Jamie Oliver takes aim at 'fattest nation in the world'
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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1984456.ece
Jamie Oliver takes aim at 'fattest nation in the world'
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 15 November 2006
Jamie Oliver, the outspoken celebrity chef and scourge of every school cook in Britain, has taken his healthy-eating message to the United States. And true to form, he is not mincing his words when it comes to American children and their particular battle with obesity.
"A fat person in England isn't the same as a fat person in America," Oliver gamely asserted yesterday, taking time off from a packed schedule in New York promoting his two latest ventures - a book and a television series about cooking in Italy.
Apparently unconcerned with the sensibilities of his American hosts, Oliver ploughed forth suggesting that the US should follow the example of Britain, which, on his urging, has recently banned Turkey Twizzlers and other fatty delights from school cafeterias, replacing them with healthier options.
"England is the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," Oliver told a Reuters reporter. He nonetheless acknowledged that he did not expect to repeat his British campaign for healthier school food in America, noting that as an "English boy in America, they might not appreciate my honesty".
Not that Oliver is necessary wrong in his observations. The number of overweight Americans has tripled since 1980, according to new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the obesity rate among children and young people is expected to hit 20 per cent by the end of this decade.
If Oliver is afraid that Americans might take against him for his remarks, he doesn't show it. In recent days, he has been all over the television dial, putting the hosts of NBC's breakfast Today show through their culinary paces and making a guest appearance with Martha Stewart on her daily programme.
"Having a brilliant time in New York at the moment," he writes to fans in the latest instalment of a personal blog on his website. He also takes care to promote a couple of his favourite restaurants in Manhattan, including the British-themed Spotted Pig, the recent winner of a Michelin star.
But it is his own products that he is in town to sell. His book, Jamie's Italy, hit American bookshops earlier this month while the companion television show, Jamie Oliver's Great Italian Escape, will be broadcast to American audiences later this month.
New York, as it happens, has taken the lead among American cities to introduce legislation aimed at trimming the waistlines of its citizenry. A draft city ordinance championed by the city's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, would ban artificial trans-fats from almost all restaurants. Partly in response, one national fast-food chain, KFC, recently announced plans to drop all trans-fats.
Oliver, 31, hailed the move by Mr Bloomberg, arguing that the setting of government guidelines remains the best way to tackle the problem and persuade the fast-food companies to change their manufacturing habits.
His campaign in Britain became a reality for school canteens - and for millions of less-than-delighted children - only when the Government backed it with legislation.
"The junk food companies have got more resources than the government and more money to spend on poxy lawyers so I completely admire and condone the Mayor for doing it," he commented, adding, however, that most American politicians are "subservient" to "junk food companies". His presence in New York coincides with the opening tomorrow of Gordon Ramsay's first venture in America, The London restaurant, on West 54th Street. The blunt-speaking Ramsay is already a fixture in America thanks to his reality show, Hell's Kitchen, on Fox television.
Jamie Oliver, the outspoken celebrity chef and scourge of every school cook in Britain, has taken his healthy-eating message to the United States. And true to form, he is not mincing his words when it comes to American children and their particular battle with obesity.
"A fat person in England isn't the same as a fat person in America," Oliver gamely asserted yesterday, taking time off from a packed schedule in New York promoting his two latest ventures - a book and a television series about cooking in Italy.
Apparently unconcerned with the sensibilities of his American hosts, Oliver ploughed forth suggesting that the US should follow the example of Britain, which, on his urging, has recently banned Turkey Twizzlers and other fatty delights from school cafeterias, replacing them with healthier options.
"England is the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," Oliver told a Reuters reporter. He nonetheless acknowledged that he did not expect to repeat his British campaign for healthier school food in America, noting that as an "English boy in America, they might not appreciate my honesty".
Not that Oliver is necessary wrong in his observations. The number of overweight Americans has tripled since 1980, according to new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the obesity rate among children and young people is expected to hit 20 per cent by the end of this decade.
If Oliver is afraid that Americans might take against him for his remarks, he doesn't show it. In recent days, he has been all over the television dial, putting the hosts of NBC's breakfast Today show through their culinary paces and making a guest appearance with Martha Stewart on her daily programme.
