America's Fattest City Makes the 'Naked Chef' Weep

1-19-2010 @4:49PM Geena said... And a right to bare fat arms? (Sorry - I couldn't help myself...)

1-20-2010 @1:04AM Ed said... Jaimie needs to publicise the following phone number to the folks of the towns and cities that he's interested in helping: 1-800-2dum2liv

1-20-2010 @1:28AM Sarah said... Philip, you are a self-centered and a dick! You have NO idea who he is, why he is here and YOU think that YOU can just say bull crap like that to someone that you have bever meet AND may never will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You! SIR!!!!! need to look in the mirror and take a real good look at your self!!!!!!! YOU!!!!!! are the one who is snooty!!!!!!!!!! HE is trying to help other people!!!!!!! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!? GET OFF YOUR SNOOTY ARSE!!!!!!! AND LEARN SOME THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1-20-2010 @12:07PM Graydon said... It's WEST VIRGINIA, people! What other behavior would you expect?!? The only "culture" these people ever get is watching their relatives on "Jerry Springer" while stuffing the fat faces full of store-brand potato chips and Cheetos!

1-19-2010 @8:25PM Philip said... ""They don't understand me. They don't know why I'm here," the 34-year-old Oliver said, sobbing."

Au contraire, they know exactly why you're here; you're a snooty British ass who has presumed to butt-in when he wasn't invited.

1-19-2010 @8:45PM Olivia said... Okay, first Tracey, you need to get your facts straight. Huntington is a city, not a rural area where people have to "hunt" to get by. I'm sorry but wild animals in this area are not too fond of city streets. And as far as the free school lunch program goes, the reason that the rate of people using that program is so high is because they make it so easy to qualify, setting the income guidelines rather high. Many people take advantage of it because, well, they can. Also because the school pushes it at the parents because the more people that are signed up for the program the more state funding schools recieve. And this is true in any state, not just Huntington. But honestly, Huntington isn't as poor or destitute as other places I've been. And yes, I am fairly well traveled, having been to over half the states in this great country. The reason that the people of Huntington were so unreceptive to Mr. Oliver wasn't exactly because we didn't like him, and despite what he or the tabloids say, many people did go to his little cooking lessons whatever ridiculousness ensued during his visit to the "fattest city in America". We were unreceptive because of the stereotypes that his show would be feeding into, stereotypes that you yourself are ignorant enough to believe.
As for the WIC program, yes this area does have the Wic program, however, you are only eligable until your children reach the age of 5. Also, the income limits on that are far stricter than the school lunch program. So unfortunately, both of these restrictions cause many to be excluded from this program. In closing, before you open your mouth (or take to your keyboard) about certain issues, make sure you have your facts straight.

1-19-2010 @8:44PM raetno said... Jamie Oliver is not snooty and he's just trying to help people who obviously need help eating better. And I don't get why people had to be hostile towards him. If you don't want the help fine but there is not need to be hostile to someone who is trying to help. And I think it is extremely sad that children do not know what tomatoes are. I am not the healthiest eater but I know what a tomato is and so does my daughter and she's only 19 months and she actually likes tomatoes and lots of other vegetables and fruits. I might not eat the healthiest but I am trying to feed my daughter healthy foods.

1-19-2010 @9:08PM Tracey said... @Olivia:

I seem to have touched a nerve. I've been to Huntington many times. I have friends there. I've seen the nice side of town, and I've seen the side where people struggle to survive. I would assume most of them would not have the means to post here about how accurate I am or not. There are plenty of people even in the much larger city where I live who get out of town to hunt each year, because if they don't, they don't eat much meat.

I work with schools in my area for the free lunch program. One of my friends in Huntington works with schools there on the same issues. Like it or not, a school's percentage of free lunch recipients is directly correlated to students who fail standardized tests.

Most people have no understanding of those who live on the edge of poverty, or in poverty itself, and have no conception of how people live in those situations. And sometimes they can get snarky and personal with those of us who do.

1-19-2010 @9:49PM Olivia said... Okay, so you feel you "know" poverty. Do you feel you know poverty just because you happen to work with a bunch of impoverished children that you can feel sorry for or because you have actually lived it. Because I have. And I pulled myself out of it. Believe me, working around it is NOT the same as living it. I guess my next piece of advice for you is don't be so quick to get "snarky" (I love that) and assume that just because I have a computer, I know nothing of poverty.

