lunches need CHANGES! our poor kids are eating processed junk at school 🙁
    i for one send my daughter home made lunches 90% of the time and i hate it when she has to buy school lunch

  9. Roma says:

    His heart’s in the right place he just has no idea how to execute.

    Also, it’s unrealistic.

  10. MNGIRL76 says:

    I love him & I think he is on the right track. People need to wake up & realize what is actually in our food. I to am very passionate about food & this subject matter! My boyfriend used to bitch about me being a foody, but hey! In the end I just want him to be health & around as long as possible!

  11. anyhoo says:

    Wow, this guy wants to kids to eat better at school. What a jerk.

  12. anyhoo says:

    Wow, this guy wants to kids to eat better at school. What a jerk.

  13. MNGIRL76 says:

    Yeah-that fast food guy who wouldn’t switch sucks. Sorry I don’t & will not eat shit burgers! 4 Real! Watch Food Inc. watch Fast Food Nation. That shit is disgusting! things are cheap for a reason! We need to demand better quality & stop eating shit!

  14. SLM says:

    How, exactly, is Jamie Oliver pudgy or doughy? A majority of people are television and film are unusually tiny – even the men- and he probably is more average than not. I don’t think Oliver looks unhealthy at all. Maybe he has round face, a bit of flesh under the chin, but few men over 30 do not.

    Plus he is chef and his focus is on nutrition, and he’s never claimed to be an exercise expert. He’s not a personal trainer. If you watch any of the Huntington, WV season of this show, you’ll see Oliver’s real emotion about kids who are in jeopardy of a lifetime of diabetes or other food-related issues. I think we are too easily offended when someone points out that our families are in jeopardy and it makes us blind to a real problem. I have an obese father and it is heartbreaking that he might not survive to see his granddaughter grow up.

  15. blc says:

    i totally agree with @SLM – i was surprised to see all the negative comments calling jamie fat or saying don’t tell me what to feed my kids. It’s well documented that parents actually do need help with feeding their kids if we have any hope of fixing the childhood obesity epidemic. I don’t understand why people lash out at someone who is trying to help. There are plenty of other things to be pissed off about besides a guy who is trying to make kids healthier.

  16. francesca says:

    sanctimonious prick

  17. Jaded says:

    I am totally Jamied out. Too many shows, too much exposure, and he’s turned into a bit of a food nazi for sure. Time to go home, relax with your dozens of restaurants and spend some quality time with your ever-expanding family…

  18. Shelly says:

    MNGirl I totally agree with everything you’ve said! (Are you really in MN, cuz i am too!)

    Jamie is not going about this the wrong way, if you think about it…he is trying to get parents and the kids themselves to WANT to eat healthier, he is trying to get them to demand healthier food. Sure he could go after the ones in charge singlehandedly, but it’s much smarter to rally up a bunch of parents and kids on your side first. Who is going to listen to one man, as opposed to all the kids and parents combined?!

    And I am not seeing how Jamie is overweight at all, he looks healthy. Most men his age in this country look like they’re 50 years old and live on the couch.

    I think what really happened here is that ABC and most of America want to avoid what they don’t want to hear. I think something dirty is going on behind the scenes and that’s really why the network is dicking the show around. We need to be a part of the revolution and not let this incident change anything!

  19. lin234 says:

    I watched a few episodes in his first season and was mostly disappointed in how he executed his ideas.

    I mean he would explain to people why the food was unhealthy and what they should be eating. He would then go buy a ton of food to cook with them but not get around how to budget the type of food they should be eating. There was no long term plan and for good reason – it would be too expensive in the long run with poor families he was reaching out to and the school system. But for all intents and purposes for his show, he would be seen cooking for the kids trying to get them to eat his food – most of which got thrown out.

    And then the problem becomes obvious that the parents are raising their kids on junk that some don’t even recognize certain vegetables.

    And there are differences in school districts too. One of the most glaring for me was in high school when I switched from an older district to a newer, wealthier one.

    The old one had your typical school meals – everything came with fries.
    The new one had stations like a sub station, pizza/hamburger, mexican food station, salad station… The food was more expensive and varied with each item but they had stuff like freshly baked bread for their subs. It was pretty much set up like subway except the portions were a lot smaller. And most foods didn’t come with fries unless you went to the burger/pizza station.