"Having a brilliant time in New York at the moment," he writes to fans in the latest instalment of a personal blog on his website. He also takes care to promote a couple of his favourite restaurants in Manhattan, including the British-themed Spotted Pig, the recent winner of a Michelin star.
But it is his own products that he is in town to sell. His book, Jamie's Italy, hit American bookshops earlier this month while the companion television show, Jamie Oliver's Great Italian Escape, will be broadcast to American audiences later this month.
New York, as it happens, has taken the lead among American cities to introduce legislation aimed at trimming the waistlines of its citizenry. A draft city ordinance championed by the city's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, would ban artificial trans-fats from almost all restaurants. Partly in response, one national fast-food chain, KFC, recently announced plans to drop all trans-fats.
Oliver, 31, hailed the move by Mr Bloomberg, arguing that the setting of government guidelines remains the best way to tackle the problem and persuade the fast-food companies to change their manufacturing habits.
His campaign in Britain became a reality for school canteens - and for millions of less-than-delighted children - only when the Government backed it with legislation.
"The junk food companies have got more resources than the government and more money to spend on poxy lawyers so I completely admire and condone the Mayor for doing it," he commented, adding, however, that most American politicians are "subservient" to "junk food companies". His presence in New York coincides with the opening tomorrow of Gordon Ramsay's first venture in America, The London restaurant, on West 54th Street. The blunt-speaking Ramsay is already a fixture in America thanks to his reality show, Hell's Kitchen, on Fox television.
I think he's done well over here, and he's got the right idea.... but taking this hegemony to the states is a bit over-ambitious, don't you think?
Jamie Oliver takes aim at 'fattest nation in the world'
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 15 November 2006
Jamie Oliver, the outspoken celebrity chef and scourge of every school cook in Britain, has taken his healthy-eating message to the United States. And true to form, he is not mincing his words when it comes to American children and their particular battle with obesity.
"A fat person in England isn't the same as a fat person in America," Oliver gamely asserted yesterday, taking time off from a packed schedule in New York promoting his two latest ventures - a book and a television series about cooking in Italy.
Apparently unconcerned with the sensibilities of his American hosts, Oliver ploughed forth suggesting that the US should follow the example of Britain, which, on his urging, has recently banned Turkey Twizzlers and other fatty delights from school cafeterias, replacing them with healthier options.
"England is the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," Oliver told a Reuters reporter. He nonetheless acknowledged that he did not expect to repeat his British campaign for healthier school food in America, noting that as an "English boy in America, they might not appreciate my honesty".
Not that Oliver is necessary wrong in his observations. The number of overweight Americans has tripled since 1980, according to new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the obesity rate among children and young people is expected to hit 20 per cent by the end of this decade.
If Oliver is afraid that Americans might take against him for his remarks, he doesn't show it. In recent days, he has been all over the television dial, putting the hosts of NBC's breakfast Today show through their culinary paces and making a guest appearance with Martha Stewart on her daily programme.
"Having a brilliant time in New York at the moment," he writes to fans in the latest instalment of a personal blog on his website. He also takes care to promote a couple of his favourite restaurants in Manhattan, including the British-themed Spotted Pig, the recent winner of a Michelin star.
But it is his own products that he is in town to sell. His book, Jamie's Italy, hit American bookshops earlier this month while the companion television show, Jamie Oliver's Great Italian Escape, will be broadcast to American audiences later this month.
New York, as it happens, has taken the lead among American cities to introduce legislation aimed at trimming the waistlines of its citizenry. A draft city ordinance championed by the city's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, would ban artificial trans-fats from almost all restaurants. Partly in response, one national fast-food chain, KFC, recently announced plans to drop all trans-fats.
Oliver, 31, hailed the move by Mr Bloomberg, arguing that the setting of government guidelines remains the best way to tackle the problem and persuade the fast-food companies to change their manufacturing habits.
His campaign in Britain became a reality for school canteens - and for millions of less-than-delighted children - only when the Government backed it with legislation.
