Oh man... you put me on the spot! haha I did see that article in this past weekend's Courier Journal. At first read, it sounds stereotypical...fat Kentuckians eating fried chicken and pork chops, but how do you argue with facts? I will admit to being somewhat of a fatass myself...I weigh about 220lbs at 6feet tall..but I used to weigh 246 at my heaviest. weight is something I've always struggled with, though. I just love to eat...Smoking, drinking, and tobacco use of all sorts are common here, though. I would say that only recently do you see more NON smokers in public than smokers! For a while it was the minority that DID NOT smoke. Myself included...I smoked from 12 to about 23 years old...then I quit and got on Skoal...on and off....but haven't smoked in a looooooooooooong time...but still, not healthy. As far as them comparing us the illness rates and similarities to a third world country...OUCH. But again, if the facts hold up. The whole thing makes me want to go to the gym.
On the other hand...I still say Kentucky is a great state. We like our food and enjoy a drink and smoke, we are not considered, "yankees" by most, and we have a general level of hospitality among us that is unmatched in most parts of the modern day world. We still prefer saying hello to our neighbors and helping friends and getting right with the Man. We may not be the healthiest buncha sons o bitches but dammit we know how to put first things first and work hard, play hard, and have an all out good time. What that article doesn't account for is mental health. And I think the level of HAPPINESS is in Kentucky is probably one of the highest in the nation.
So pass me some Wild Turkey, make my chicken FRIED, and I'll see you at Churchill Downs! Hell, maybe I'll even wash it all down with a porkchop or two!
American by birth,
Kentuckian by the Grace of God.