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So Mario and company eat all kinds of things to get stronger or gain powers with mushrooms being the most prevalent. They are the most basic power up and they also provide additional lives.

What I would like to know is, is there any evidence to suggest our favorite Italian plumber actually enjoys the taste of these mushrooms or does he eat them simply for the benefit they provide?

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    seems to be a fan of toadstools ;) – NKCampbell Jun 13 '16 at 17:36
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    What self-respecting Italian doesn't like mushrooms? – Valorum Jun 13 '16 at 17:40
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    I will have to check, but I think that there is at least one RPG game when upon using a Mushroom item to heal up, Mario will give a satisfied face as to indicate he liked the flavor. Probably it is either in the Mario&Luigi games or one of the Paper Mario franchise ones. – SPArcheon Jun 13 '16 at 18:02
  • Attsa matta with you, you no think an Italian guy puts mushrooms on his pizza? Its all pretty trippy. Did you say magic mushrooms? – Fey Ray Jun 14 '16 at 1:23
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According to Paper Mario he finds normal (magic) mushrooms bland and uninteresting. Presumably he only eats them in-game for their magical and restorative effects.

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For the record he finds volt mushrooms tart, fried mushrooms uninteresting and sweet 'shroom cake to be "Yummy", so I guess it depends on the variety of mushroom and the way it's prepared.

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Interestingly, in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, his opinion on fried mushrooms seems to have changed, now finding them "Tasty".

enter image description here

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  • Interesting, I somehow remembered the comments to be more positive. Maybe we should compare to the descriptions used in Paper Mario: the Thousand Years Door? – SPArcheon Jun 13 '16 at 18:08
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    @SPArchaeologist - The descriptions in TYD don't seem to have any adjectives; youtube.com/watch?v=8VOtsvdevsM – Valorum Jun 13 '16 at 18:50
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    To be fair, making a meal from just eggs + mushroom can be pretty bland without some butter or spices, even if you like mushrooms! – Yakk Jun 14 '16 at 12:24
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    @PaulD.Waite - The descriptions in TYD don't have any adjectives to describe whether Mario likes or dislikes the food he's being served. It just says "You've got x" – Valorum Jun 14 '16 at 14:33
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    @PaulD.Waite As soon as I can find some time to check I probably will. Btw, Valorum... I didn't just mean the descriptions you get when receiving the item. There is the recipes section in the last page of the character menu to check ^_^ – SPArcheon Jun 14 '16 at 18:34
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Who says he eats any mushrooms, including the Magic Mushrooms?

From page 8 of the SMB1 manual: Thanks to “the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic”... “Mushroom People were turned into mere stones”... “The only one who can undo the magic spell is Princess Toadstool”.

A section of SMB1's manual shows some sprites, including page 14 which shows the “Mushroom retainers”, which are the people who look like Toad found at the end of the castles. The manual says “Seven Mushrooms who originally served in the court of Princess Toadstool”. In other words, the term “mushroom” can be used to refer to a person who is a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom.

In the section called “Mario's Friends”, which discusses the Magic Mushroom, Fireflower, and Starman, page 8 of the manual says, “If you come across mushrooms who have been turned into bricks or made invisible, they reward you by giving you a power boost.”

So although Princess Toadstool may be the only one who can take care of the magic spell over the whole land, Mario is able to rescue individual friends by shaking them up a bit. Surely we don't usually think that Mario is eating the Fireflower. Simply making contact with the Power-Up is sufficient. (This is clearly shown by the Super Mario Bros. Super Show cartoon's intro, when Mario touches a Starman and that causes him to don the Fiery Mario clothing seen on SMB1's box art, since we all know that's exactly how that works). Likewise, several pieces of official artwork show Mario holding a Magic Mushroom, but not eating one.

If Mario was known to eat his friends, they would be far less likely to be providing him with rewards.

References:

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  • +1 Some good points here. I do have to say, Mario definitely eats mushrooms though. In the recent Mario and Luigi games, when using a mushroom to heal they are shown going into their mouths and swallowed. – kjw Jun 14 '16 at 15:05
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    @kjw the EU/US manuals for the original NES Super Mario Bros game states that that Bowser turned the abitants of the Mushroom Kingdom into "stones, bricks and even field horse-hair plants". This may explain why the older game often seemed to imply that the "power ups" were actually sentient begins rewarding Mario for saving them with their powers instead of just begin inanimate items that you consume. Later games actually shows Mario eating the (Power) Mushrooms, so in a way you seem to be both correct ^_^ – SPArcheon Jun 14 '16 at 18:29

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