"The junk food companies have got more resources than the government and more money to spend on poxy lawyers so I completely admire and condone the Mayor for doing it," he commented, adding, however, that most American politicians are "subservient" to "junk food companies". His presence in New York coincides with the opening tomorrow of Gordon Ramsay's first venture in America, The London restaurant, on West 54th Street. The blunt-speaking Ramsay is already a fixture in America thanks to his reality show, Hell's Kitchen, on Fox television.
Jamie Oliver, the outspoken celebrity chef and scourge of every school cook in Britain, has taken his healthy-eating message to the United States. And true to form, he is not mincing his words when it comes to American children and their particular battle with obesity.
"A fat person in England isn't the same as a fat person in America," Oliver gamely asserted yesterday, taking time off from a packed schedule in New York promoting his two latest ventures - a book and a television series about cooking in Italy.
Apparently unconcerned with the sensibilities of his American hosts, Oliver ploughed forth suggesting that the US should follow the example of Britain, which, on his urging, has recently banned Turkey Twizzlers and other fatty delights from school cafeterias, replacing them with healthier options.
"England is the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," Oliver told a Reuters reporter. He nonetheless acknowledged that he did not expect to repeat his British campaign for healthier school food in America, noting that as an "English boy in America, they might not appreciate my honesty".
Not that Oliver is necessary wrong in his observations. The number of overweight Americans has tripled since 1980, according to new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the obesity rate among children and young people is expected to hit 20 per cent by the end of this decade.
If Oliver is afraid that Americans might take against him for his remarks, he doesn't show it. In recent days, he has been all over the television dial, putting the hosts of NBC's breakfast Today show through their culinary paces and making a guest appearance with Martha Stewart on her daily programme.
"Having a brilliant time in New York at the moment," he writes to fans in the latest instalment of a personal blog on his website. He also takes care to promote a couple of his favourite restaurants in Manhattan, including the British-themed Spotted Pig, the recent winner of a Michelin star.
But it is his own products that he is in town to sell. His book, Jamie's Italy, hit American bookshops earlier this month while the companion television show, Jamie Oliver's Great Italian Escape, will be broadcast to American audiences later this month.
New York, as it happens, has taken the lead among American cities to introduce legislation aimed at trimming the waistlines of its citizenry. A draft city ordinance championed by the city's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, would ban artificial trans-fats from almost all restaurants. Partly in response, one national fast-food chain, KFC, recently announced plans to drop all trans-fats.
Oliver, 31, hailed the move by Mr Bloomberg, arguing that the setting of government guidelines remains the best way to tackle the problem and persuade the fast-food companies to change their manufacturing habits.
His campaign in Britain became a reality for school canteens - and for millions of less-than-delighted children - only when the Government backed it with legislation.
"The junk food companies have got more resources than the government and more money to spend on poxy lawyers so I completely admire and condone the Mayor for doing it," he commented, adding, however, that most American politicians are "subservient" to "junk food companies". His presence in New York coincides with the opening tomorrow of Gordon Ramsay's first venture in America, The London restaurant, on West 54th Street. The blunt-speaking Ramsay is already a fixture in America thanks to his reality show, Hell's Kitchen, on Fox television.
I think he's done well over here, and he's got the right idea.... but taking this hegemony to the states is a bit over-ambitious, don't you think?
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I sure do love watching human whales waddling down the street, with Double Whopper fillings hanging out of their gobs. It makes me realise that all of the human struggles across the ages - both intellectual and spiritual - and the rise and fall of civilizations, were not made in vain.
have you been to mississippi, houston, or detroit?
I've been to Mississipi and Houston. But that's irrelevant. I mentioned those places because they have all at some point been given the accolade of 'fattest city' - i.e, highest number of obese people in the States. (Not that Mississipi is a town, but i saw it mentioned in that regard somewhere or other).
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
obesity is a problem in the US, no question. Clinton is trying to get kids to eat healthier at schools. thats where this problem needs to be addressed. but I like the naked chef. kudos to him, I hope he makes a difference.
