In corn I think I've found the key to the American food chain. If you look at a fast-food meal a McDonald's meal virtually all the carbon in it - and what we eat is mostly carbon - comes from corn.

I'm not sure that some of the food purists are in touch with what really goes on in American households.

I want Americans to enjoy food. I want them to celebrate food. I want them to on occasions to have big cakes and great things. And I want them to indulge.

Most of my life I was occupied with American television and American food. My ethnicity was my choice. It still is.

Even though I grew up as a Sephardic Jew in Brooklyn where we ate Syrian food and went to temple it was still America.

In England and America people tend to graze all day long but I think it's such a waste to be constantly picking at food because you then can't enjoy a proper full meal when the time comes.

The American public is not aware that there might be potential allergenic and toxic reactions. With regular food at least people know which foods they have an allergy to.

Clearly America's dysfunctional food culture must bear some of the blame for our excess pounds but it's likely our walking-averse lifestyles contribute as well.

Let us build a 21st-century rural economy of cutting-edge companies and technologies that lead us to energy and food security. Such an investment will revitalize rural America re-establish our moral leadership on climate security and eliminate our addiction to foreign oil.

You know rural Americans are a special people. Their labor puts food on our table and fuel in our gas tanks. Their service in our military sets a powerful example of leadership honor and sacrifice. Their spirit of community inspires us all.