I was born in the south. And I live in the south. That means I eat fried food — me, and about everybody else down here. Oh sure, I look on a restaurant menu and see where they offer grilled fish or chicken. They even charge more to grill it. But most southerners like it fried.

You can’t name a food we haven’t dipped in batter and dropped in grease. The examples are almost endless — potatoes, chicken livers, ice cream, pickles, Oreos, Twinkies, donuts, and bread (aka hush puppies).