    But honestly, I remember even in 6th grade kids I knew understood what foods were healthy and what wasn’t. In elementary, I always had to buy school lunches but I remember being very nitpicky and being disgusted with most processed foods. I remember most days I would eat the bread roll but not the part that touched the tray and my juice but most of my meals were thrown away.

    He also made the mistake of going to LA because it was just obvious he was trying to get closer to hollywood. California is one of the most health conscious states. I mean, if he really cared maybe he should have stuck with the poorest, overweight states.

  20. AlaskaJoey says:

    The fast food guy didn’t want to hear what Jamie was saying, IMO. I do understand he’s worried about losing business because he has a family to support, and worried about his father’s legacy, but the fact that his kids don’t eat what he sells was very telling, I think.

    And there’s a HUGE difference between being maybe 15 lbs. overweight, and 100 lbs. Jamie is so wonderful and caring with the kids, but does seem to bully the people in charge, because they are the ones that need to be forced into making changes.

  21. k says:

    @TQB: Well said.

  22. vanessa says:

    My husband is a chef and loves the food jamie cooks and he owns a couple of his books. jamie oliver is a very well known chef and has had success in his life. Therefore he knows quality and the correct way to prepare food and what flavors go together. If anyone knows a chef, you know they are VERY stubborn and have an ego when it comes to cooking because they have their own system of doing things that has been consistent and works for them. It’s not that they won’t listen, they just don’t understand why anyone would serve crap and wouldn’t take the time to prepare a dish that they can take pride in. My husband is very particular about food and the way it’s prepared. When he makes food just for our family, he goes all out with fresh ingredients and it’s so funny but I get it. I think that’s where Oliver is coming from, he’s not doing it on purpose, that’s the way most chefs are.

  23. Theuth says:

    I like the way mr Olivier cooks, it reminds me of Italian cooking in some way…but I agree on the fact that he isn’t selling his ideas in the best way. Some of his programs has been aired here in Italy (one about a tour in Italy, lol), and while he seems so passionate about teaching people how to eat healty without difficult (seriously, it’s not THAT hard), sometimes he’s too “straight”.
    I’ve noticed this expecially in the USA: you can say to someone who’s been raised with fast food all his life that he’s killing himself and expecting him to thank you. He will probably send you away with a kick in the ass.
    I for first, however, think that in the USA everything about food is screwed up and most of the people are so blind and deaf they can’t understeand how simple it would be just changing some little things.

  24. lucy2 says:

    Sounds like a good idea that just didn’t catch on, and I bet the network had a different agenda than he did. If he’s really passionate about it, he should forget the network shows and do a web series or something instead.

  25. pebbles says:

    Sad….his heart was in the right place.
    I can only try to help my own children, but the food service system in this country needs to change. Very unhealthy when all you have to offer is popcorn chicken and beef sliders with potato chips.

  26. The_Porscha says:

    Wow. I didn’t know that people had such negative and visceral reactions to Oliver. I agree with #2 wholeheartedly, though. I really enjoyed the first season. I think part of the trouble of the second season (which I have not seen), is that I just saw a preview for it, for the first time, a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s obvious that ABC thought that the first season’s splash would carry it into this one and did little to promote it.

    I don’t know if he comes across as worse in the second season, but it totally sounds like he didn’t have a backup plan, which is really irresponsible. It seems like he got desperate when they said no because he didn’t expect them to – which could be a problem of the ego, as mentioned above – and so he fell back on some halfwit ideas. But I’m not against him. Like I said, I liked the first season and thought he did very well, and I wish him continued success.

  27. Julie says:

    Jamie is too anxious and desperate. Once the studios smell these two ingredients they bring out the pitchforks to stop the contagion. Jamie is good but must get his crusade out with style and panache – if not he will be dogs’ dinner in the British press for being a failure.

  28. bunkins says:

    I just started watching the show and I really liked him. America’s kids are fat. Adults are fat. Clearly the kids need help!

  29. kiko says:

    remember the time when Jamie was a relaxed guy who loved to cook and show new fun recipes?now he is just the annoying dude saying all the freaking time eat healthy,EAT HEALTHY!i can’t deny the fact that he has a point but dude!chill!if they don’t want to change so f#%ing be it…

  30. LunaT says:

    I think he’s adorable and thought the show was a great concept. I can’t believe people didn’t watch this but crap like Dancing With The Stars is still on.

  31. YAY says:

    You can’t help a country that doesn’t know what the word MODERATION means.

