That’s So Raven: Food for Thought

From my perspective, if I had to pick a favorite episode from the Disney Channel Original series That’s So Raven, it would definitely be the Season 3 episode Food for Thought, to be precise. The reason why is, I find it to be a good one to watch, as well as be inspired to write by, too. Also, Raven comes to a realization about the visions she has in the episode; they’re not only the bad kind, they’re also shown to be harmful if they eventually did come true as well. (So she does her best to put a stop to those visions, and succeeds as a result.) 😎😇

The episode begins at Bayside High School. Raven and Chelsea are at their lockers, and turn to see the other students walk by them (with some of them looking to be in various stages of excitement). Raven and Chelsea begin wondering where everyone is going, and Eddie walks by before stopping to tell them they’re going to the cafeteria.

Raven: (in disbelief) Our cafeteria? (scoffs) People are normally running away from that place.

Eddie replies that he heard some company had taken over the lunch program at Bayside High. So, they follow everyone to the cafeteria.

Much to the surprise of Chelsea, Eddie, and Raven, as soon as they arrive at the cafeteria, they find a food court, which is just like the ones that are usually found at a shopping mall.

Eddie: (sounding excited) Man! A food court in school? Cha, this is like being at the mall, y’all.

Raven: (sounding giddy herself) Man, if they put a shoe store in the gym, I may never go home!

Then, a judge named Judge Foody (who happens to be a parody of Judge Judy) appears; she reveals that the food court is literally a court and merely a trial program that, when passed by the students, will be sent on to all other schools.

However, because of her being a vegetarian, as well as an advocate of eating healthy and exercising properly, Chelsea is both upset and in rejection at the idea, because everything is junk food:

Raven: (after Judge Foody’s speech about the food court) Well, I’m sure we all came to a verdict when I say, “Let’s eat!” (The other students begin cheering)

Chelsea: (angrily) I object! (At her words, the other students stop and murmur to each other in surprise and confusion)

Raven: (turns to Chelsea, puzzled herself) What? Oh, Chels...

Chelsea: I’m sorry, but I don’t see any healthy choices.

Raven and Eddie stuff their faces with food such as giant hot dogs and onion rings, while Chelsea worries about them.

When they get to Raven’s house after school, and Chelsea suggests they go out and get some fresh air (as well as exercise), Raven and Eddie turn down her offer. Finally, she queries if they knew what the food from the food court is doing to them. 

Although Raven initially dismisses Chelsea’s claims by saying that nothing is wrong with them “or... this delicious food,” she changes her mind when she gets a vision of Eddie and the other students at school with a rump the size of their heads (and she discovers she has one when she turns to look at her reflection in a classroom window, and the sequins break off the seat of her pants when she shakes it a little). After coming out of the vision, Raven realizes Chelsea’s hunch about the food court was right, while also agreeing with Chelsea when Chelsea points out that Raven’s vision could come true if she keeps eating there:

Raven: (to Chelsea, after she comes out of the vision) Oh, I saw the future, and it was huge! It was like Attack of the Giant Booties!

Chelsea: Really? Wh-What’d you see?

Raven: Well, the whole school was getting fat, Chels. I’m talking about a lot of ‘junk in the trunk,’ homie.

Chelsea: See, Rae? See, now that could be your future if you keep eating at the food court.

Raven: (sees Chelsea’s point) You’re right, Chels. I’m done with the food court.

Chelsea: Good.

With that, Raven gives up her habit of eating at the food court and decides to help Chelsea out with her campaign against it.

Raven: (to the other students) People, people, listen to me... please listen to me. Put down the pies. Do not maximize. You got to exercise! Or the scales will rise, and so will your thighs!

Eddie: Who wants some fries?

After Raven gets a vision where Judge Foodie is on her cellphone talking to someone about the kids voting yes to the food court and it means putting the food courts into all schools, she and Chelsea decide to take action in order to prevent this from happening. So, they take samples of the food and show the other students what is actually in the food on the final day.