1-19-2010 @9:52PM Chaddy said... I live in Huntington, WV and I am proud to say that I do. And while there are obese people here, I don't think it is drastically different from many other places in the U.S. We are a country of obese people. There a many programs here, like WIC, and they do offer vouchers for the farmers market; however the farmers market is only open during the summer and in early fall. There isn't a lot of available land the growing of fresh foods inside the city limits or outside either (really), many of the schools are surrounded by houses and businesses rather than land. As for fresh food from the water (btw...the Ohio River is highly polluted), it's not going to happen. The local grocery stores offer fruits and veggies that are grown elsewhere and shipped in, but it is available. The problem isn't that there is no access but more that the cost can sometimes be prohibitive and therefore people tend to turn to more processed foods. This isn't an excuse but more of an explanation. It wasn't that people weren't ok with Jamie Oliver coming in, but it was about the portrayal of Huntington and West Virginia that concerned people. West Virginia tends to typically be portrayed in a bad light and that was one of the issues that was expressed. My son was chosen to participate, as was his elementary school, and I can tell you that he did know the difference between a tomato and a potato. He has a lot of allergies and so he can't always eat the things that most kids can but he did try new things and his school and all of the other area schools have made the effort to change things. If you were to ask how old those children were, the ones that didn't know the difference between a tomato and a potato, it would have probably been the preschool children or the kindergarten children. As for the obesity, food isn't the only factor, exercize is also a factor and around here it isn't always safe to go for walks and the cost of gym memberships are so high here that many of the people can't afford them. However, to just say that all of the people in Huntington refused to change their eating habits, is wrong and is just as bad as saying everyone that lives here is fat. That is taking one characteristic and applying it to an entire group and that is wrong. People here are no different than the rest of the U.S. We are a country of overweight people and we can't just blame it on one city, in one state.

1-21-2010 @3:16PM Cheryll Barr said... I am from Huntington and I was surprised by this article since all the film footage I saw showed a very receptive city. Jamie was constantly showed people in his downtown kitchen learning too cook healthy. They were laughfing and praising him. I wonder where the real truth lies. To all those who would throw stones, it is very difficult to change a culture that has lived on a meat and potatoes diet for two hundred years. We are a poor state and many healthy foods are expensive to purchase.We have two wonderful health and fitness facilities and not everyone is obese as this article reports. We are a proud and hard working class of people and it is sad for me to read many of these comments. At least we are not so self absorbed and body conscious that we rank # 1 in plastic surgery.

1-20-2010 @2:11AM debbie said... Jamie Oliver came to town an arrogant ass who decided he knew best what we the citizens of Huntington needed. He alienated the local newspaper, the medical community and the citizens of Huntington. Only after he realized there would not be a television series for him to profit from did he decide to stop being a jerk and truly reach out to the community. At that point he really did make an impact on the area. I would like to also point out Huntington is truly a city firmly planted in the rust belt of America. Its citizens are scrambling to survive at all cost. They may make poor eating choices. But I can assure you they most often more concern about paying the mortgage and utility bills. We are an area built on the coal industry and our current administration has very publicly stated there is no such thing as clean coal. The area is losing jobs at a staggering rate. We somethimes want to ask, "Why live longer if you are unemployed and you lose everything you have worked for and dreamed of?" The next time you adjust your termastat remember that a fat WV coal miner risked his life a mile underground to provide you with energy to light your home, power your computer, recharge your phone ipod or pda only to be ridicule for being fat. We didn't ask for the honor of being the fattest city in America or for Jamie Olivers help. When he left town I could not help but think far well to bad rubbish.

1-20-2010 @6:20PM Robert Sparling said... Hunting game for food does not contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle by itself. There's a lower fat percentage on venison, rabbit, and squirrel than much of the meat in supermarkets, plus no hormones or chemicals. I don't have issue with anything else, just wanted to make it clear hunting to get by is actually no less (and probably more) healthy than eating regular proteins. I grew up on venison and didn't have beef until I was 5 because my parents couldn't afford it. To this day I have not had a cut of beef that surpassed venison.

1-20-2010 @12:15AM Eliza said... JoPK said...
It's shocking to think the kids living in Huntington don't even know the difference between a tomatoe and a potatoe. Talk about a community of adults who are just too lazy to help themselves or their children. Can't afford good food at the supermarket - then grow it. We always had a garden growing up which helped when you are trying to feed seven people. It's too easy (or lazy) to just go eat at McDonald's, KFC and Burger King.

It's also shocking that you don't know that you do not spell tomato with an e in it's singular form, as well as potato. We do take care of our children and not all of Huntington residents are obese. We have parks that are usually very crowded with families walking around the trails and playing frisbee. Get off your high horse.

1-24-2010 @6:24PM Get your facts straight said... If you're silly enough to believe this hype then the facts won't convince you but Jamie Oliver has, from the start, misrepresented Huntington.