“The more we care about what we eat, the better for us, our families and the country.”
Who is Jamie Oliver anyway? Well, if you like food and enjoy cooking shows, you’ll know that he’s a phenomenon in the world of food. Jamie is “one of Britain’s most famous exports,” and you may have heard of the television series The Naked Chef (BBC), a huge success around the world.
Jamie is one of those Gutsy people who followed his passion at a young age. If you’ve watched him on TV, you can’t help but be charmed by his enthusiasm for food, cooking, and educating all of us, especially children about the importance of eating healthy.
“My biggest passion has been, and remains, food education.”
From what I’ve read about Jamie, he has a very close relationship with his parents and I admire them for letting him follow his passion at a young age. Jamie quit school at 16 and started his training at Westminster Catering College. He has inspired people to spend more time enjoying being in the kitchen, and even start growing their own food.
“I was lucky enough to be brought up by parents who placed a lot of importance on traditional values and sharing those life skills.”
Jamie believes in the importance of having family dinners and I completely agree with him. He says he’s shocked by how many families don’t even have a dinner table. He wants to change this and claims that:
“Carving out the time at least once a week to cook a meal and sit down around the table with your family has endless benefits, even in modern-day life.”
It’s a wonderful opportunity to share and I admit that our meals around a dinner table when my sons were all home, especially when we lived in Belize, and didn’t have TV, resulted in some wonderful memories.
“Being knowledgeable about where food comes from and how it affects your body is one of the most important life skills we can teach them.”
During his trips around the world, Jamie says there are many people who have no clue where their food comes from. I remember when he spoke to some children at a school in New York who had no idea that french fries came from a potato, and who didn’t know what an apple or a potato looked like.
“With so many parents working today, it’s easy to grab ready-made pre-packaged meals that are not good for our bodies, nutritionally.”
That’s why Jamie is on a mission to ensure that every 16-year-old knows about food and can turn a pile of ingredients into a delicious meal. Jamie is optimistic however, and claims there is a growth in real foodies, both young and old, who shop at farmers’ markets and are passionate about fresh ingredients. There are some positive changes in Britain, where McDonald’s is only selling free-range eggs and organic milk in an effort to support British producers. I did a Google search on McDonald’s in the U.S, and whether they also serve organic eggs and milk, and nothing popped up. Jamie says:
“These companies aren’t necessarily doing these things in other countries, they’re doing them here, for us – because British consumers have become more educated and are demanding it.”
Imagine my excitement to see Jamie mention the importance of ” an individual or a family that have the guts to travel halfway round the world, set up a new life and make a go of it.”
So what does this have to do with food?
“Everything.”
Everything we eat today can be traced back in history, either through invasion, exploration, colonization and immigration.
I remember reading that even Queen Elizabeth, when she visited Belize, tasted Gibnut and thought it tasted just like chicken.
The whole concept of a pie originated in Egypt and was brought to us by the Romans via the Greeks. Burgers come from America via Germany through Russia.
Do you cook from scratch? Do you enjoy cooking or do you buy mostly pre-packaged food? What about organic products?
I adore Jamie Oliver! Loved his program in the U.S. as he tried to educate the fattest city (Huntington W.V.) and get their kids healthier. He’s a genius at getting to the heart of the matter.
We always had dinner together as a family and I believe it’s just as important today. I love to cook and go out of my way to make ‘real’ food.
Do you like to cook Sonia? And what is that odd little rat creature? Did you eat it?
b
Barbara,
I cook every night from scratch. yes, I have been brainwashed by my Danish mother and living in France, by the French who buy fresh ingredients daily. I’m on my way to Trader Joe’s and my oldest son, 23, loves to experiment with new recipes. he’s right next to me now asking how I’m going to cook the trip-tip tonight.
Glad to hear you’re the same.
Jamie Oliver is a hero in so many ways… especially in the way he tries to revolutionize school food!
I do cook mainly from scratch – but buy in soya sausages as these are too hard to make.
Lady Fi recently posted..September daze
I agree with you. Improving school food seems to be one of his main passions.
I like that he is so passionate about what he is doing!
Ola recently posted..Szkoląc się u mistrza Schellera/Training ourselves at Scheller Academy
Do you see him on TV in Poland?
