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What's on TV
by Rachel Broady21/ 7/2005
IF you've been thinking about going to your local farmers'
market rather than heading to the convenient supermarket a
documentary may help you embark on the journey sooner.
Dispatches: Supermarket Secrets (
Thursday,
Channel 4) provides unnerving facts about our desire for
unblemished fruit and veg, our long held belief that chicken is
meat low in fat and what is put on our foods before they reach our
plates and stomachs.
In the two-part report Jane Moore - she's a Sun columnist, so don't
expect to be challenged - looks at how supermarkets have changed
the way we eat and our attitude to food.
And because a large percentage of the population now shop at
supermarkets - some with little option due to the closure of local
shops - this is a valuable documentary and a revealing one
too.
Did you know that in the 1970s consumers had a choice of about 25
apples to choose from compared to, typically, six today?
Today's chickens contain about twice as many calories in the form
of fat as protein when compared to the bird in the 70s.
Are you surprised that researchers found traces of pesticides in
apples, pears and satsumas?
I'm not - if it's mass-produced, looks perfect, sells by the bulk
and is subject to a two-for-one you can pretty much guarantee it's
not as healthy as you'd hope.
A spud should look like a spud - if we stop demanding they look
like they're rehearsing for a part in an advert, they might stop
being genetically-modified and doused in pesticides.
I'll put aside my soapbox to tell you about Peter Kerr, a
38-year-old divorcee and lecturer, who wants a girlfriend but as
soon as he hears the words, "you're a really nice guy" knows he's
on to a loser.
So
The Secrets of the Sexes (
Sunday,
BBC1) are uncovered to help him find love in a reliable,
scientific way.
For Peter to understand why he is rejected, he is asked to stand
in a shop window while women give him marks out of 10, which is
both cruel and very funny.
And after a revamp Peter returns and his marks improve.
The scientists are debating whether women want a man in a good suit
- suggesting that he is a "good provider" - or someone with similar
facial features.
A speed-dating session helps question the theories and humiliate
the guinea pig further.
It seems to say that if only humans were perfectly pre-packaged,
like the aforementioned apples, we'd all find love...and we already
know where that sort of thinking got us!
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