The man best known for his theatrics while trying to help schools serve healthier lunches has once again claimed the spotlight. During an interview for The Guardian, Jamie Oliver was asked, in his opinion, what he thinks is the trouble with today’s youth. Oliver, who is currently filming a show in which he tries to help high school drop outs, pulled no punches with his response.
“I’ve never experienced such a wet generation. I’m embarrassed to look at British kids. You get their mummies phoning up and saying: “He’s too tired, you’re working him too hard” – even the butch ones.” Oliver describes difficulties in recruiting staff for his restaurants, saying he uses “bulletproof, rock-solid Polish and Lithuanians who are tough and work hard” because “British youngsters no longer know the meaning of hard work.”
He went on to share that in his opinion, people should be able to work seven 18-hour days in a row.”When you’re unleashing students into an economy where there’s trouble with jobs, the ones who haven’t got academic verve, they need to have a basic approach to physical work. You need to be able to knock out seven 18-hour days in a row… I had that experience. By 13, I’d done 15-hour days in my dad’s pub.” Oliver has been roundly criticized for his remarks by fellow chefs, who equate his attitudes with those of a modern day slave driver.
Oliver is an ardent admirer of Gina Ford, the author of The Contented Little Baby, a book dedicated to helping parents take charge of their babies and get them onto schedules and routines in order to facilitate a peaceful home. He has said that he is a lover of discipline and thinks the children of today need more discipline that they receive.
Oliver is currently filming a new season of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, although he has run into difficulty with the city of Los Angeles.
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