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Oliver made the comments -- in which he also called America the unhealthiest nation in the world -- while speaking with a Sky News reporter about his latest reality show. He's spending three months in Huntington trying to make over the town's dietary habits in the as-yet-untitled show.
The show, slated to air on ABC, will feature such segments as the Naked Chef powwowing with school officials about cafeteria menus and parsing budgets with grocery-store managers. When it comes to municipal slimdowns, Oliver's on a bit of a roll: A similar program he produced in the U.K. persuaded then-prime minister Tony Blair to allocate an additional $453 million for healthy school lunches.
Oliver chose to focus his American campaign on Huntington, which has the ignominious distinction of being the nation's "fattest city." How fat is Huntington? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of its residents are obese, one-quarter of Huntingtonites suffer from heart disease, and a near-majority of the town's over-65 set are toothless.
Still, Josh Hammer, owner of a sandwich shop recently named one of the state's 101 most unique places to dine, shrugs off the statistics. "College kids eat fast food," he says. "Go to any college town anywhere and I guarantee you the diet's all fast food."
A collegiate palate does seem to prevail in Huntington, where -- according to the Associated Press -- local pizzerias outnumber the amount of gyms in the whole of West Virginia.
But Hammer insists plenty of Huntington residents are familiar with food that isn't deep-fried.
"I came off the farm, so everything we ate came off the farm," Hammer says. "I was brought up eating home-cooked meals."
So, apparently, was local councilman Scott Caserta, who neatly summarized the challenges Oliver faces in a post on Oliver's blog: "We are absolutely thrilled to have Jamie Oliver in our hometown," Caserta wrote. "Now if he can just show me a healthy way to make biscuits and gravy."
Tell us what you think in the comments below!
| Sure. | |
|---|---|
| We like ourselves the way we are. | |
| Slim down Brits instead. |
Jamie Oliver
British chef Jamie Oliver and his wife Jules pose upon arriving to the "Pride of Britain" awards at the London Studios, London, October 9, 2007. The 'Pride of Britain' awards honour real life hero's from war veterans to people who risk their own lives to save others. It's the biggest national event of its kind in the United Kingdom.
EDMOND TERAKOPIAN, AFP/Getty Images
In this photo released by CBS, actor Tom Cruise, left, watches as chef Jamie Oliver, center, prepares a dish as host David Letterman appears to have a drink from a bottle of seasoning on the set of The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York, Tuesday, May 2, 2006.
CBS / AP
A photo of Jamie Oliver from his new show "Jamie at Home" on The Food network.
AP Photo/The Food Network
British chef Jamie Oliver poses for the media prior to the opening of his new dinner show "Das Jamie Oliver Dinner Frankfurt" on January 14, 2009 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Ralph Orlowski, Getty Images
Chef Jamie Oliver visits "Late Show with David Letterman" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on November 10, 2008 in New York City.
Marcel Thomas, FilmMagic
Chef Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools arrive at The Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Opera House on February 10, 2008 in London, England.
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Jamie Oliver sign copies of 'Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn To Cook in 24 Hours' at Waterstones on October 8, 2008 in London, England.
Fred Duval, FilmMagic
Jamie Oliver and wife Jools Oliver sighting on June 24, 2008 in London, England.
Fred Duval, FilmMagic
A photo provided by The Food Network shows Jamie Oliver from his new show "Jamie at Home" on The Food network.
AP Photo/The Food Network
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9-22-2009 @12:11AM Heather said... Personally I am from WV and many other states have this problem and a lot of places are much worse than here... just go to these big cities and see what you deal with. Just some silly propaganda to poke fun at WV, which is full of good, decent, educated, hard working people. Tell Mr. Oliver and his crew to take a hike Huntington...oh and yes I am sure many of our cooks here could show him a few things made from scratch...the man is a pompous fool!
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9-23-2009 @7:48AM tlc said... I am still trying to figure out why having a high percentage of toothlessness has anything at all to do with being the fattest city? And I am sure that all cities have issues with people being fat, thin, ugly, poor, rich, stupid, etc. Why does it always have to be WV that gets picked on?
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9-22-2009 @2:09AM lizzie said... I have watched Jamie since he was a youngster, and chubby he was, Jamie, you have never been that great! The best episode I have seen was hunting for mushrooms. You have been a "fill in" for the food networks. Go home Jamie! Back to your flat! because you are just that! Flat!!! Go Home Jamie!!!!!!!!
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9-22-2009 @2:10AM lizzie said... Thank the lord we have never seen you naked! Chubby Naked Chef! I imagine that I would be blind today! Go home Jamie! You know nothing of West Virginia! Just go HOME!!!!
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9-22-2009 @2:12AM Joan said... Matt W and Robin, I'm from Fairmont as well. The Fairmont where people still grow gardens, eat from them and share with neighbors. I like in Houston now and bring back pepperoni rolls and hot days every Christmas. Ahh, the savory tastes and sweet memories. Joan
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9-22-2009 @2:19AM lizzie said... How come your early pics of your "fat face" aren't here?? You even had a fat G-friend! Tho many thought you were gay. Where are those pics? You are a hypocrite Jamie, go back to where you came from!