Unfortunately no Jamie Oliver here in Moldova, but I have his cookbooks. I only cook from scratch. Having lived in third-world countries for many years, I often had no choice because in the earlier years there were very few processed foods except maybe a jar of jam or instant coffee. Now even in many poor places there are fabulous supermarkets for the rich loclas and foreign expats, but I still only cook from scratch. All I have to do is read the label on a box or can and I lose my appetite 😉
I love the beauty of food — the colors, the textures. I love cruising through open markets and souks and see the piles of colorful spices and nuts and dried beans, the heaps of beautiful vegetables and fruits. Why would I eat processed, adulterated stuff out of a box or can? Convenience is not enough of an incentive for me.
Having said all that, I do realize that if you grow up with processed convenience food and junk food, it may well be hard to learn to appreciate and love the real deal.
Miss Footloose | Life in the Expat Lane recently posted..Expat Adventure: Dancing with the Gypsies
Miss Footloose,
I know you’re from Europe and like me, were raised to eat real meals and not “fast food.” Sorry if others are offended, but I am opposed to fast food, even if it’s convenient because I think it’s laziness. I wake up early to prepare my own salad or sandwich, rather than buy something greasy. I feel sorry for those who have not been raised with healthier choices, which do taste so much better.
Interesting food for thought, Sonia. (I suppose there’s a pun in there.)
More and more in our two-person household we cook from fresh ingredients, or as fresh as we can get. But conscious food-consuming tends to be a bit time-consuming as well. If one is going to do that, one needs to be able to relax a bit. And relaxing, . . . many people wonder what that is. (LOL)
Rob-bear recently posted..THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT
Rob-bear,
You can relax and eat cheese, fresh grainy bread, fruits, and wine. Depends what a hibernating bear likes.
This was a really interesting post – as ever, Sonia! I admire Jamie Oliver, a real self-made man.
I don’t enjoy cooking as much as I used to and I’d be happy to live out of tins. Shameful but true! However, I enjoy cooking with all the free food we glean from the hedgerows during autumn in France – apples, pears, quinces, medlars, walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts … we’re very spoilt.
Stephanie recently posted..Messing with Medlars
Stephanie,
Don’t you have chickens on your farm? I don’t know what medlars are. need to Google them.
I know you must eat very fresh and healthy foods in France.
I fully subcribe to Jamie Oliver’s food and lifestyle precepts. While my kids were growing up, I cooked meals from scratch. I would buy produce, eggs, chicken, meat at outdoor or farmers’ markets in Mexico (probably similar to Belize in that way). I cooked our meals even though I worked full-time, either on the weekend or at night. I was very fortunate to have the kind of job that enabled me to go home most days to eat with my kids. We often had people come to eat with us as I loved trying out recipes from Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. I cooked out of love and more than a hobby, cooking was all absorbing. After I stopped working, I had a catering business for five years. Unfortunately, that ruined cooking for me. Too much of a good thing. Now I rarely cook, but people still tell me that the best dish/meal they ever ate was one I prepared. And both of my sons turned out to be excellent cooks themselves.
Penelope J. recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
Wonderful Pennie. Did you cook many Mexican dishes? I am lousy at Mexican food.
Yes, traditional Mexican. Learned the old recipes from scratch. Specialty: stuffed chilies in white nut sauce with pomegranate seeds – 32 ingredients. Also, French gourmet and Mexican nouvelle – mixture of Mexican and European flavors/dishes. Have almost given up these days.
Penelope J. recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
I spent Thursday and Friday at Fremont Elementary school in Long Beach where, for the 13th year Chef Paul Buchanan (Primal Alchemy Catering), presented the American Institute of Wine and Food program for fourth and fifth-grade Title I children called Days of Taste. http://www.aiwf.org . The goal of the program is to make eating food an experience rather than a function. In doing aso, we bring out a sense of family and cilture that many have never experienced. Nice post! BTW we’ll be doing on in Lake Forest after the first of the year. Want to help?
Dee FitzGerald recently posted..Inheritance
I am interested as I lived in Paris where the French know how to enjoy a meal and conversation rather than simply eat for the sake of eating. How did you get involved with this program? Sounds very interesting.
oops! Culture…and doing one not doing on. Sorry!
Dee FitzGerald recently posted..Inheritance
Dee,
Which school in Lake Forest?