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Created on: April 10, 2010
Jamie Oliver's controversial show 'Food Revolution' made headlines last week when he was told "French-fries count as a vegetable" by a lunch worker at the Huntington school where he was preparing a meal. Battling federal and state mandates about what constitutes an acceptable diet along with deep seated bad eating habits, Jamie is attempting to bring a healthier lifestyle to the West Virginia town - one home cooked meal at a time.
On the last episode, Jamie made a "gentleman's bet" with a skeptical town DJ that he could teach 1,000 residents of America's statistically most overweight city to cook in just one week. This episode began with Jamie struggling to keep up with a dance choreographer then heading out to whip up interest in a massive 'cook-a-thon'.
Things started off with a 'flash mob'. A crowd quickly gathered as Oliver's newly recruited high school kids from the previous week shimmied to the beat, and Jamie commented ruefully, "I'm a 'non-dancer'… I don't want to be in this - I want to watch it! To see the future generation in dance, cooking, having a laugh… it's the coolest thing I've ever done! … Wicked."
With only four days to get a thousand people into chef hats, Jamie started the cook-a-thon in the middle of the street outside his shop. The first entrée: a stir fry with plenty of ginger ("It improves your hair, your health, your happiness… it makes your sex life better - yeah, Mother!" Jamie said, laughing).
All sorts of people showed up - businessmen, builders, firefighters, politicians, students and single moms. "You're buying me that beer, Rod!" Jamie laughed at the DJ, who stopped by and gaped at the crowd. "It was epic! We had everyone - mums, rockers, foxy chicks - I love it!" said Jamie.
The next day's game plan - beef and noodles with a crowd of steel benders, who presented Jamie with an American flag hardhat. Jamie was completely chuffed, but the DJ continued to jibe on air - "We've got better things to do than learn recipes! One person can't change West Virginia. I'm sick of talking about Jamie Oliver, sick of talking about lettuce, sick of the whole d* thing… I wish Jamie Oliver would go back across the pond."
Unfazed, Jamie plowed ahead, trying to reach his goal of posting 1,000 photos of people holding dishes they had cooked on his wall of proof. The next to last day arrived, and Oliver was stuck at 700. Jamie wouldn't give up, however, and laid a plan to get Rod to recruit cooks for him! "He's
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Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: April 9 2010
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