An Emmy for the best!

At the same time as we in Sweden are watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, on Kanal 5 Sunday nights, I got the news that Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution won an Emmy Award. On Twitter Jamie thanks all the hundreds of thousands people who signed the petition (also available to sign outside the US), and, check out text and picture here with his team.

Yeah! Go Jamie, go Jamie! Congratulations for an awesome effort and achievement! You're my Food Revolution Hero!

During yesterdays show (the 2nd one I think) when Jamie, all choked up, seriously thought they were messing with him, concerning the absence of knifes and forks in the school dining hall, I got a flashback from my time as an aupair in the US. At first though, I thought it had to do with security of some sort (after 9/11 a lot of things has, in my opinion, taken extreme and wierd manifestations), but then it hit me. The nine year old girl in the family where I worked, didn't know how to use a knife and fork. Several times I tried to teach her, but it was a futile effort. Especially those times when her dad took over and simply cut the chicken into pieces for her.
At that time, seventeen years ago, I didn't make the connection to the school but rather to her otherwise overweight and fast food eating family, which I was working for.

When they; the chefs/cooking ladies, the principal and some other very important people (don't remember who the were), all toghether convinced Jamie that that's the case - all children up to about ten years old in America are only offered a spoon to eat with at their school dining halls, I kind of felt the same way Jamie did. This can't be true (and I was kind of waiting for the Candid Camera...). The principal couldn't see any reason what so ever why small children should use knifes and forks. Niether did the cooking ladies. They're to small for that, They can't use it.
Oh, my... Ever heard about teaching and learning? About learning by doing? And this is what's referred to, way too often, the best country in the world!? This one I can't figure out.


Anyhow, I love Jamie for what he's doing and his commitment to helping other people to feel better. To be better. To do better. I definitely think he is geuinely and honest in his work and really wants to make a better world and a better future for our kids. I admire him for that.