McNugget Backlash: Is Fast Food on the Run from Jamie Oliver?

[n2doc]

By SARAH GILBERT
Posted 9:00 AM 04/08/10 McDonald's
The experiment that TV chef and raconteur Jamie Oliver says "always works" to turn kids off processed food failed in Huntington, W.Va., where the obesity rate is above the national average.

When he showed children how chicken nuggets are made -- grinding up the least desirable parts of a bird, gloppily straining out the bones, and adding flavorings and fillers -- he expected them to refuse to eat them. Instead, after having cried "ewww!" and "gross!" they each asked for a patty, answering his bewilderment with: "We're hungry!"

While the stunt missed the mark on his Food Revolution TV show, it hit home for many kids and parents. One blog post on the topic , in which the author said her kids had watched and decided never to eat a chicken nugget again, was still the most popular post on the site days later.

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http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/mcnugget-backlash-with-jamie-oliver-is-fast-food-on-the-run/19423410/#

[CurtEastPoint]

1. I have watched all episodes thus far and while kinda 'reality TV'-like, Jamie delivers a ...

powerful message about the shit we eat and I hope his Revolution takes over!

I feel sorry for the kids who are served this 'USDA approved' swill. I hope Michelle O can impress on the USDA what real food is like and what school kids should be eating. Meat, veg, fruit, whole grains, PLAIN milk... not fries, pizza, jello, nuggets.

Adults can choose what they eat...kids..not so much.

[lonestarnot]

2. Lil Ronnie Raygun said yesterday that S. McMoose was one mcnugget short of a happy meal.

I love lil Ronnie. Maybe pigliCONs are making up for the shortage on our kids.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. I can barely decipher any part of your post.

Would you mind re-posting it in something that resembles a language? Thanks.

[lonestarnot]

4. Was I talking to you?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. You posted to a message board, so you were talking to anyone reading it.

PM someone next time if you demand privacy.

[lonestarnot]

6. Get out. I was addressing OP and he knows what I'm talking about.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Make me. (nt)

[lonestarnot]

8. ditto.

[underseasurveyor]

25. I understood what you said no problem

Obviously many others got it too. :toast:

[lonestarnot]

30. Tee hee!

:toast:

[iris27]

40. Yeah, I didn't get it either until someone else explained further down. You're not alone.

Who the hell can keep up with all the nicknames? Apparently not me. The first time I saw someone use Chimpy McCokespoon on here, I was completely lost.

[MadBadger]

9. Can somebody say rude?

[Javaman]

12. I know, what was that all about?

talk about a left field insult.

:shrug:

[lonestarnot]

31. I love DUers! They always got your back!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. Can you translate that? (nt)

[MadBadger]

14. Ron Reagan Jr talking about Sarah Palin

And there is a way to respond without the whole, "Try speaking in a language any of us could understand" thing. Cuz that comes off as very rude.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. I find it rather entertaining that you're telling me not to be rude...

when I'm asking someone to decipher their own post which does nothing but use some kind of crude, offensive shorthand (deserving targets as they might be). Honestly, when there are more words in "code" than there are "normal" words, there's a problem, and no amount of civility on my end is going to change that.

[Toucano]

19. Let it go. They're like adolescents with these nicknames and acronyms that change every week.

It makes them feel special in a world where they have little power, influence, or individuality.

The idea being communicated is only about 5% of the message anyway.

[lonestarnot]

32. Do you fish?

[EOTE]

20. I didn't find it all that hard to decipher.

Ron Reagan said that Sarah Palin is a few mcnuggets shy of a happy meal. Or Ron Reagan said that Sarah Palin isn't too bright. Just because you can't decipher something, don't think that everyone else can't.

[shanti]

22. thank you.

[lonestarnot]

33. Thanks for taking care of that while I was away!

:pals:

[EOTE]

38. Any time. What ever happened to civility?

:pals:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

43. Yeah, because nothing says civility like calling someone "S.McMoose", right?

:eyes: Or is there a sliding bar for who gets "civilized" treatment and who doesn't? Do you not see any hypocrisy here whatsoever?

