Here's a brutal foodpill: weak cultures rely on nonsense like food and clothing to represent their culture. Dainty things that are nice to look at but present nothing of substance. Strong cultures have many aspects not just food, these cultures are comprised of philosophy, lifestyle, mindset, behaviour, ideals, etc. USA has a culture of power, wealth, Japan has stoicism and perfectionism, Germany has innovation and strength, these are all strong cultures that make people think of their amazingness. TLDR cultures that rely on food do so because food is the only interesting thing about such cultures