[Gingersnap]

Fast food, processed food, and microwavable snacks taste good. End of story. It might not be as good as good home cooking but none of these people have tasted good home cooking. They have tasted fat-free, baked, fake-meat alternatives with plenty of steamed veggies (but no salt or butter). They've tasted it and it can't compare with a cheeseburger and fries.

We don't eat a lot of processed food because I'm a good cook and I'm thrifty but half the people in the country have never even had a homemade soup.

The other part of the problem is fat acceptance. Higher income, well educated people are less likely to be fat because fatness screams "lazy pig" and these people are anything but. It's just not socially acceptable to look out-of-control in some circles.

[aimee5291]

French women don't get fat...

[Gabz]

We don't eat a lot of processed food because I'm a good cook and I'm thrifty but half the people in the country have never even had a homemade soup.

I'm with you.

I've basically taught myself how to cook things like homemade soup because I never had it as a kid....soup always came out of a can. I admit that when I'm sick I still crave, and eat, Campbell's Chicken Noodle, but for the most part I make all of our soups.........and I do it in a 20 quart stock pot and then freeze it.

Like you I'm a pretty good cook, and I actually enjoy doing it and so make time to do it. But there are also times when I'm not in the mood, and so that is why I always make sure I've got plenty of stuff already in the freezer that just needs to be defrosted and heated.