I was born in South Carolina in 1944, the typical diet went something like this,
Breakfast, fried eggs, salt cured ham or pork sausage, biscuits cooked with milk and lard, sometimes large helpings of homemade molasses, grits with gravy made with the fat out of the ham, etc.
Dinner, (the big meal at noon) more pork, more biscuits, vegetables cooked with pork fat in them, potatoes etc.
Supper, (usually a smaller meal in the evening) leftover vegetables from the noon meal, corn bread, milk.
Most people think this diet would make everyone fat but there were very few fat people around back then. Most young people were rail thin. Of course most people got more exercise in a day than many people do in a month now.
I just gained 5 lbs. reading your post. Sounds wonderful!
Lard is healthier than vegetable oil when it comes right down to it.....
But you are right about the amount of excercise now compared to abck then.
I have very good friends in Charleston who make clam chowder with cream, potatoes and lots of butter (along with the clams and onions of course) and then fry fatback IN LARD to sprinkle on the top. Then they serve it with cornbread and fried kale (which I don't eat).
Wow, what a meal !