Tomie James has travelled from Ireland to make a good point: we’re putting an awful lot of rubbish into our bodies. Unlike a large proportion of the audience, I’m not a super enthusiastic vegetarian or vegan, but, initially at least, it’s still interesting to hear about James’ decision to go organic. Having lost two and half stone, defeated his insomnia and beaten a Chinese takeaway addiction which he describes as positively undignified, it is hard not to respect his efforts.
James also reveals shocking facts about food, one of the most memorable being an explanation of what xanthum gum really is - black rot which grows on plant leaves. By the end of the show I want to check the ingredients of most of the fridge; it doesn’t even feel safe to pick up an apple if James is correct about what could and probably has been sprayed on them. Jibes at misleading nutrition advice like ‘No Added MSG’ and chefs such as Marco Pierre White who promote products which James thinks are despicable, also create a strong murmur of agreement, as do jokes about wishing that ‘the Michelin man’ would just stick to tyres.
There is one main flaw in James’ show, however: it’s rarely funny. I’m not sure if he cares much about being entertaining if his message has managed to get through, but he does call himself a comedian. Some of the tales recalling attempts to cure his gluten allergy are amusing, as is his profuse and out of place swearing when he is particularly passionate, but awkwardly delivered Irish-Catholic jokes aren’t received well, and it never really feels like a comedy show. His ending - a true story about organic food being identified as an improvised explosive device by airport security - could have been fantastic, but instead the end of the show is a bit of an anti-climax.
Tomie James will definitely make you consider, and possibly even change, the way you think about food, but he probably won’t make you laugh much. Whilst I begin to be less interested towards the end of the show and there’s no way I’ll be convinced that drinking only fruit and vegetable smoothies for a week will ‘heal my body’, James’ show still carries an important message and a warning, which is evidently extremely important to him. Many of us could learn some serious lessons from James, but if you want comedy; go elsewhere.