[EOTE]

49. I have no desire to be civil towards Sarah Palin.

She's earned every bit of my scorn and then some. If you can't see that, I'm afraid I can't help you. However, there's no reason not to be civil with each other as we're all working towards mostly same goals and we're part of a discussion forum. If you think that's hypocrisy, I don't think you know what the word means.

[iris27]

50. Better S.McMoose than Caribou Barbie or Bible Spice.

:eyes: I get just as tired of sexism from the left as I do from the right. (Not directed at you, obviously, just DU in general.)

[muriel_volestrangler]

45. Perhaps the problem was the off-topic nature of your comment

You fastened on to one word of the OP and then took it off on a tangent nothing to do with Jamie Oliver, children or food. Combine that with 3 nicknames, and a phrase I still can't understand ("making up for the shortage on our kids" - is this some reference to "I know how hard it is to put food on your family"? Even if it is, I can't see what shortage you're talking about), and it's easy to see why some people asked for a translation.

[AngryAmish]

10. no

[jmowreader]

11. Once again, that's not how chicken nuggets are made here. Even Oliver agrees.

Someone needs to show this man a can of Campbell's soup. The "least desirable parts of a bird" are HIGHLY desirable to someone who's going to throw them in water, add seasonings and simmer for three or four days, like a soup company does.

[Toucano]

17. Right.

That was not appropriate.

And it leaves the questions, "Where are they made like that? India?"

I mean c'mon.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. The product in Britain was the 'Turkey Twizzler'

What's in a Turkey Twizzler

Ingredients:

Turkey (34%),
Water,
Pork fat,
Rusk,
Coating (sugar, rusk, tomato powder, wheat starch, dextrose, salt, wheat flour, potassium chloride, hydrogenated vegetable oil, citric acid, spices, onion powder, malt extract, smoke flavourings, garlic powder, colour , mustard flour, permitted sweetener , herb, spice extracts, herb extracts),
Vegetable oil,
Turkey skin,
Salt,
Wheat flour,
Dextrose,
Stabiliser (E450),
Mustard,
Yeast extract,
Antioxidants (E304, E307, E330, E300),
Herb extract,
Spice extract,
Colour (E162).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/mar/23/broadcasting1

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has put the spotlight on a long-kept secret - that the food most schools provide for their students is dreadful, with the Turkey Twizzler being held up as a symbol of all that is wrong with the lunches. One nutritionist described a Twizzler as "full of mechanically reclaimed turkey, every part of the bird you wouldn't eat if you knew what it was." It has been described as resembling "the innersole of a shoe, so untextured and so tasteless that without a good deal of additives it would taste of nothing and would fall apart at the first touch."

By the time Oliver began filming a TV series on England's school kitchens, the government allowance for a child's lunch was less than half of what was spent on a prisoner's meal and less than half of what France and Italy spend on feeding their children.

How did things get so bad?

Like school foods in the U.S., British school food programs started out with the best of intentions. England began a school lunch program in 1906. Years later the National Health Service promoted nutritious food for mothers and infants by providing free milk, orange juice and cod liver oil. School foods were required to follow strict nutritional standards. When the Thatcher government came to power in the late 1970s, these programs were the victims of cost-cutting. The changes were hailed under the slogans of "parental choice" and "no nanny state." The government began awarding contracts to the lowest bidder, and traditional foods were replaced by Twizzlers, sugary drinks, fries and chocolate bars. (Scotland, however, banned Twizzlers years ago.)

http://www.feingold.org/PF/turkeytwizzler.html

Wikipedia says the Bernard Matthews company did withdraw the product from sale later that year, though I can't find any new story to confirm that.

