dietary habits for the ordinary american

I remember ordering by counting calories

I did it the other way around. By finding something on the menu that had the most calories per dollar. Maximum value. I'm not sure there's anything at Cheesecake Factory that would be a terribly great "value" unless it had around that 1600 calorie mark (and was roughly under $16-17 per plate). Leaving one stuffed to the gills. And that Miso Salmon is pretty good.

The cheesecake itself is probably the best "value" by this logic. The distinction I have versus everyone else going there is probably that I have so rarely any reason to go there. And then of course that when I do, it's like Thanksgiving and I only have the one meal of three to five thousand calories for an entire day. Reading dietary habits of "ancient" Americans does not impress upon me a need for us to cut down (in Lewis/Clark days an average American male of their status consumed around eight to nine thousand calories daily). It mostly impresses upon me a need to do more labour intensive work. I'd be perfectly happy (and generally always have been) to eat several times the "recommended" daily allowance of calories in one day. I just also have been perfectly happy to move around enough to allow me to do it from time to time.

go here if you were really curious