Walk more! :cool:
People don't walk in the States. Every fucker drives. You even have to drive to the bar to get drunk before driving home again. Everything is so far apart. I suggest knocking down the Midwest and transporting all the buildings to the East and West coasts and condensing the towns and cities there, so that everything becomes nearer and within walking distance. Give the land in between back to the Indians.
Discuss.... :cool:
Wasn't he also pissing in the wind when he started the campaign in English schools? Even if he doesn't manage to change something, it might be entertaining.
They love you so badly for sharing their sorrow, so pick up that guitar and go break a heart - Kris Kristofferson
I sold my car when I moved back home from college. People who live in Chicago and New York walk or take cabs. maybe some other downtown areas are similar but not that I have seen.
you are very right however. LA, for example, everyone drives. Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, SF, and all cities inbetween, drive. Chicago and New York are the exception because these cities thrived long before cars exsisted.
True.
Also, I wonder why Sumo wrestling has never taken off in America?
exactly, i agree we should walk more, we should exercise more, not cut PE programs from the schools, try some preventative medicine for once...give vouchers, discount health insurance for health clubs, fitness classes etc... But the US has such a reactionary philosophy with everything this will never happen. Look at education, we have no plan, we just realize that other countries score higher in math and science; so we must now emphasize math and science...other countries score higher in english so now we must try to score higher in those areas. Look at medicine. You only get discounts or help with paying if you become sick. There is no fiscal insentive to stay healthy; which, sad as it is, is what most people need as motivation.
Yeah, New York's a walkers place, and so is San Francisco. I walked from Van Ness up to Market street and Height Ashbury without even thinking about it, although some people were amazed at that. I think it's about a 1 hour walk or something. L.A's somewhere where everyone drives, and the same in Florida.
Maybe you could pitch that idea to a US TV network. 'Sumo wrestling with the stars' might start a new trend.
They love you so badly for sharing their sorrow, so pick up that guitar and go break a heart - Kris Kristofferson
This is so true, well I haven't been to England lately but replace England with Europe and it's very accurate.
People don't walk, seriously. When I was in NYC and we asked directions to a certain place people always said "Just take the E (or the F or whatever...)" and when we said, but we want to walk... most of the time people said "but that's like 6 blocks."
You should have seen some people's faces when we said were had been walking all day, or even when we said we walked three miles, people looked at us in disbelief.
Unhealthy food is one thing, but I think laziness is a huge problem as well.
naděje umírá poslední
There you go!
It could be a hit! I don't know any stars that would wanna get squashed by a 30 stone blob though. Except maybe Pavarotti, or Michael Moore. Although the Jackass crew would probably be up for it.Stick em in a cage, run some crazy Hillbilly music, and....ACTION!!
Thanks! Wow, they look like entrails. LOL. I'm guessing they taste better than they look. Can't be any worse than chitlins, haggis or menudo I suppose.
Yeah yeah keep talkin' Byrnzie. I've tried your "English Breakfast". The only reason Americans are fatter than the British is that our food tastes better!
You may have a point there. I was over last year and went to one of your 'Ryans' joints. I felt like I'd died and gone to food heaven. $10 for all you can eat. I remember giggling like a schoolboy and bouncing up and down with excitement. There's no question that if I lived in the States I'd be 40 stone by now.
That could be because everyone here is in a hurry and doesn't have time to walk further distances (especially crosstown blocks)
I'm sure some are lazy but when I have time, like on the weekends, I walk instead of taking the subway. It's not uncommon for me to walk 60 blocks to get to a certain place and back. I'm certainly not alone though. Most people walk a shitload here.
cross the river to the eastside
Yeah, could be... but I still had the impression many Americans were lazy.
NYC is a wonderful place to walk, well not if you're in a hurry like you said.
naděje umírá poslední
i think it's a per capita measure...but, anyway...it's about personal responsibility once you're an adult, but schools do need to do something about the meals they offer and the offerings in vending machines...and parents need to take charge too...dammit!
from my window to yours
Every country has its vice..ours is eating while many other countries have high cigarette use.
Because of the things they said, their reactions and actions.
naděje umírá poslední
By asking a few people in NYC for directions you've come up with the generalization that most americans are lazy...lol good one.