TIL Tuesday: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

Are you watching this show yet?

I mentioned Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution last week – I saw the premiere episode Sunday evening and watched that same episode AGAIN Friday night, followed by a new hour of the series. And yeah, I’m pretty much hooked.

I love the idea – the concept – and I love thinking of what the end result could be if he is successful in revolutionizing the way we eat – even if only at the school level. I’ve watched in awe as Jamie has made efforts to make positive changes in the menu of this West Virginia elementary school, only to be met with steely-faced mean-spirited opposition from the lunch lady crew. Those same people, of course, are afraid they’re going to look bad on television – yet seem to revel in smug glee whenever Jamie hits a stumbling block in his challenge.

Why are they so resistant? Set in their ways? They just don’t like this stranger butting in? The cooks were so giddy when Jamie’s menu doesn’t meet the “two starch” requirement and I was boggled – TWO starches? Because we’re concerned that our kids don’t consume QUITE ENOUGH carbs?

I realize there are other factors in play – that there are government regulations on the nutrition content of school meals (and I don’t have stats or specifics on it – mainly because I’m just too lazy to Google it). I know those nutrition guidelines are based in some sort of reason – a common theory I’ve heard is that for many kids, that may be their only real meal they get each day. But there is a difference between having a real NOURISHING meal and having miscellaneous chicken parts all ground up together and squashed into a deep fried nugget and served to children (and when I saw Jamie do this on Friday night’s show, I literally cringed).

Jamie Oliver could easily be condescending – to the employees of the school, to the children and to the families he works with – but yet, he remains focused on the goal to promote better eating. HEALTHIER eating.

Are you watching this? Have you gotten sucked in too? What are school lunches like in your neck of the woods? Have you signed Jamie’s petition?

No one asked me or paid me to talk about this show. Just a fan. A very enthusiastic, nerdy fan.

Thursday Ten: New Strings Edition

1. My guitar has new strings. I was lazy and I just had the music store put them on – it took them four days and the cost? Excessive for strings (my teacher’s eyes bugged out real big when I showed her the receipt). Yes, lesson learned – I’ll do it myself next time. But wow, my strings DO sound great.

2. Began working on two songs today – Jack Johnson’s “Sittin’ Waitin’ Wishing” (for its use of bar, major, minor, and seventh chords) and “Falling Slowly” because it’s one of my favorite songs of all time. I was one of the few who wasn’t totally enamored by the movie “Once” – but I sure do love this song.

3. Did y’all watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on Sunday night? What did you think? I was STUNNED. I guess not entirely surprised – but yeah, stunned. Expect more from me about this topic. The next episode airs on Friday night. Watch it, and we’ll talk about it next week. {Also, I really hope the lunch ladies/cooks at my daughter’s school aren’t that cranky!}

4. Thank you so much to everyone who gave me feedback about The Princess and things I could do moving forward in absence of a gifted program in her school. Good news – we do have an appointment with her principal to sit down and talk about how we can keep her challenged in third grade and beyond — as well as pairing her with a teacher who doesn’t mind doing the extra work to keep her loving education.

5. That wasn’t the ONLY parent-teacher conference for the week. Oh yeah. Yesterday was my first conference with Pumpkin’s new preschool and I was pleasantly surprised. I think what surprised me most was how social my daughter is – not to the extent where the teacher says she’s a chatterbox – but that she’s friendly with all the kids. The teacher said, “You’d never know she hasn’t been here since September. She just found her place here.” Awesome.

6. Last week I had lots of extra fun social stuff planned – including dinner out with a former coworker/friend and my good friend. TWO NIGHTS OUT. That also means two meals I got to eat that weren’t cooked by yours truly. You can see, I’m sure, why I am mourning last week a lil bit, right? Tonight I’ll be cooking Cuban black beans and rice which means that I fully anticipate getting to hear from my children what a rotten cook I am. It’s inspiring, really.

7. I caved in to the inexplicable urge I had to buy matching dresses for my daughters so they can dress alike for fun spring pictures on the beach. Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking either but I think it will be cute. I also think they’ll hate me for this in ten years.

8. In just over 70 days, I’ll be walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer – I’m VERY excited. I’m also hoping that it doesn’t rain. Rain would be bad.

9. American Idol this week… So… They could choose from Billboard Top 100s and they all chose crap songs? What was THAT all about? You have all that amazing music at your disposal and whut? Not impressed. At this point, I have no favorites – but several people who annoy me severely (Didi, I’m talkin’ to you).

10. According to the preschool’s calendar, Saturday is Photography Day. I plan to celebrate by taking some pictures (DUH). MAAAAAAAAAYBE I should celebrate by asking the Photography Elves to leave a new camera for me. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were really Photography Elves?