Jamie's American Road Trip

A Spot of Self Indulgence From the Naked Chef

Sep 7, 2009 Arlene Kelly

Jamie Oliver's latest Channel 4 food show is a bit short on cooking, but has plenty of shots of him living it large in da hood.

What exactly is American food? The first answer that springs to mind is usually the ubiquitous burger and fries, both size extra large. But the United States is the true land of the immigrants, people who came from all over the globe in search of a better life, transporting a bit of their homeland to a new country. In his newest series, Jamie Oliver visits six states to discover what other cuisines are on offer aside from McDonald’s.

The first stop is Los Angeles in California, home to a large (and mostly poor) Mexican community. A short drive from the glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, this is one of the areas that make the news for all the wrong reasons – gang warfare.

Jamie’s first taste of the barrio is, somewhat bizarrely, a small commemorative gathering in memory of a senior gang member who was killed several years ago. Why they would want a total stranger, and an English one at that, present during this private occasion is unclear, but, being Jamie Oliver, he wastes little time in getting stuck into cooking some authentic Mexican food.

Food Can Be A Way Out

There seems to be little opportunity for young people to escape the vicious spiral of poverty and gang culture, but projects such as Homeboy Industries offer the chance of a fresh start. Similar to Jamie’s Fifteen restaurants, the bakery/cafe gets youngsters off the streets and teaches them a useful skill. Very commendable, and obviously something close to his heart. The grand finale shows him catering for a huge christening party, trying his best to reach the high standards of the resident matriarch.

Overall, though, it seems Jamie can’t decide if he’s making a travelogue or a cooking show. One can almost hear him thinking “Wow, real gangs, a real LA beach, just like on TV!” Of course he just can’t resist a bit of namedropping – “I met Pamela Anderson once. She’s getting a bit old now … but she still looks good”. The Mexican swap meet provides a nice splash of local colour, but was it necessary to show him getting high on the legal but lethal cactus fungus?

You Can Take The Boy Out Of Essex But …

There’s also a sense that although he’s quite happy to mix and mingle with the locals, he can’t quite relate to them the way he did with the people in Rotherham for his Ministry of Food. Trying out new dishes is great, but on several occasions he comes perilously close to looking down his nose at his new friends. Rather than viewing the smashing of a piñata as harmless fun for the kids, he sees it as “making a celebration out of slumdog crap”

If part two is slightly less “this is so cool!” and simply concentrates on what he does best, knocking up some tasty food, Jamie’s American Road Trip could be worth sticking with. At least he’s cut out his copious swearing – but will it all come back next week surrounded by cowboys in Wyoming?

The copyright of the article Jamie's American Road Trip in British/Australian TV is owned by Arlene Kelly. Permission to republish Jamie's American Road Trip in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
What do you think about this article?
NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.
post your comment
What is 3+5?