Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Cheap corn and the food industry's desire to increase portion size rather than decrease price.

Flatbush Farms, Brooklyn

Months...remember that smokng is foremost a means of preservation, not of flavoring.

embers -- bay ridge. not as good as any of the top-notch places, but the filet mignon is good. it is/used to be next door to a butcher.

All of the above, sedentary lifestyle, too much fast and processed food, and portions.

Being from Texas, where "everything is bigger", one only has to look at the most obese cities in America (at least two Texas cities in the top 10 for the last 6 years!) and say portion size definitely has something to do with it. Also urban sprawl and the lack of good public transportation systems here has left us totally dependent on our cars, so we don't walk enough.

And everywhere in general, the fad diets. Trying to convince us that low carb, low fat, low salt, low sugar, low whatever, is the answer. Look at the rest of the world and you'll see that you don't have to do without to be fit and healthy. It is: not too much of anything, everything in moderation. (Julia Child had it right, and she lived a long and healthy life!)

As far as the rising obesity in children, I think tv and video games. What happened to playing outside? I was always out bike riding or playing games with other kids in the neighborhood. You hardly see that anymore, and it's sad.

Huge portions, eating too many refined carbs, snacking, in general eating way too much food! I travel overseas all the time, and the rest of the world eats normal portions, Americans eat MASSIVE! portions that could easily feed 2-3 people. Plus eating all the cheap but tasty (I absolutely LOVE properly made pomme frites!) stuff just isn't good for you.

The only way I keep my weight under control is by conciously understanding what I am eating and keeping portions reasonable. Trust me, eating for me is serious enjoyment, but I would die of a heart attack before I turned 50 if I didn't take it easy.

When all humans were hunters and gatherers, sure, eat at the buffet till there was nothing left because you didn't know when you would eat next. But we don't live like cavemen anymore.

Ah, my Atari 2600 ... good times.

I agree with everything the other posters have said. But I also think there is the issue of how our meat supply is raised. The elements in beef, pork, and poultry feed that fattens them up for market eventually makes its way to our tables, and we consume it as well.