BBC America recently broadcast Jamie’s American Road Trip. Jamie Oliver is not an academic, nor is he an ethnographer. Yet, he is an educator. His stature as a British celebrity chef, television personality, and food activist has given him a platform to explore important issues. Through his active engagement and his charitable foundation, he has helped find ways to give needed skills and jobs to unemployed young people, improve food services in schools in England, and help turn attention to the problems of obesity. He has tried to do similar things in the United States with less success. But his American road trip, nonetheless, presents a vivid portrait of American society through the special perspective of what and how we eat and prepare to eat.

Jamie’s American Road Trip began production in America shortly after Barack Obama became President in 2009. Through food and culture related to it, Oliver traveled as a stranger, and an outsider. He observed and asked this question in a companion cookbook, “We’ve all heard about the American dream … but what is the American dream?” Oliver locates this question within what he describes as a “kick-ass” recession and the election of America’s first black president. Oliver’s road trip to the United States is a backstage look at cultural issues in transition: the tough areas of East Los Angeles; a working cattle ranch and rodeo in Wyoming/Montana; the underground and immigrant areas of New York City; hard hit areas of New Orleans and rural Louisiana; a diagonal slice of the deep South in Georgia ranging from trailer park life to a lady’s tea social; and a small community on a Navajo reservation where a local chapter president is trying to preserve and revive tribal food and culture. Oliver helps us use small things to help us reflect on larger issues.

During six episodes, viewers encounter issues relating to: immigrant communities, gang violence, drugs, the hardships of rural life, homelessness, racism, economic hardships, the underground economy, problems with the health care system in America, failed and misdirected governmental programs, and the tensions between keeping traditions and the dynamics of change. As important, he also identifies efforts to address many of these issues through individual, family, community and organizational initiatives. All of this is served up through the way Oliver experiences culture, through meeting people, eating local foods, and cooking them. All six episodes of series are posted on YouTube. Taken together they present a portrait of America.

East Los Angeles:

In the Mexican-American community of East Los Angeles, Oliver experienced three family social events. Juxtaposed are the strong family support provide by the extended Mexican-American family; the tragedy caused by gang membership and violence, and the struggle of a recovering crystal meth addict trying to give a fresh start to himself and his child.

While on this segment of his trip, Oliver visited Homeboy Industries, an independent, non-profit organization started in 2001 (roots go back to a Jobs for the Future Program in 1988) by Father Greg Boyle who was pastor at the Dolores Mission. The mission statement is, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” It is a model community based program to help youths escape gang culture and became productive members of society. Homeboy Industries seeks out at-risk youth and gang members, and tries to help by giving them a new start in their job-training businesses. It is extremely difficult to escape gang culture, and this is one of the better models. Many of the youths are found during Father Greg’s visits to prisons and youth holding facilities. The free programs include: “counseling, education, tattoo removal, substance abuse and addiction assistance, job training and job placement.” Of all the youth gang homicides committed in California, 75% of them occur in Los Angeles County.

Wyoming and Montana:

Here we encounter a cattle rancher family and community struggling to survive as changes in America’s eating habits and the economics of ranching have threatened their way of life. Residuals of rugged individualism, camaraderie, the traditional family and supporting community are explored. A living vestige of one aspect of cowboy culture is witnessed through a young rodeo rider who aspires to be a champion. His avocation risks his life and limb with the prospect of little rewards beyond a sense of achievement, the acknowledgment of fans, and the possibility of relatively small prize money. Animal rights groups have organized to try to end rodeos. (To read an interview of Jamie Oliver about his trip to Wyoming, click here).

New York (Queens):

Oliver explored areas of New York City which are off the beaten track, but are extremely rich in diverse ethnic heritages, and offer experiences that may be difficult to find in Manhattan or elsewhere in the United States. An Islamic halal slaughterhouse where live animals are personally selected, killed, butchered and sold is minutes away from Manhattan. Authentic foods from all around the world may be found in restaurants legally permitted to operate, and in unlicensed restaurants located in unmarked homes that are helping to sustain immigrant families aspiring to achieve their dreams. A Colombian American school bus driver (Jorge Munoz), who became a legal resident through the 1987 amnesty program, with the help of his family uses his own resources to provide food to large numbers of immigrant day laborers, many of whom are homeless. Informal supper clubs such as Sunday Night Dinner in Astoria are appearing in people’s homes as part of a growing anti-restaurant movement that seeks affordable and more personal alternatives.

