Jamie, Nora...and the School Dinners

Having gone through different love teams from Romnick-Sheryl, Dingdong-Antoinette, Jerry-Barbie, to Bi-Song Hye Kyo, Lee Byung Hun-Choi Ji Woo, Kwon Sang Woo-CJW and So Ji Sub-Im Soo Jung, I am used to putting one and one together, finding chemistry between two people I see.  In just 4 Saturdays, two people on television endeared themselves to me.  I am now starting to miss this tandem. No, they are not a love team. Theirs is a working partnership…a meeting of the minds, bound by a significant mission. I am missing Jamie and Nora. =(

For those who are not familiar with Food Network’s Jamie’s School Dinners, the 4-part series featured Jamie Oliver, one of the aforementioned network’s celebrity chefs.  Jamie, being from England, had previously launched a successful project in 2003 in London which he called, Jamie’s Kitchen.  In that 9-month project, he trained 15 unemployed youth to be the chefs in his new restaurant which he was going to name as “Fifteen”…in honor of the 15 underprivileged youngsters who would be under his tutelage.  Such documentary proved very inspiring to many as the viewers stuck glued to their televisions watching the youngsters develop confidence, team spirit, and a great passion for cooking as they all underwent the rigors of training. This year, Jamie, once again came up with a note-worthy project (filmed last year but shown this year) with a campaign slogan, “Feed Me Better.” 

He targeted the meals served in British schools.  Working initially in Kidsgrove School, one of the 20,000 education institutions located in a London borough, Jamie met Nora Sands, the school kitchen’s unit manager or in simpler terms, the head dinner lady. Wanting to change processed foods served to students into nutritious and flavorful dishes, Jamie and Nora worked together to make the campaign of feeding the kids with better food a success.

The two had clashes at first.  Jamie was adamant about his plans; Nora was overwhelmed with the extra work.  However, the battle from the kitchen soon dissipated but moved towards the cafeteria.  Kids, who were so used to being served burgers and chips for lunch day in and day out, just couldn’t take the idea of eating cannelloni, baked chicken, or beef stew in replacement for their reconstituted favorites.  Months passed before the children started to appreciate the revamping of the cafeteria food.  Small demonstrations staged by some teen students soon stopped.  Nora’s motherly prodding convinced them into trying the nutritious yet delicious foods.

Nora was definitely not a silent worker. ;p She spoke her mind.  After she and Jamie met with the school principal, she even chased him at the corridor in order to berate him.  But it wasn’t long before Jamie and Nora got in the same groove.  Together, they convinced not only the students and school officials at Kidsgrove School but also the other schools in the borough about the importance of caring for their health.  As was shown in the documentary, Jamie and Nora even met the education minister of England so that more funding can be given to schools for the changes in school dinners to be possible.   March 18 of this year, even Prime Minister Tony Blair gave positive comments about Jamie’s drive promoting good health for the young.

The fourth and final episode of Jamie’s School Dinners was shown here last Saturday.  I’m sort of feeling a Jamie-Nora withdrawal now. I’ve always looked forward to their funny banters. With the dvd copies of the series out now in the market, perhaps I can get a copy and witness once more their successful partnership as well as the “miracle” they created in the schools.

Jamie and Nora --- definite sources of inspiration…successful agents of change. 

Comments

[joy]

Hi Reggie,
I have no idea about the show you were talking about but I enjoyed your blog nevertheless! I am sure I'll watch that if only they'd show it here. We do have Food Network, but not sure if they have Jamie's School Dinners. 30-minute meals, Iron Chef and Emeril are my faves, but it's not as fun as the show you were saying.
I really enjoy your blog... Thanks for making my day.
(By the way, did I ever thank you for being such a great friend in college? I think you were the only one who noticed another classmate stuck in a quiet corner full of angst. ;)
-Monina