  32. Catherine says:

    He is a tough-headed, mouthy Brit meeting ignorant, proud fat Americans who think their way is the only way.
    Yet we watch fat hogs like Kirstie Alley dance and jiggle and call that good entertainment. We watch rich spoiled bitches on the Housewives talk nasty to each other, drink, sleep around and call yourselves addicted.
    At least you can say JO cares. I don’t see any American Chefs publicly campaigning on childhood diabetes, fattening garbage lunches and trying to educate families. Noooo….don’t tell me what to do! I’d rather be a huge fat ass and drain the health care system for my illnesses cause I can’t step away from McDonalds.. *sarcasm*

  33. Bettie says:

    Pushy or not, America needs more people like Jamie Oliver. He can help people WAKE UP and realize exactly what kind of food their kids are being fed in school.

  34. Chevre says:

    Loved his Naked Chef show. He was so joyous. Now he comes off like a depressed, angry lesbian.

  35. Alix says:

    Has he already slimmed down all the kids in the UK?

  36. Joan says:

    The world-renowned American arrogance isn’t news to JO. I doubt if he’s truly discouraged because he’s a smart Brit. Eventually the dull and arrogant will see the error of their ways.
    (I know this post sounds arrogant but just trying to be brief)

  37. Bill Hicks is God says:

    When you have kids developing Type 2 diabetes this is no joke. It’s a national health crisis and maybe a mouth bigger than Oliver’s needs to make the point – with a megaphone.

  38. Kiska says:

    Bedhead, I totally disagree with your assessment of Jamie. I’ve never found him anything but polite and open to others. I merely feel he is trying to educate about the dangers of processed food. I for one loved the show and shared his passion for good healthy, real food. Considering that most of these children may never see age 40 is a reason to be fired up. The fact that the LA school system shut him out is a further reason for concern. These kids are being poisoned by additives, chemicals and other garbage and nobody gives a rat’s ass. Well, except Jaime and now his platform for change has been taken away.

  39. tooey says:

    I watched some of the first season and while I do think his heart is in the right place the issue is a lot bigger (no pun intended) than school lunches. School lunches are not great but most kids go to school 180 or 187 school days per year. Most only eat one meal there per day, even if they eat breakfast as well the school food represents only a fraction of what kids are eating. This is a problem that begins and ends at home and something else society is trying to fob off on schools instead of placing responsibility on families and parents. Cuz we don’t want anyone to feel bad, right? It’s easier going after a big, nebulous target like public schools. I worked in an elementary school cafeteria and those packed lunches from home were nothing to be proud of either. I saw kids with behavioral problems and probably ADHD drinking 20 oz Dr. Peppers, eating king-sized candy bars, Doritos, cheetos and the best thing in their lunch was a piece of processed bologna between two slices of white bread. And I live/work in a nice upper class suburb. It’s easy to make schools the villians but parents shoulder the blame here. The real revolution will start when parents start voting with their pocketbooks and not buying the school lunches. And taking the time to prepare something better themselves and setting an example.

  40. dvz says:

    @tooey PERFECTLY PUT!

  41. Katie says:

    I unashamedly love Jamie Oliver. Up until a couple of years ago I could barely cook toast, then I got his Ministry Of Food book and it completely changed everything. I now cook from scratch all the time. He appreciates that not everyone has the time to devote to cooking so he did a 30 minute meal book which is also brilliant. Plus his 15 restaurant in London is such a wonderful program for young chefs. He basically hired 15 underpriveliged kids with liitle experience and qualifications and taught them to be chefs and run a restaurant. The restaurant has now been going for a number of years with new intakes keeping up the tradition. I’ll take him over Gordon Ramsey anyday. Seriously though, buy Ministry of Food! Best cookbook ever.

  42. Lucinda Amerman says:

    Yes, he had no back-up plan and that was a huge problem. Also, the show is being edited to be sensationalistic and Jamie is playing right into that.

    The fast food guy was interesting. Jamie asked to take over his restaurant for 2 weeks and didn’t understand why the guy wouldn’t want to risk his entire business but I’m sure if someone had said the same thing to Jamie about his restaurant, he would never have agreed. That’s the part that gets frustrating.

    BUT–I think his internet campaign is great and he is creating awareness and empowerment which is really important.

  43. irishserra says:

    Love him. But yeah, he’s barking up the wrong tree here; Americans love their garbage.

