Jamie Oliver starts ‘Food Revolution’

Since the rise of reality television, viewers have been fascinated by watching their fellow Americans eat, cook, and occasionally lose weight. In a similar vein, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” a six-part series that airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on ABC, follows renowned British chef Jamie Oliver as he attempts to change the eating habits of Huntington, W.Va.—the most obese city in America.

Due to the dire nature of Huntington’s diet problems as highlighted in the episodes, the show centers on exploring Oliver’s relationship with the town’s residents rather than providing healthy eating tips to the average viewer. Nonetheless, the overarching plea to eat fresh food is one not to be taken lightly by college students.

While “Food Revolution” gives viewers the basic tools to create healthy meals, it can often be hard to successfully execute the lessons without Oliver’s affectionate encouragement of “That’s it, brother.”

Though most Columbians are fortunately not in the same situation as the West Virginians who tell tear-jerking stories about relatives lost to obesity, students continue to battle the same issues that Oliver tackles throughout the series. Budget constraints, lack of time, and those nagging cravings for fat-filled snacks can make it just as difficult for students to stick to a healthy meal plan.

Dan Iter, CC ’11, admitted that fast food holds little appeal for him, but “being a full-time college student can be super time-consuming, and starving is absolutely not an option.” Instead, Iter and other students buy pre-made or packaged meals to cut down on time, even though they may not be as healthy.

Many students do try to make their own meals, but Iter added that—good intentions aside—trying to cook at home doesn’t always work out as planned. “I have seen many of my friends try to stick to eating in, but due to time and money constraints, have had to survive on absolutely subpar meals,” he said.

Amanda Schiff, CC ’12, agreed that students’ meals suffer from lack of time and resources. “It is definitely a challenge to cook on a small budget, especially in a floor kitchen,” she said. Schiff, who still cooks with her friends several times a week, also said, “We always consider the nutritional value of our meal while still trying to make it delicious.” This sounds like a mantra straight out of Jamie Oliver’s book.

The options for students on the meal plan aren’t necessarily that healthy or enticing either. Oliver’s first mission is to change the menus at public schools, beginning with those in Huntington. School meals are blamed for America’s growing obesity, an epidemic that Oliver hopes to counteract. The same unhealthy food trends seen in many public schools are carried on at some colleges, even on the Columbia campus at Hewitt and John Jay dining halls.

“I can’t stand the food at Hewitt,” Maddie Scott, BC ’13, said. “At breakfast they’ll serve tater tots, bacon or sausage, pancakes or waffles, and eggs. That’s fat, starch, and carbs all rolled into one—a lethal combo. The only redeeming quality are the eggs. Plus, you can tell that most of the food was frozen.” With the freshman 15 rapidly becoming the freshman 20, perhaps it’s time for Barnard and Columbia to rethink the food that they’re serving.

Jamie Oliver is certainly transforming Huntington with his free cooking lessons and revamped school lunch menus, but until he reaches the Upper West Side, Columbia students are on their own to make healthy choices.