After work today I watched the preview of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on Hulu. While I question the ability of reality TV to spur any sort of real change, I cannot help but cheer his cause. I see what our schoolchildren eat and it isn’t pretty. A tour of a school cafeteria during lunch period feels like Christmas morning. So many packages are ripped open and the wrappers fly. Yes, there are definitely families who know how to shop the periphery of the grocery store, but these, in my experience, are the minority. If you ever visited this blog before you know that I am passionate about food; my other passion is education. In the interest of allowing myself a personal life, I have tried to keep these somewhat separate. Perhaps that is unwise.

This has been a tough year for schools. Shrinking budgets have forced many schools to make painful cuts. Programs like health classes, family and consumer science, and even physical education have been on the chopping block. It’s hard to fight a revolution without soldiers. Perhaps we need to find away to integrate food education in non-traditional ways. I suspect simply modeling healthy eating choices could make an impact. The problem is super-sized and I can’t begin to pretend that I have the answers. I have heard many break-room discussions about The Bachelor and American Idol. If Food Revolution gets a real conversation happening, then that’s a step in the right direction.

Jamie, if you need a soldier, let me know. I wield a mighty veggie peeler.