  44. jemshoes says:

    I’m with you, Bedhead and CB, on Jamie Oliver. I waver between championing his cause for healthier eating in our cafeterias / canteens, and wanting to hit him on the head with a frying pan for being so confrontational and unsympathetic.

  45. geekychic says:

    i adore jamie oliver.
    and after being in USA and not believing what sort of food you can find in stores there, and how cheap basic healthy food is…..
    and the food is so processed it is downright scary.
    people, i have never, ever used cookie dough or frozen dinner or anything of that kind in my country. it is just not in our food culture-like, people will understand if you use soup from the bag, but anything else means you have more money than will to cook.
    some of my friends from USA consider themselves good cooks bc they can make pasta or good maccaroni. my sister of 13 knows how to make pasta and sauce from fresh tomato and a little bit of basil that is located on our windowsill.
    that does not mean that i adore GOOP and such hypocrites who are talking about unicorn juices we can not be without in our desserts, which are the same price as my monthly food budget. yeah, right.
    so yeah, jamie can be overbearing and i do not condone the snob-ism in health eating, but i do think it is irony that in regular supermarket in NYC you can find more variations of chocolate than i have ever seen in my life, but only one kind of flour!!!! one!!!

  46. Chris says:

    I know the difference between healthy and unhealthy food, the problem is getting my kids to eat the healthy stuff. If the networks put on a show that taught parents how to make their kids eat healthy food I’d watch it. Don’t get me wrong they eat some healthy food but not enough for my liking.

    Any advice?

  47. Helen says:

    Don’t be a hypocrite, Bedhead. He’s not preaching and he’s not condescending, though he may appear so if u only watch a few minutes of an episode. He’s done good stuff in the UK as well and he’s just trying to change something in the US because he cares about the kids and you can totally see that, in the way he talks to them and explains stuff to them. Pamphlets will never do the trick for a very simple reason: it’s very easy to just toss them away without as much as having a look at them.

    And, yes, he may be a bit plumper now, but I imagine that’s because he’s a cook and man loves his food. He’s in no way unhealthy-looking, far from obese.

    Personally, if I had a kid, I’d want Jamie to come and bust a cap in my ass with his “lectures,” assuming I needed it. 🙂

  48. Theuth says:

    @geekychic: I’ve never been in USA, just around Europe, and this is something I’ve noticed as well. I was shocked, for example, that when in Italy there are like 10 different kind of flour depending on the cereal used, in Bruxelles there were just 2 (normal and with yeast); that loads of people never eat vegetables except in soups or in frozen food (even not knowing the names!); that not using dressing (sauces) is strange; that if a market of healty food is not near you, you have legs to go there without problems…and the list goes on. I remember discussing with someone in Dublin so convinced that a dish with double cheese AND butter is more healthy than a plate of pasta with just a hint of oil, and he couldn’t understeand!
    Granted, probably in USA everything is much worse, at least if you know all the statistics about obesity and how much people view of food and body is screwed up (like there are just two extremes: rail thin and roundy obese); but Europe is also like that in many countries, like in UK and Germany.
    And don’t let me start about COFFEE -__- better calling it “dirty water”.

    @Chris: I don’t know much about shows, but the best things for your kids is, in my opinion, to teach them to love vegetables and fruits, not to drink sodas and similar beverages, and that you don’t have to finish everything on your plates if you’re full (microwave exists also for reheat food the next day), just to eat when they’re hungry.
    Seem stupid advises, but they’re simple and cheap 😀 maybe is better if you just buy a book on the subject!

  49. trollydolly says:

    Jamie Oliver is a hero.

  50. meglet says:

    As far as I know the food revolution he began in Queensland Australia was a success, the schools really embraced it and it’s had great results. This whole show is not about ‘easy’ or handing out info the parents and friends association… It’s about being confronting and getting ppl excited! Obviously this show has failed, but at the end of the day parents need to start feeding their children and themselves much much better (in many many countries, not just America).

    But really I just absolutely LOVE Jamie, I think he is awesome and I definitely don’t think he is overweight or unhealthy…. I’ve been watching his 30 minute meals series lately and I think he looks good 🙂

  51. meglet says:

    And PS. Chris… They can only eat what they have access to. Don’t have unhealthy food in the house or give them money to buy unhealthy food and where is the problem? Growing up I never had a choice in what I ate, we weren’t allowed to leave the dinner table until we had finished our meals and we got take away maybe twice a year. Maybe I’m just old (I’m 22) but since when did children have SO much say in everything?? :s

  52. teehee says:

    I see where hes coming from, and I am happy I live in a plac where there isnt a list of unrecognizable ingredients in my foods– the less the better and I agree.
    However getting mad at lunch ladies or anyone else is more like misplaced frustrtation– and that is what makes this is difficult to watch. he is upset abotu the crap people call food and how it is being mass marketed and such, but a more positive approach would be better. Rather than attack, he should maybe let the good food do the talking for itself first.
    But I mean, there is so little choice. If its beign served in the cafeteria, what are the kids to do?