Afterwards, Chelsea rolls in a helium tank and uses it to inflate Raven’s tracksuit, and Raven gives a demonstration on how fat they would get. She then informs them that it is OK to eat junk food (but only once in a while), but if a person eats it all the time, they would get really sick.

Raven tells Chelsea to turn off the helium tank, but Chelsea breaks the knob, and Raven inflates out of control, eventually floating and flying wildly when Chelsea takes out the nozzle. The food court closes, and the school returns to normal.

Popularity and Unpopularity

You hear all those stories of cliques and the popular people. There’s a group of them in almost every school. And then, of course, there’s everyone else. Everyone else would usually fit into two basic categories: the ones who completely hate them, and the ones who would do absolutely anything to be a part of them. Luckily, that doesn’t happen all the time. When you are everyone else, there’s no median or go-between within the groups. When you happen to be a hater, you are disliked as well.

It’s seemingly simple, but it really isn’t. Also, the whole “You don’t like me? I don’t like you” concept makes for good drama. And when you’re a worshiper — well, you are hated too. There is something about the stalking and strange obsessions that turn the “in-crowd” to hatred.

Almost every teenager has been the victim and the predator — the one who taunts and the one who is humiliated. It seemingly can’t be helped. But those who are different, they must somehow have to be “punished” because that is supposedly the society of high school. And those who befriend the different (and are different themselves), are viewed as lower than the low in the eyes of judgmental teenagers.

And the social ladder is a frustrating thing. The popular students control the student body — or try to, at least, because some of the students believe they have had it with being mean to others. So, these students try being popular and nice simultaneously.

However, it’s not always like that. The ones below the popularity circle listen — listen and nothing else.

What do you think about popularity and being popular?

Full House: Working Girl

Holding down a job and school at the same time isn’t easy at all, as DJ Tanner found out the hard way in the episode “Working Girl” in Season 4 of Full House.

I like the episode Working Girl from Full House, because I learn some good things from it. Plus, I’m glad DJ decided to put her paycheck in the bank, although I smile at the part where she says to her dad Danny, “Dad, can I have a raise in my allowance?” I think every parent in history has heard those words from their kids quite often, too.

DJ desperately wants to buy an expensive pair of shoes ($160 for both shoes), so when she doesn’t get the money from Danny, she asks Danny to let her get a part-time job so she can earn enough money to get the shoes. Danny lets DJ start working for a photographer named Jack at the mall. Her job is to make reluctant kids smile for the camera. Danny allows DJ to have the job under one condition: she must make sure her grades stay smooth. However, this is easier said than done, as DJ’s science grade has been suffering lately. But she believes that the job will not only get her enough money to buy the shoes, but also will prove to Danny that she is not a little kid anymore.

However, DJ ends up in a sticky situation when she brings home her science exam with an “F” grade on it (as she’d been too busy with work and a lot of other classes), and then it gets even stickier when her best friend Kimmy changes it to an “A”. So after a little advice from Jesse (who had done the same thing when he was in junior high - such as changing 40s to 90s, and zeros to hundreds), DJ tells Danny what really happened. Danny tells his eldest daughter that she wanted to be a responsible adult, and what she did was the least responsible thing she could’ve done.

“I just wanted to prove that I could earn my own money,” DJ explains.

“Well, that’s all out the window now, because you’re going to have to quit your job, and no hanging out at the mall until you pull up that grade,” replies Danny.

“OK,” DJ says. “I guess I’ll go back to being a kid again.”

“Deej,” says Danny, “there’s nothing wrong with being a kid. You should enjoy it. You got the rest of your life to be an adult.”

Luckily, despite all the trouble she got into, DJ has gotten her first paycheck, which was more than enough to pay for her tennis shoes. But DJ decides to put it in the bank after all the hard work she did to earn it.

Meanwhile, Jesse and Rebecca are unable to agree on where their wedding should take place. Jesse wants the wedding to be at Graceland (home of Elvis Presley), and Rebecca wants the wedding to be in her home state of Nebraska. Luckily, with some help from Joey, they come to a final agreement and decide on having their wedding at their own home town: San Francisco.