After living in an old Italian neighborhood in New Haven, CT (Sally's Pizza, et. al is there) I was permanently dissuaded from ever using sauce that wasn't made from scratch. It was indelibly impressed on my brain that there was no way I could have any self respect if I didn't
They take that stuff pretty seriously. So did the guy I was dating at the time. We had to get up early on Sat. mornings and drive about 25 miles (!!!) just to get "the bread". "The bread" was in a place where the salamis were as large as torpedos, etc. the smaller ones hanging from ceiling. The mozzerella was handmade of course.
After that, I moved to Louisiana, and the great people of Lafayette taught me even MORE about how to eat and make the best food on the planet. I guess I have to give them the grand award, out of 13 states I've lived in.
Besides, who can't go with "if it fits in a pot, cook it!" YOu gotta love that.
Don''t have much to say about Arkansan food........

It could be part of the history, times were tough here and in the dust bowl and if you got ANY food you were happy back then.