It is a heavy cuisine, especially the bean dishes. I am the same way with rice when it comes to a meal, but because South Asian is my favorite cuisine, the only thing that can replace rice is some kind of delicious flatbread, especially roti or paratha. In Cambodia the slang way to say "How are you?" is to say "Did you eat rice yet?" Somebody once told me Thais say the same the same thing too, is that correct?