Conversations With Harry

Harry: Jane? (I'm used to it, I've learned it's next to impossible for any non native English speaker to say "Jan".)
Harry: I have a question for you.
Me: Okay.
Harry: Why are all Americans so fat?
Me: Well, we like to eat.
Harry: No. Chinese like to eat too.
Me: But our food tastes good, so we eat a lot of it, and it's fattening.
Harry: But Chinese food tastes good, and I think it is just as fattening as American food.
Me: Yeah, but we eat a lot of fast food, and the Chinese don't.
Harry: But the young Chinese like fast food,they eat it a lot, and they aren't fat.
(Seeing that I'm not going to win with this argument, I switch gears.)
Me: But Americans don't get as much exercise as Chinese. Most Chinese walk or ride a bicycle to work, and we drive our cars everywhere.
Harry: But Americans like sports.
Me: Well, Americans like to watch sports.
Harry: My dad says you shouldn't say people are 'fat', you should call them 'overweight'.
Me: (laughing) Well, Chinese people used to tell me I was fat all the time, but in America you shouldn't tell somebody they're fat.
Harry: You should tell them they're 'overweight'?
Me: No, you should tell them that either. It's not polite to tell somebody they're fat or overweight. You can think it, but you shouldn't tell them.
Harry: So you and Jason are considered skinny in America?
Me: (laughing again, knowing he doesn't think so) Well, I don't think we're considered fat.

A little while later we went to Sonic for lunch. Harry ordered a double meat double cheese hamburger with fries. As he was eating, I pointed to his hamburger and said, "Harry, that's why Americans are fat."