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Jamie Oliver on Food Revolution 2, Huntington a Year Later, and LA Schools

Susannah Chen — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:22:29 PDT

With Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, British culinary celebrity Jamie Oliver has made a name for himself as an advocate for healthier American eating. The show's first season, shot in obesity-stricken Huntington, WV, received critical acclaim and garnered a Primetime Emmy in 2010.

Food Revolution's second season returns to ABC April 12 at 8 p.m. The comeback takes place in Los Angeles and faces an entirely new set of challenges, including resistance from the city's public school system.

While in South Beach, Katie and I took a minute to ask the chef about season two, his troubles with the Los Angeles school system, and what he thought of Huntington losing its school funding. His surprising answers, when you read more.

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed!

Susannah Chen — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:21:58 PDT

One month before their nuptials are set to take place, the world is abuzz with curiosity about details of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. Today we've learned what their regal wedding cakes will look like. Kate has chosen a fruitcake to be the main wedding cake - perhaps an odd choice in America, but a traditional one across the pond. Its designer will be Fiona Cairns, a well-respected cake creator known for her bold designs. Although further details of the cake "will be a surprise," says Cairns, we do know this: It'll be tall and tiered, and covered in cream-and-white decorative flowers that not only mimic the architecture of Buckingham Palace but also each represent something meaningful. For instance, the cake will include roses for England, shamrocks for Ireland, acorns for strength, and sweet William flowers as well.

Just like at Prince Charles's and Princess Diana's wedding, pieces of the cake will be cut up and put into little boxes. Because of fruitcake's density, the dessert will stand the test of time, serving as a memoir for the 600 guests. As for William? He'll buck tradition with a groom's cake, a top-secret royal family chocolate cake recipe that's made out of McVitie's biscuits, a digestive biscuit enjoyed at tea.

Although both sound incredible, I'd spring for William's in a heartbeat. Which cake would you rather eat?

Jamie Oliver: Chef, TV Host, Author, Cheesemonger?

Susannah Chen — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:21:23 PDT

Next time you're at the grocery store, would you consider picking up a wedge of Jamie Oliver-branded cheese? That's what the UK chef is banking on. At London's International Food & Drink Expo this coming weekend, the British chef will launch the Jamie Oliver Continental Cheese Range.

The cheese line includes the likes of parmigiano-reggiano wedges aged for two years in the hills of Parma, Italy; cave-aged gorgonzola and mascarpone layered cheese from the Italian Alps; barrel aged-feta; Fior di Latte mozzarella; and tubs of ricotta and mascarpone. The cheeses will be a continuation of Oliver's existing pasta, meat, sauce, snack, and spice lines, which are available worldwide in countries from Holland to Brazil.

Looks like the food revolutionary, restaurateur, TV host, cookbook author, and media personality can add "cheesemonger" to his growing list of titles. In fact, the Naked Chef has fallen under fire from fellow UK culinary personality Marco Pierre White, who criticized him for not being a "real chef." Where do you stand? Would you buy Jamie's line of cheese products if you saw it at your local grocery store?

Source and Source

Period-Tracking Bracelet Gets Time of the Month Wrong

Colleen Barrett — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:20:56 PST

This is what happens when people have too much money! A British millionaire is offering £100,000 (about $162,000) to the person with his favorite money-winning idea. Despite 160 entries, somehow Karl Dorn has made it to the top 10 with Help For Husbands, a Livestrong-like bracelet meets mood ring that changes color to warn men when to stay away.

"Through my research I've found out that women's body temperatures increase at certain times of the month," Karl said. "This little wristband would be temperature sensitive and change color." He seems to think "certain times of the month" are PMS, when women are supposedly extra emotional, but it's actually when women ovulate. You know when we dress extra sexy and want sex the most? And why shame a woman with a scarlet bracelet when there are apps and websites for tracking periods.

So if this wasn't senseless enough, the best part is this "invention" is anything but novel. A company in Norway makes women wear red bracelets when they have their periods, which we found absurd enough to make the headline a top question on a Real or Fake quiz. At least they're using the bracelets at the right time of the month.

Postdivorce "Revenge" Plastic Surgery Is Supposedly a Thing

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:35:52 PST

When it comes to divorce, a new survey says, revenge is a dish best served on the operating table. I prefer revenge to be creative, meme-worthy, and raging, so a boob job, moob job, and something known as the "yummy mummy package" don't really make the cut.

The results, also, don't exactly represent the average divorcée. The survey was done at Transform Cosmetic Surgery in the UK, and it found 62 percent of its clients were newly divorced and 11 percent of them were men. Of course, it could be that clients are looking to prep for reentering the dating world or their divorce settlements are just begging to be spent, but 48 percent said they had plastic surgery to make their exes jealous.

So maybe there is some truth to it, but isn't it just like the pricier, more painful, and slightly crazier version of looking hot when you see an ex?

