jamie oliver dissects a 350-pound man on british tv

A few days ago, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver slaughtered a live chicken on English television. We discussed it here. As I mentioned at the time, I was at first a bit dubious. It looked to me, being the cynical asshole that I am, like a ratings stunt. Undeservedly I now think, I initially put Oliver in the same camp with Dr. Phil, who earlier in the week had suggested hosting an on-air intervention for the rapidly imploding pop star Brittney Spears. The more I read about the chicken incident, however, the more I began to think that maybe Oliver was sincere in his intention — to force people to consider where their meat comes from, to have people imagine the plight of factory farmed chickens, to get people to stop looking at meat as a pre-packaged commodity, absent any context, and, ultimately, to effect change in the industry… I realize that he’s courting ratings at the same time he’s pushing his agenda, but it seems to me that, for the most part, he’s doing it with integrity. So, yeah, he’s done some stupid stuff, like dressing up in a fat suit to promote a series on the questionable dietary value of school meals, but I think the good in this case outweighs the bad… Which brings me to what Oliver just did in Britain.

Jamie Oliver, with the assistance of doctor Gunther von Hagens, showed the graphic dissection of a 350-pound man, who had died as a result of heart disease. I was going to try to describe it, but instead, thanks to YouTube, I can just show you… What impressed me, aside from just the sheer quantity of fat that had to be stripped away before the organs could be seen, is how large the man’s heart had gotten and how small his lungs had become. According to the doctor, that’s what happens when your guts get pushed up into your chest cavity and your heart swells to the size of a Civil War cannon ball. Amazing stuff… Someone should be doing the same thing here in the States. The cynical asshole that I am, I’d think they were just doing it for the ratings, but I think it would be a good thing for Americans to see. (I don’t know that it will change my behavior, but it certianly made me feel some regret about the burger and nachos I had for dinner.)