As a 7th generation Floriadian, I'll put in my two cents worth. The southern U.S. (pre-civil war) remained agricultural when the north became industrialized. A typical southern diet consists of meat (especially pork), eggs, seafood (crawfish, shrimp, crabs, catfish), grits, cornbread, biscuits, rice, greens, sweet potatoes, pecans. Gravies and sauces are served with everything. Sweets, salt, and fried foods are favored, and crisco has replaced lard as the cooking fat of choice. I agree with the notion that that income is at play here; a traditional "poor" southern diet is beans, rice and cornbread supplemented with bacon and seafood. (And the modern "poor" diet also includes beer, chips, and sugary drinks.) I also think that southerners will take flavorful over "healthy" any day! Mary <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >From: "Jay Banks" >> I noticed this on CNN. Something to think about, since it would seem that >> those in the South would be eating a higher meat diet and/or be *closer* to >> what some would consider a modern paleo/atkins-type of diet. Anybody else >> care to comment?: Probably a direct correlation between income and diet, people have lower incomes, must subsist on high carb diet made up mostly of cheap grains Less likely to consume fresh high quality meat, too expensive