Nine-Year-Old’s Food Blog Goes Viral
Martha Payne from Scotland is unlike any other 9-year-old. While other kids gobble through lunch or simply play with their food, this little girl decided to really examine her lunch tray.
With the help of her dad, Martha started a food blog, ‘Never Seconds‘ less than two months ago. Since then, her blog has generated over two million views, gaining fan support globally, including the support of chef and health food enthusiast Jamie Oliver.
Jamie tweeted his support for Martha, writing, “@ballibeg neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk/ Shocking but inspirational blog. Keep going, Big love from Jamie x”
Her blog rates her lunches based on: mouthfuls eaten, health scale, and even pieces of hair found. To give a sampling of the food critic’s rating meter, the lunch above got rated as follows,
Food-o-meter- 10/10
Mouthfuls- 37
Courses- main/dessert
Health Rating- 5/10
Price- £2
Pieces of hair- 0
Ease of eating with wrist in stookie- 9/10
“The pizza in the first pic was alright but I’d have enjoyed more than 1 croquet,” Martha wrote in one of her posts. “I’m a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon and I cant do it on 1 croquette. Do any of you think you could?”
Unfortunately, as Martha gained media support, school lunch staff and officials became squirmish. A news publication Daily Record even wrote an article “Time to fire the dinner ladies” along with Martha’s photo. It was then that the Argyll and Bute Council decided to ban the girl from taking photos of her lunches.
After the ban, Martha wrote a quick farewell on her blog, “I will miss sharing and rating my school dinners and I’ll miss seeing the dinners you send me too. I don’t think I will be able to finish raising enough money for a kitchen for Mary’s Meals either.”
After that post, the Twittersphere went alive with support for the little girl and her lunch blog. From online petitions to popular hashtags, the online community was resolute, so much so that the council quickly reversed their initial ban. Council leader Roddy McCuish told reporters that he had instructed senior officials to lift the ban immediately.
If this still doesn’t make you a fan, the blog also benefits the charity, Mary’s Meals, an organization dedicated to bringing meals to Africa. Thus far, the blog has now raised enough money to build a kitchen in Malawi.
Congratulations to the young food activist!
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