Some of the comments on my review of the first episode kind of surprised me. Most of them hailed Jamie as Huntington’s savior and blasted the cooks and Rod Willis for giving him such a hard time. Some of them even attacked me for hailing Huntington and calling Central City Elementary cook Alice Gue my hero.I love your comments, so please keep them coming, but let me make a few more of my own…
First of all, let me say that I fully support what Jamie is trying to do. We all need to eat healthier, so I appreciate him wanting to start with kids.
Second of all, let me remind you that this is a TV show. So there is some dramatic license here as Rod is definitely playing up the animosity.
Third, let me say that Alice is still my hero. Yes, she gave Jamie attitude, but not because she doesn’t care about the kids eating healthy. She gave Jamie attitude because he came in and stuck his nose in the air to everything she and her colleagues were doing. And she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him. Watching for a second time her and her fellow cooks confronting Jamie about his comments to a London radio station just confirmed my original assessment.
Now to episode two…
Looking at it as just a television show, I thought this episode was a huge improvement over the first one. It was paced beautifully and there was a good mix of humor and drama.
The heart of the episode was the story of the Edwards family. Sensing that they had not been using his recipes, Jamie took the family to Cabell Huntington Hospital where the doctor told 6th grader Justin that he was showing the early signs of diabetes. The family anxiously waiting for Justin’s diabetes test results was milked for dramatic effect, but it certainly drove the point home for all of us. You couldn’t help but cheer for dad Tim when he vowed the whole family would change to help Justin.
I was also completely sucked into the drama of the discussion as to whether or not the elementary school kids should have knives. I’m honestly not sure where I come down on that one, but watching the kids scarily struggle to use them I can see the school’s argument.
Jamie’s struggles were illustrated humorously—and rather disgustingly—when he tried to gross the kids out of eating chicken nuggets. But he was completely defeated when the kids still wanted to eat them. So he wisely did a similar trick with the parents and they were justifiably horrified. Jamie made other progress with the school administrators, the cooks, the kids themselves, and even Rod—but just a little bit.
However, Jamie didn’t make any progress at all with Alice, who continued to hold her ground with him. I’m a little concerned, though, about her comment that she’s there for the money but she does care about the kids. I appreciate her candor, but I’m afraid that’s going to just give her detractors more ammunition against her.
Next week, Jamie goes to Huntington High School and from the previews it appears that things are about to get really interesting…
So what did you think about the episode? You can post your comments below. I can’t wait to read them…
Photo Credit: Holly Farrell/ABC
To me this is a terrific show and a brilliantly honest and respectful, positive reflection of the City of Huntington
ReplyDeleteFirst, Allison Gue to me is a very very caring brave, dignified and loving mom who is able to see that she is hurting her kids, as so many parents do, by not taking better care of herself. ... [more] Any addiction will do, it just the "want"of the parent over the needs of others Compulsive eating is just one of a million and most people do not face their moment of truth with one shred of the guts and intelligence, willingness to change and true love for her family as Allison shows.
Second, well i have immeasurable respect for the honesty of all the people and kudos to Jamie Oliver who is not trying to make the usual reality show based upon meanness and degradation, but a new concept in consciousness raising and REAL change making for helping people take back their lives and make them longer happier and healthier
I LOVED this show! my final rave is for our the principal at Central elementary, the lovely teachers especially i think her name is Mrs Buell of the vegetable names' learning kids, talk about teachable moments and turning on strengths from kids areas of needed improvement--and all the candid hardworking down to earth child loving cooks at the elementary school, and more than anyone our new Superintendent of Schools William Smith--that man is my new hero
In a system often rotten with hidden vice and political blackmailing and ll the trashy harmful cover-ups i have witnessed and been the victim of one major miscarriage of justice here in WV, here you have a Superintendent who hews by the old rules___stand up, stay straight and truthful and accountable, don't welch on what's wrong--fix it! and above all what a genuine and able team he assembled, including the gal with the responsibility for all the meals in Cabell County--such ability! such openness! such desire to address food problems (let us not forget undereating and anorexia in the young also a problem here as everywhere)--anyway--HATS OFF to Huntington, WV the beautiful caring City, home to the "shot heard round the world" in the food revolution to restore HEALTHY foods to our schools and precious children
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO JAMIE OLIVER FOR HIS GENEROUS SPIRIT AND SUPER CANDOR AND TERRIFIC HEALTH MOVEMENT