@lume but rice is tasty after all... much better than pasta imo.. and you can eat it with any side dishes. It is simple and versatile. It can be made into rice flour as well, which then can be cooked into a variety of dishes and desserts. Soy sauce is also somewhat irreplaceable in Asian cuisine. Adding salt and pepper is not the same with adding soy sauce. There’s also sweet soy sauce too. For miso, I think it is an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Every family used to have their own miso blend to make miso soup. People used to make their own soy sauce after all, so the taste of miso is very unique to each household. So, the point is when those ingredients, especially rice become your staple food, it’s not possible to not prioritizing them. If your staple food is bread, imagine not eating bread.