New Orleans and Cajun Country:

The destruction of recent hurricanes is captured by Oliver, as is the individual and community spirit that is helping the communities recover. These inspiring stories are contrasted with what may continue to be unsatisfactory governmental efforts to mitigate flooding. By focusing on the plights of engaging people and their struggles, the situation in Louisiana is humanized. For instance eighty-nine year old acclaimed Creole chef Leah Chase is a co-owner of Dooky Chase, a famed locale established in the tough Fifth Ward of New Orleans. The restaurant was an important meeting place during the Civil Rights Movement, and in addition to serving the local community, it has attracted luminaries from business, entertainment industry, and politicians, including President Obama. Relying upon herself and with the help of community support, it took her over two years to get back in business while much of her neighborhood remains in ruin. New Orleans is still threatened by Hurricane flooding. The levies were built to a height of twelve feet, instead of a safer height of fifteen feet.

Another vignette tells the story of David Allemond’s Cajun Café and Bar in rural Louisiana. It has been destroyed by hurricanes three times. Allemond credits people willing to support one another, lots of hard work and the help of God for making the re-opening possible. It is a rural community pulling together, rather than governmental programs, that helped him recover. Living for the day under the shadows of danger in Louisiana contributes to the local culture. That’s exactly what everyone did at Allemond’s reopening; and also seems to be the folk wisdom of New Orleans.

Georgia (Deep South):

Oliver’s visit to Georgia was a study in contrasts. Back to back, Oliver experienced the niceties of a tea and cake social hosted by an accomplished baker and her friends. They deemed it impolite to talk about religion, politics and the great recession. Then Oliver stayed for the night in a trailer park where the primary concern was unemployment and the great recession. Most of the men and women were unemployed construction workers. One disgruntled resident used the “N” word in a racist joke when talking about President Obama. This shocked Oliver. This is sharply contrasted with his visit to a pit barbeque restaurant where a family struggled to keep the business alive, and workers employed, including a black barbeque pit master who used skills and techniques which are traceable back to the pre-Civil War south. Oliver was shocked that health care insurance in the United States was in most cases linked with employment. There is also a sharp contrast between a rural family who was largely self-sufficient on foods they hunted, grew and prepared according to family recipes; and a soul food restaurant involving three generations of black women who despite the restaurant’s popularity among virtually all racial and ethnic groups were well aware of vestiges of racism that remained.

Arizona (Navajo):

Roy Kady, a master Navajo weaver who is also President (mayor) of Teec Pos Chapter of the Navajo Nation, helped open doors for Oliver. Kady has a passion to rekindle interests in traditional Navajo food among young Navajos who have been attracted to junk and fast foods with all of the attendant problems of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The poor quality of the Navajo lands provided by the United States government sharply contrasts with the better lands that the Navajo were forced to leave. Kady is also trying to revive Churro sheep. For the Navajo the sheep are an important part of their traditions and way of life. The Churro sheep connect the Navajo culturally with their heritage through songs, prayers and ceremonies. Every part of the sheep is used by the Navajo. The U. S. government virtually exterminated the Churro sheep. This dealt a significant blow to the survival of the traditional Navajo way of life. Kady and Oliver used a donated geodesic dome greenhouse as a focal point to engage young Navajos in the growing and preparation of healthful Navajo foods. Navajo culture is struggling to survive. Tradition and modernity confront one another on a daily basis.

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Clifford Geertz wrote in “Thick Description: Toward an Interpretative Theory Culture” in The Interpretation of Cultures, “… social actions are comments on more than themselves; and where an interpretation comes from does not determine where it can be impelled to go. Small facts speak to large issues, winks to epistemology, or sheep raids to revolutions, because they are made to.” Throughout Oliver’s documentary, small things help us perceive a larger portrait of America today, its perils and promise, its strengths and weaknesses.