What would my doctor do if he found out I've introduced bowls of gravy to my diet? (QMI Agency/Pam Davies)

10 undiscovered culinary capitals Top destinations for foodies

If the South were ever to rise again it would belch and go back to bed for a nap.

This became clear while driving from Toronto to Florida, a fast-food landscape unlike any other in the world. There are countless burger joints, all-you-can eat buffets and restaurants dedicated to fried chicken, fish, Mexican, Chinese and Italian. I lost count at 62 chains after discovering Bob Evans.

Bob Evans first restaurant opened in 1962 serving affordable country cooking in "farm size" portions. They gained a reputation for their sausages and this became the foundation for their empire of restaurants across the United States. The menu consists of all-day breakfasts and country classics, such as gravy smothered country-fried steak with all the fixins.

But the Sausage Gravy Breakfast got my attention -- a bowl of sausage gravy with a side of biscuits and home fries. Just to be clear, this wasn't an order of biscuits and home fries with a side of gravy. No, it was a bowl of gravy with the other stuff on the side.

I wanted to order it but fear set in. What would my doctor do if he found out I've introduced bowls of gravy to my diet?

The man in the booth next to me ordered it then devoured it. Obviously, he feared no one.

The other menu items didn't seem as adventurous when you could be eating gravy. It was a blessing in disguise because my stomach needed room for what came next. Just off Interstate 95 in Walterboro South Carolina is Duke's Barbecue. This location has been open for over 25 years serving barbecue in the South Carolina tradition.

Some of the locals are proud to announce they've been raised on barbecue and waistlines prove that Duke's has raised them well.

It's located in an unassuming red shuttered white country building with a red peaked roof and plastic pigs on the front lawn. Inside is just as simple. A self-service all-you-can-eat buffet channels to tables with rolls of paper towels, jars of hot sauce and loaves of white bread -- the opposite of fine dining.

Grab a paper plate, some plastic utensils and prepare to dig in.

South Carolina tender smoked pulled pork is the first item of the line. Next is a bin of Duke's tomato based sauce and another with their signature sweet-tangy mustard sauce. The other two South Carolina sauces -- a vinegar sauce and a lighter tomato based sauce -- are available in squeeze bottles. Crispy fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, deep-fried okra, collard greens, rice hash, and baked beans round out the table.

A belly busting 32 items, all home made. The buffet concludes with banana pudding and chocolate-peanutbutter cake. Wash it all down with a glass of ice tea.

This was the warm up for the championship of excess -- the KFC buffet. These shrines to gluttony have all-you-can-eat buffets that offer a gastronomic challenge like no other. Trays of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravy, coleslaw and macaroni salad look up at you as you start to question the strength of your arteries.

After 11 drumsticks, I needed a nap and a gallon of antacids. Remorse and regret settled in as my body generated enough methane to power the city of Kingston.

Fast food is a massive business on the Interstates to Florida. They offer massive portions at very cheap prices. But if you're prepared to dig deeper there are other options to standard fast food.

The independent family-owned southern style restaurants, such as Duke's, are perfect examples. Practically every town that the Interstates feed from North Carolina to Florida have small barbecue restaurants that have survived the corporate invasion offering fresh ingredients, family recipes, secret sauces and real barbecue. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go join a gym.