Food Revolution Day 2013

Today is Food Revolution Day! A few years ago Jamie Oliver, an acclaimed celebrity chef from Great Britain, set out to change the way people all over the world eat, cook, and understand food. Jamie started his revolution in schools in England, where cafeteria food was just as appalling as you remember from your school days. His movement quickly spread to towns and cities and a few years ago he took over a town in West Virginia with an extremely high rate of obesity. He overhauled the school food system and set up a community kitchen where he taught locals how to cook easy, nutritious food. I sincerely hope the good work he did is still in place in England and here in America because it is invaluable. And that French fries are never again considered vegetables, as they were in schools all too recently. 

I didn't learn how to cook until I was out of college and living on my own. Despite having some great cooks in my family, no one ever taught me the basics of cooking when I was younger. My interest in cooking came from an interest in food. Food is awesome! If you like eating it, you will like cooking it! I learned to cook by watching Food Network. Really. Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) are single handedly responsible for my skills in the kitchen. So if I've ever made you anything to eat, you have them to thank!

Just like anything that requires some skill, cooking is a practice. The more you cook, the better you'll be at it. So on this Food Revolution Day do me and you a favor and cook something. Preferably something healthy, but baby steps are okay. Even if it's just putting together a salad or making a sandwich to bring for lunch at work. You'll know exactly what's going into your body and you'll save money too. But why not challenge yourself? Try something new or think of your favorite restaurant dish, find a recipe for it (Pinterest is perfect for this! Or just Google.), and make it at home. I doubt you'll screw it up so badly that it will be inedible. And if it is, you'll at least learn something!

As Michael Pollan said, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Happy cooking, happy eating, and happy Food Revolution Day!