I think that highlights something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Many people - myself included - have found things that we don't find to be ideal. However, with this being alpha and missing so many of the pieces that will be in the final game, we can't really see what the complete picture will look like. So, while food at the current moment may appear to not have much substance underneath it, in the end it could be a really interesting game play component when it's all said and done. Just something to keep in mind and something I keep reminding myself.
I agree something could come out of it.
I agree that food is interesting, it is more of the reasoning for the "satiety" bar and is it even needed? Ie think of a game that I have not played in a long time but did it well: Runescape, cooking was part of it mainly for the health rather than any satiety bar.