Give your kids a bloody knife and fork and let me put some fresh food in front of them they can eat.

The line uses shock and hyperbole to argue that children’s eating habits are not fixed “preferences” but are shaped by what adults repeatedly offer them. By invoking a “bloody knife and fork” and “fresh food,” Oliver frames the issue as one of exposure and normalization: if wholesome, freshly prepared meals are placed in front of kids as a matter of routine, they will learn to eat them. The provocation also reflects his broader public stance that institutions and parents should take responsibility for food environments rather than blaming children for rejecting healthier options.