[Toucano]

35. Thanks. n/t

[EOTE]

21. Yeah, I was under the impression that they used a water pick in order to get the last meat out.

Seems a whole lot less disgusting than throwing the carcass in, bones, gristle and all. Having said that, chicken nuggets typically are rather bad tasting and bad for you. I greatly respect what Jamie Oliver is doing and I hope he can manage to keep his head up as he's got a rather uphill battle on his hands.

[WolverineDG]

24. Soooo, how do you think they make stock for chicken soup?

(although you are supposed to filter out what's left of the carcass after you boil the good stuff out of it)

dg

[EOTE]

28. I've made chicken stock before.

And beef stock for that matter. Neither was anywhere near as disgusting as that demonstration that Jamie Oliver put on.

[jmowreader]

37. The demonstration was intended to be disgusting

I would LOVE for him to give it to me in person.

"Would you eat that?"
'No, because I'm not really all that into fake food. But I'll tell you what I WOULD eat. Throw me that bowl of chicken skin, would you?'

I would dump the chicken skin on the table. A few minutes sorting would pick out the largest dozen pieces. Mix together a half-cup of flour, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a combination of spices including red pepper and garlic powder.

Next, I'd commandeer Mr. Oliver's food processor. Take two or three whole chipotles (a "chipotle" is a smoked jalapeno pepper) and cut them in half. Remove the seeds and scrape the meat off the skin, then throw it in the food processor. Throw a clove of garlic in, plus a few other well-chosen spices, and finally a cup of good mayo. If you can make it yourself with one-third olive oil (don't go any higher than that or the mayo comes out a funny color) that's the best thing. Process for a couple of minutes.

With sauce in hand, dredge the chicken skin in the flour mixture, then deep fry it for maybe a minute, if that. Drain the skin. While it's still piping hot, arrange it around the dipping sauce and send it to the table.

"Not only would I eat that, everyone who's ever walked into a bar would eat that. If you thought chicken WINGS were hot, wait till you get rid of the rather flavorless meat. Call it Chicken Rinds. Six months after Chicken Rinds hit the street, all chicken will be sold skinless--not because skinless chicken is healthier, even though it is, but because the skin will sell for more than the carcass'

[EOTE]

39. I'm quite sure it was intended to be disgusting.

But if it's not also accurate, that takes away a lot of the impact of what is otherwise a very well intentioned demonstration. As for your chicken skin idea, as much as I'd hate to admit it, I'd be probably be all over that. I'd eat that chicken skin with relish (not actual relish, that would be gross, but you get the idea).

[jmowreader]

44. There's a reason they wouldn't use chicken gristle in chicken nuggets

No matter how much you grind 'em, you'd never get a consistent mouth feel if you put chunks of chicken gristle in the mix, and Americans are all over mouth feel.

The thing about my chicken skin idea is, look at a diet book that has chicken recipes. They tell you to remove the skin because it's half fat, "even though it's the tastiest part of the chicken." You've heard of Peking Duck, of course; when you get it, they serve it in two courses: the skin is the main attraction, and then they eat the meat later. So poultry skin is definitely a desirable product--so long as you don't grind the shit up and mix it with chicken meat, where it just acts as a huge glob of fat.

[WolverineDG]

23. Or just snapping the bones open & sucking the marrow out

like my dad used to do. ick. But then he grew up during the Depression.

dg

[no limit]

15. To be honest I love me some McNuggets

[Arkana]

27. I kinda do too.

I realize I'm about to get a lot of shit for saying it, but they're kinda tasty and they're the only item on the McDonald's menu that doesn't make me want to kill myself after eating it.

[dembotoz]

18. saw a couple of the shows

nice idea
be nice if it worked

hard for 1 guy to remake a culture.

[WolverineDG]

26. I like the show

It really makes you think about what goes into the food you put in your mouth. Just being aware of what goes into that food has made me think twice about swinging through a drive-thru.

