“These were the highly respected officials of the town. Alas! The fat ones of this world know how to manage their affairs better than the thin ones. The thin ones are mostly employed on special assignments or are merely carried on the civil service list, and flit hither and yon. Their existence is weightless, insubstantial and utterly insecure. The fat men, on the other hand, never occupy peripheral positions, but always central ones, and if they do sit down somewhere then they sit firmly and securely, and the seat would sooner crack and sag beneath them than they would fly off it. They have no liking for external glitter; their tailcoats are not so artfully cut as those of the thin men, yet their coffers are filled with God’s abundance.”
Nikolay Gogol, “Dead Souls”, 1842.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 