I agree and that is troubling. Sure some of those deep South dishes have high fat content but, I am sure that if other countries could get a taste of American cuisine they would revise the opinion that fast food is the only cuisine in this country.
I have noticed though that when you attend cooking school you learn French, Italian, Latin, Mediterranean, or German cooking. I guess since the world thinks fast food is the only type of food served in America that this is the reason budding chefs do not study American cuisine.