Food Revolution + Frenchman cliché

04.11.2011

Hey guys,

today we first spoke about this trailer of an American programme called "Food Revolution". You can watch it again below (and the 1st part if you're interested in watching more):

Here is what we said about it:

Warm Up :

The document is the trailer / preview for an America programme entitled "Food Revolution". It is based on the cliché / broad generalization that America is a fat country . It targets one city in West Virginia .

It sounds / looks good :

- goal : change junk food into balanced meals = change people's diet

- exaggeration

- fights / emotion / feelings / action / suspense

- shock

- comical situation / humour

==> it's both dramatic and funny . It's a sensational programme

It features a British chef, Jamie Oliver who is in "the most unhealthy town in America", Huntington, West Virginia.
The scene takes place nowadays and it deals with the problem of obesity. People are dying because they don't know what they eat.
For instance, at school, children can't make the difference between potatoes and tomatoes.
They have pizza for breakfast but they don't know that they shouldn't.
At the end of the exctract, Jamie is crying because he is disappointed in people's reactions and fed up with the locals' hostility.

--> Why it is funny but it actually isn't:
** The man is crying (he looks ridiculous to some students)
** There is a discrepancy / gap between what they know and what they should know. And it's frightening.

Vocabulary:

a title -> to be entitled

(to) target / a target ( = cibler / viser - une cible )

flour
an ingredient / a topping

Then we continued the lesson with making a summary and comment about the picture of the stereotypical Frenchman. Here is what we said:

Physical characteristics :

- nose

- moustache

- (not fashionable) Contrary to the stereotype, he doesn't wear sophisticated clothes.

Clothes :

- beret

- suit

Mental characteristic :

- proud

- impatient

- interested in money / miserly

-> to swindle money from tourists

- not pleasant

- (a bad English accent)

Attitude :

- cigarette

- haughty

- arrogant

- snobbish

- lazy

French people are believed to wear berets and have a moustache and it's true in the documents. However (= cpdt), we are also said to love fashion but he is not wearing sophisticated clothes.
He looks proud, indeed (= en effet) French people are said to be arrogant and snobbish.
He is smoking a cigarette: French people are said to be heavy smokers.

HW:

- Pour Mercredi 09/11: lire le texte "In France this is considered very English..." et répondre aux WH-questions (who, where, when, what ... about).

- Apprendre sa leçon et compléter ses fiches de vocabulaire.

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