According to the experience of the army on the Tibetan Plateau, hot, freshly cooked meals can greatly improve morale.
The thing is, a culture's cuisine says a lot about its views and perspectives on life and what they enjoy. The climate and geography is not an excuse because Danish food is not bad and it's directly opposite Britain with a similar climate. Chinese food is communal, with flavours representative of each region and its cultural evolution, it tells a story. cuisine in taiwan for eg is heavily influenced by KMT remnants who failed from northern China, with souther cuisine. British food tells me they hate life and their propensity towards violence was historically an outlet for their latent homosexuality.
If i recall, the PLA has a special mess unit that cooks fresh field on the battlefield in communal pots/woks; as any solider can attest, an army marches on its stomach and hot food is always welcomed.