Axis of Eatin', I: England

Becks and Posh's St. George's day megapost dedicated to the proposition that English food is no joke is as good a time as any to tie up some loose ends involving food and nationalism that have been rattling around.
England:
"English food is no joke" is one of those assertions that by virtue of being uttered inevitably suggests that the opposite is true, like statements about the athleticism of stock car racers,* or Nicole Kidman's prowess as an actress. However, B&P lays out a pretty strong case. Beyond the points like the inadvisability of stepping to Fergus Henderson, there are celebrations of individual foodstuffs, and more global reflections, like the one that points out that Keith Richards eats it. To sum up: bangers & mash & heroin = eternal life.**

*Not sure how long this has been around, but NNDB, the source for the Cale Yarborough image, is a little bit creepy, in its inclusion of a datafield for sexual orientation. 

** Searching for images of Keith Richards is less NSFW than searching for images of Nicole Kidman, but in a way, the abundance of fan art devoted to making Keef look even more haggard than he is is more disturbing than a thousand blurry Blue Room pics.