Lot of good info here already, but here’s a quick easy potato that I fall back on a lot:

-take your potato, wash it well, and poke a few holes in it all over with a fork or whatever you have

-microwave it for ~2-4 minutes, flip, and do another 2-4 depending on how strong your microwave is and how big of a potato. If it isn’t cooked through (completely soft), flip and do another round until it is

-bam, 4-8 minute baked potato. Cut open and put margarine in it, a bit of salt, green onion, whatever. Sour cream/cottage cheese/other cheese are a great way to make it tastier and make it a complete source of protein, mayonnaise probably isn’t as good for you but tastes similar, is easier to find cheap/free in squeeze packs, and if you can score unopened jars is shelf stable for a long time so you can have it on hand for tighter times.

They hang out here because America is currently one of/the best wealth engines on the planet and they can afford to avoid the shit parts. Once either of those stop they’ll go somewhere else that’s nicer