Why Straight Cohabitating Couples Don't Deserve to Be Treated Like Married Couples

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:35:38 PST

Last week, the British president of the Family Division, Sir Nicholas Wall, said the UK needs legislation to protect the 2.3 million unmarried, cohabitating couples if they split up. Not to get all conservative, but I always thought the whole point of marriage, in the most unromantic sense, is to legally bind assets and receive protection if the marriage dissolves. It's the legal fine line between being married and living together.

Same-sex couples who can't marry aside (they deserve protection), I don't see legislation like this coming to the US anytime soon, nor should it. However, it does stir up age-old questions about cohabitation. Janet Street Porter writes in the Daily Mail, "Cohabiting is a status that favors men - that’s why so many of them refuse to marry and women comply in order to remain with the person they love."

This echoes the controversial interview we did with Mark Regnerus, author of Premarital Sex in America last week. Read what he said below.

Rumor Control on Kate Middleton's Parents Profiting From Wedding

Colleen Barrett — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:00:16 PST

It sounds like nothing more than an employee mistake that's getting blown out of proportion. A customer asked Party Pieces, the party supply company owned by Kate Middleton's parents, if it would "be selling traditional British-themed products" in the coming months on its Facebook page. The company's reply was "We certainly will be doing some traditional street party bits. These will be available mid-late February."

The story passed relatively unnoticed in Wednesday's Daily Mail, but Vanity Fair summed it up and added a little flair today, saying Party Pieces "is reportedly preparing to release a line of royal-wedding-themed products."

As far as I can tell "British-themed products" are British flags, miniature castles, and Keep Calm and Carry On posters. I suppose it is tacky to sell paraphernalia for their own daughter's wedding, but it's probably something the company does for other royal celebrations. Either way, it's a far cry from starting a line of commemorative plates!

I'm really not defending the Middletons; it's just that I don't believe the Queen, Buckingham Palace, or their very own daughter would allow it. The family has denied all allegations, and I just don't think there's enough incentive to shake the crown. I mean, they'll probably be made baron and baronness or something, and that sounds much better than a quick profit.

London Hopes to Become First City to Source All Fish Sustainably

Susannah Chen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:15:09 PST

We're not the only ones vowing to take a more sustainable approach to eating in 2011: so is the entire city of London. The city, largely in preparation for its role as host city for the 2012 Olympics, hopes to become the very first to source all of its fish sustainably.

The effort's helmed by The Sustainable Fish City campaign, which is made up of food and conservation groups. The goal? Not only to use only sustainable seafood during the Olympic and Paralympic games, but also to adopt the same standards citywide, applying them across governmental organizations, including the transportation, fire, and police forces. Outside organizations have quickly followed, among them five top London universities, the National Trust, and the D&D group of London restaurants.

Not everyone thinks there's scientific basis for sustainable seafood guidelines, but in my opinion, this is a brave step forward. Could you see a US city following suit?

All-Female Detective Agency Catches Cheating Men

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:11 PST

Women win when men stray when the Ladies' Detective Agency is on the case. Rebecca Sutton, who's only 25, found her calling when she suspected her husband was cheating. She called private detectives, but they either made her feel silly or scared her away with unreasonable fees. One PI course later and a staff of beautiful woman, and she's running a real ladies' detective agency in Manchester, England.

I'd say this has all the makings of a mystery series, but it already echoes the 1989 bestselling novel The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the British television series with the same name. But in real life, catching a cheater is serious business.

Following a man, or paying someone to, is one thing, but Sutton offers another service called honey traps sans the espionage. This is for women who want to know if their husband would cheat when presented with the opportunity. Girlfriends and wives select the man's type (Sutton employs average, plus-size, and model-like women) to be sent to seduce men. Sounds like trouble to me, and it is for the 50 percent of men who fall for it.

Regardless of what women find out, Sutton says most choose to stay with their partners, because her service is really about uncovering the truth.

Would you hire her?

Girls Will Be Boys: Why Girl Fights Are on the Rise

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:40:23 PST

Teenage girls are getting angrier, and they're expressing their emotions with more punches, slaps, and kicks than ever before. Fingers have pointed to binge drinking as liquor numbs feelings, making girls less adept at coping with emotions. But girls have been binge drinking for decades, so I don't entirely buy that Students Against Drunk Driving warning. What does intrigue me is the sociological explanation: girls are tired of being the passive sex and are emulating male behavior.

Mike Fisher, an anger management psychotherapist, says it's becoming increasingly socially acceptable for girls to fight, especially in inner-city schools where they feel the need to stand up for themselves physically. It's reached the point where brawling girls now have their own, very boyish name - ladettes - at least according to the British press.

So now the question is how will these girls grow up? Considering the number of women found guilty of murder, assault, and other attacks has risen by 81 percent in the UK since 1998, chances aren't looking so good.