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9-22-2009 @3:12AM cavernvision said... I really thought it was going to be my hometown that was the fattest. I grew up a bit more north in Wheeling,WV. When I go home,I'm the skinniest person around. I have never seen a single fitness gym other than the YMCA and the YWCA. People eat so much garbage there it's sick,including my family.
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9-22-2009 @4:10AM margie said... Until the price of healthy food is comparable to fast food, you will never get rid of obesity. It is still cheaper to grocery shop for all the wrong things than it is for healthy food.
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9-22-2009 @4:54AM Jodie said... The problem with this article, and, in fact, the statistics naming Huntington, WV as "America's fattest city" is mainly this:
The data gathered to come up with that sum came from 5 counties in the "metro" area--- 2 of those counties are in KY and 2 are in OH--- only 1 in WV.
And Huntington, WV itself is NOT fully located in that particular county. Why does this matter? Because this story, and others like it, fail to mention that 4/5 th's of the gathered data doesn't hail from WV--- yet, they go on to point out that some great percentage (over 65) are "toothless" to perpetuate an old WV stereotype.... Well, guess what America? I've lived in 10 different states-- and they're all about the same when it comes down to it....
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9-22-2009 @5:02AM amythystkitty said... Has anyone else noticed that the photo at the end of the story shows Jamie and his wife... a wife who looks nearly skeletal? You can see the ridges of her rib cage in the low-cut top of her dress, and her wrists don't look much bigger than a kindergarten kid's pencil. There are other photos of her in the gallery, as well, and in all of them she looks almost too weak to stand alone. I would be worried if he feeds his wife and says that SHE is healthy looking!
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9-22-2009 @5:36AM DOTTIE said... I agree with you. I just move to here from a big state. I could not believe how fit the children where in these school. My son was the biggest one in his class was a shocker because usually he is the smallest. { lol} I do not think i seen one child in that school whom was over weight. But the school he came from in the big city like over 85% of the children in that school was over weight.
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9-22-2009 @5:59AM Jack said... Ah, yes, West Virginia, where men ask this question: "If I divorce my wife, is she still my sister?"
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9-22-2009 @6:35AM Annie said... I, a 'transplanted hillbilly', am proud of my state. I moved for an employment opportunity. People who believe the stereo-types are appear happpy in their ignorance and, probably, can't be swayed. So be it. I deal with the ignorant, toothless, shoeless hillbilly jokes every day....but there is peace in KNOWING the truth. I just smile my big toothless smile and go back to skinin' and cleanin' the possum for my dinner!
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9-22-2009 @6:27PM Pat said... Is Jamie Oliver here to help or hurt us? His comments seem contrary to his claims he is here to help our city. Making blanket negative comments just shows us that he is not too bright. The city will not embrace him when he does this. By the way, since we are a college town, many of us are college educated, know how to cook, have teeth, and know when someone is using us to gain more attention for theirself. Yeah, like most of America, we could lose some weight. Get rid of Jamie Oliver in our town and that should get 170 or so pounds out of here.
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9-22-2009 @5:43PM Matt W. said... Jack, "it's all relative" here in WV. RIIIIGGGHHHT. You should do a little research before you make comments like that...West Virginia is actually one of only a few states that actually has a written law AGAINST incest. So while you could probably ask that question when you get divorced where ever you are from, (Jackassville?), you really can't ask that here because it would be illegal.
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9-30-2009 @11:20PM moving back said... I lived in the Barboursville/Huntington area of WV from birth until the age of 23 when I went off to graduate school. I will say one thing: Huntington is a fat city. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true guys. I am currently in a medium to large town (close to the size of Huntington) in Iowa, and it wasn't until I moved here that I realized how obese and unhealthy most of West Virginia is. Case in point, there are dozens of gyms/fitness centers in this town, while Huntington only has the YMCA, ABSolute Fitness, and a couple of others.
As West Virginians, we need to realize that healthy living is not just for the rich. We also need to realize that a "crash diet" or "diet pill" does not equal healthy living. Healthy living is a lifestyle change in which one does a complete 180 degree turn in their lifestyle. It's very simple to live healthy. Just try to cook as many of your own meals as possible (decrease excessive use of frying, salts, processed sugars, and other processed items). Also, attempt to work out in some way at least 40 minutes per day and at least 6 days per week. It doesn't really matter what you do, but you should be winded and have enough of a sweat going that you need to shower.
The last thing I'll say is that I'm astounded by the amount of negativity on this board. Everyone seems to assume that this guy is going to come in and make fun of WV. Well guys, it's time to wake up and face the facts that there are MAJOR changes that need to occur in the state. Stop being such isolationists and think that everyone is always laughing about you! Every state gets picked on for something (Minnesota for the accents, New York for it's rudeness, California for hippies, etc), yet WV is the only state that takes major offense to it. GROW UP! Don't sit there and b*tch about the fact that we're getting made fun of. Do something about it! Excuses are like a**holes, everyone's got them. Quit saying why it's so hard to be healthy here and make the changes within YOURSELF, and others may follow. God bless.
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10-02-2009 @8:52AM Matt said... Jamie Oliver has done a lot in the UK for promoting healthy eating, and even though he is pretty annoying he is only trying to help people eat more healthily. Its common knowledge in Europe that America has the highest obesity rate of any developed nation, so I think you guys need some help. His latest book actually celebrates great American food http://www.jamiesamerica.co.uk/
peace.
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