A long-standing joke in the fandom is that because England’s
food is poor, America inherits said lack of taste from him and can therefore
eat it without a problem. However, evidence from the strips point otherwise. Just
like he chooses to read the atmosphere or purposefully ignore it, it seems that
America also chooses whether or not to give his true opinion on the food he
eats.
For example, in the sixth comic diary, an adult America reminisces
and bashfully admits that England isn’t very good at cooking.
He then has a flashback of his childhood, where his younger
self comments and shows disappointment in the fact that England has burnt his
food again. He also remarks that France is a better cook, which demonstrates
his ability to rank food according to taste.
What I’ll be arguing is that America doesn’t want to hurt England’s
feelings, and pretends to like his cooking instead. This is clearly seen in the
strip, as young America notices how intently
England watches him as he eats.
In other words, he wants to make England feel better. Quite frankly,
if England was giving me that look, I’d find it hard to tell him the truth too.
England’s reaction after America tells him that he likes the food is too cute
for words – it’s absolutely priceless – and this is likely why America keeps up
this façade.
Then, in another strip titled “America and England”, it seems
that America has become so used to ignoring the taste of food, that he’s
forgotten what ‘good’ food tastes like. That’s where I believe his ‘alleged’ lack
of taste comes from.
Why do I say this? Because there’s also instances where
America becomes aware of how bad the food he’s eating is, and has no problem making
his opinion known about it. It’s also important to mention that when he does
this, it’s usually in retaliation to England’s insults.
In other words, the moment England is rude to him, America is
no longer worried about trying to avoid hurting his former guardian’s feelings
and gives his honest opinion on the food. Here are just a few more examples:
After being called a collection of hicks by England, America
opens up about how awful the former’s scones are.
America is also known for hating the taste of marmite.
So, there you have it. It appears that America’s lack of
taste is more of an aversion to hurting England’s feelings. He may not openly
show it, but America truly does care about England; it’s the small hidden
details that you especially have to look out for with them since they’re both so stubborn.
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