After seeing ads for Taste the Nation one might become excited to see Padma's newest food adventure; a journey across the states highlighting regional cuisines and melding traditions therein. However the cuisine we were promised takes a firm backseat to Padma's political lecturing. Before even a single recipe is shown, we see grim bystander footage of a racially-motivated mass shooting and an explanation of its impact on the community. The subsequent episodes are no better in this regard. While there is certainly a home for that sort of content, does it belong here?