Basically every culture is built around the consumption of carbohydrates, which are all similarly easy to absorb like sugar. Rice, Potatoes, Bread, it's all in the same category in my understanding. An easy source of burnable energy, easier to break down into the "right kind" of carbon rings than e.g. fat. The comparison is kinda weak, this is literally one of the pathways of our basic metabolism. Unlike alcohol, which has a complex and toxic pathway to get anywhere.