  53. Ja says:

    Have no idea why Americans are so nasty to Jamie. Maybe I missed some news with which I’m fine. Whatever you say about Jamie, he know what he’s doing and he’s good. I’d love him to come and educate people in my country!

  54. mary jane says:

    All I know is my 4 teen daughters LOVE this guy.

    They totally get him. And they believe in his sincerity.

  55. EdithP says:

    I have to say, his affected tongue thrust bothers me and I always thinks he’s going to drool right on the food. But the show he had where he ran the restaurant and had teens come in a cook was really, really good and I liked him on that. I can’t watch any of his other shows, though.

  56. Geekylove says:

    @ #18
    Agree With you: germany is totally americanized ( obviously, english is my second lang.)-especially in their menus. I live in europe, in a small country Just opposite of italy. While majority of the people lives by lower $ standards than say, germany or USA, we have open markets With fresh vegetables and tradition of at least two homemade meals-from basics. The greatest cultural shock in USA, for me, was food(pancakes=sugar) obesity , and body image ( sickly thin no matter the body type or overweight as only options).
    And coffee is Just ridicolous-went to starbucks (we don’t have it here), al proud to tO try this greatness-and almost spot it out!!! It’s brown water!!!
    I carried my own instant coffee NeXT time i went.
    In conclusion, i’d rather pick my old, €-problematic, no starbucks and burger king(we have mcdonalds!), no 134568 tv stations (only 4), no great cities

  57. Geekylove says:

    @ #18
    Agree With you: germany is totally americanized ( obviously, english is my second lang.)-especially in their menus. I live in europe, in a small country Just opposite of italy. While majority of the people lives by lower $ standards than say, germany or USA, we have open markets With fresh vegetables and tradition of at least two homemade meals-from basics. The greatest cultural shock in USA, for me, was food(pancakes=sugar) obesity , and body image ( sickly thin no matter the body type or overweight as only options).
    And coffee is Just ridicolous-went to starbucks (we don’t have it here), al proud to tO try this greatness-and almost spot it out!!! It’s brown water!!!
    I carried my own instant coffee NeXT time i went.
    In conclusion, i’d rather pick my old, €-problematic, no starbucks and burger king(we have mcdonalds!), no 134568 tv stations (only 4) country.

  58. aang says:

    we love jamie oliver. the nasty chicken nugget thing from season one put my daughter off chicken nuggets for ever.

  59. KatScorp says:

    @55 EdithP:

    That’s the reason I couldn’t sit through the first episode I watched with Jamie Oliver; I swear that I saw spittle flying from his lower lip and spraying all over the food! It grossed me out and I haven’t watched a sigle JO TV show episode since.

  60. Mika says:

    Bedhead, you need to chill. Jamie Oliver taught me about food, and about how to cook and take care of myself… it took one cookbook. And yes, Americans do seem to be the only ones who hate him. Be it laziness or be it inflated pride, maybe Jamie wouldn’t sound so desperate if he received at least respect from Americans.

  61. Mitsey Martin says:

    I think what Jamie is trying to do for children is fantastic. When I was at school our school lunches were pretty healthy, now due to cost cutting and lack of facilities our children are eating crap during the day and in uneducated households where the parents cannot be arsed or don’t have the money to feed their children properly the children are eating poorly at night too. I think we will witness the health issues created through junk food in years to come.

  62. MNGIRL76 says:

    “I think what really happened here is that ABC and most of America want to avoid what they don’t want to hear.”

    TOTALLY agree! Yes, I am from Minnesota. So happy the farmers market just opened!

  63. petal blossom says:

    The problem is Jamie might be a little too late to wake up the people from the United States of Monsanto. Americans have been so undernourished and so overmedicated for such a long time now, that common sense eludes the common folk while greed has consumed the “government”. I am very fortunate to not be drowning in that toxic pool. Good luck Americans – you need it!!