The Food Revolution

There are very few shows that I find on TV that are thought-provoking (other than wondering, perhaps, how they've managed to survive on TV at all - can you say "How I Met Your Mother"?) until last Friday night, that is.
Friday night I tuned in to my very first episode of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" and, after just viewing two episodes, I'm totally hooked and can't wait until next Friday when I can watch it again.
Jamie Oliver is an English chef and restauranteur, sometimes known as "The Naked Chef" (not because he cooked naked but for the simplicity of his recipes and food ingredients), and is an advocate for changing the cooking habits and diets of people in the UK and now, in the United States. One of his pet causes is changing the food that is offered in school cafeterias in the UK from fast food to healthy, fresh and made from scratch menu items.
Jamie is bringing his food passion to the United States with his "Food Revolution." The show, which airs on ABC Friday night at 8 p.m., is about his efforts to change the way people eat and think about food in the town of Huntington, West Virginia.
So why Huntington? Huntington is known as the "Unhealthiest City in the Country" and more than half of its residents are obese. Huntington also leads in the number of people with diabetes and heart disease.
Jamie went to Huntington and set up "Jamie's Kitchen" in downtown Huntington, where people can come to learn more about food and healthy cooking. One of the most important aspects of his "Food Revolution" is bringing healthy change to the food offered in school cafeterias.
Of course, not everyone in Huntington shares his vision. School lunch ladies balk at his menus and say they are too labor intensive. School administrators, while they agree with his ideas, say his menus don't meet the state guidelines for school meals. Then there are the residents who are still trying to figure out what to make of this guy with the wacky ideas and the funny accent.
All in all, it makes for a great TV show and I can only hope that the Huntington residents wake up and listen to what Jamie is trying to tell them.
It's also inspired me to want to do some checking into exactly what it is my daughter is eating at the middle school every day. I ask her every day what she had for lunch and her answer is usually 'tacos, hot dogs, pizza'. I'm sure (or I hope) there are other options available to her...If not, maybe I'll be jumping on the "Food Revolution" bandwagon for Payette.