The food guidelines the schools have to work with are ridiculous, however, so you wind up with a pizza full of processed plastic crap & God only knows what chemicals labeled as "healthy" & therefore being reimbursable by the feds, whereas a chicken with brown rice dish made from scratch is not "healthy" because it needs another bread. Or a hamburger & fries (all straight from the box & loaded with preservatives & other junk) with "optional salad" (that no one opts for) meets the requirements for 1-1/4 cup of fruits & vegetables for high school kids, but a chicken/7 veggie stir fry, again made from scratch, does not.

dg

[sandnsea]

53. That's what got me

Our local school just got a cafeteria that uses some privatized company. I don't know what kind of lunches they serve, but it's something all of us should take a look at. I think I've seen every episode so far. I feel kind of guilty when I eat a potato chip now, lol.

[WolverineDG]

56. I don't feel guilty

I just don't seem to want that stuff as much as I did before. Weird, huh?

dg

[4lbs]

34. The part that got me was when the kids couldn't identify the raw fruits and veggies, but could

easily state the names of the products made from them.

For example, he held up a potato. The kids didn't know what it was. He held up french fries. Immediately the kids said "french fries!"

He held up a tomato. They didn't know. He held up some ketchup packets. They immediately said "ketchup!".

He held up an onion. They didn't know. He held up some onion rings. Once again, "onion rings!".

[iris27]

52. I'm willing to believe a lot of things about the general ignorance of humanity,

but this one sets off my bullshit meter. I haven't seen it myself, but I would be inclined to believe "creative" editing before accepting that kids would not know what a TOMATO was. Brussels sprouts? Cauliflower? Sure. But a TOMATO?

[4lbs]

55. Nope, no editing. He said he found out that the kids in this school rarely, if ever, eat fruits and

veggies.

Processed foods are king in this part of West Virginia.

[flvegan]

36. Going vegetarian might be a good idea, considering.

Not suggesting, just pointing it out.

Knuckledraggers respond below, please.

[Robb]

41. *Mwhaa, mwhaa, snort*

*grrrrrr*

*snort*















:D

[EOTE]

42. You know, most omnivores would go veggie if meat weren't so damned desirable for them.

Most people, especially here know of the environmental, economic and health reasons to go veggie. I certainly do. I'd most likely be a whole lot healthier and probably have a good deal more savings if I went vegetarian. It's not spite that prevents me going that route, it's just that it's damned hard giving up meat. Most drug addicts would be far better off without drugs, that doesn't mean that giving up the drugs would be any easier.

[iris27]

51. +1

This is the issue that causes the most cognitive dissonance in my life, where my actions and choices do not match with my convictions.

[EOTE]

54. It's a lot of evolution to have to over come.

Some people might desire meat less and that brings them to vegetarianism/veganism. Others have an incredible desire to eat meat, yet overcome the desire for the benefit of themselves, the environment, animals and the planet. I would love to become a vegetarian, I hope to find the conviction to sometime in my life. I know it would drastically reduce my carbon footprint. I know I'd save money and become a good deal healthier. I think vegetarians are great, in part because they help offset some of the damage I do to the environment. I don't eat meat because I'm stupid or less environmentally conscious, I eat meat because it's damned hard to stop once you've started. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give it up entirely, but maybe I can get to the point where I'll have one or two good steaks a year. I might be able to live with that.

[cliffordu]

46. Right with you, after I get done with this bowl of

great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
marinated monkey meat,
hairy little piggies feet
all ground up in vegetarian vulture vomit...

And me without my spoon....

(Thanks to the third grade for this response. Amazing the shit school can teach, eh??)

[cliffordu]

47. If the LORD in his WISDOM wanted me to be a vegetarian, HE wouldn't

have created BARBECUE!!!!!!!

FUCK, I loves me some pork ribs and slaw.

[NashVegas]

48. Alternet Had An Article About How the "Revolution" Was a Failure

And linked to school menus showing the regular cafeteria fare vs Jamie Oliver's. The most glaring thing about it was that JO's menus presented too much that was unfamiliar to them, I think.