Question

Hello, I have a very general question about the halakhic status of bread nowadays (regarding Grace after Meals, and regarding its very status as the primary food that exempts the secondary foods). It seems to me that nobody wants to touch this sensitive topic, even though it seems clear to me that the status of bread has completely changed today, with many practical ramifications. I assume that the status of bread as established in Jewish law stemmed from the importance and exclusivity of bread as a nourishing food in ancient times. It had almost no competitors in the starch family. Today, eating habits have changed, and although bread has not disappeared entirely, it no longer occupies the same place it once did. So my question is: why don’t they update the obligation of Grace after Meals to include other starches like rice, potatoes, and so on? This is actually an update that would make things more stringent. Second question: hasn’t bread lost its status as the primary food that exempts the secondary food? For example, in the time of the Sages, bread was the main part of the meal and everything else was secondary to it, whereas today it is the opposite: the main foods are meat, cheese, fish, and so on, and bread, if there is any bread at all, only comes along with them. According to this, we would need to recite a blessing over each food. I’ve kept the question short; there is a lot more that could be brought to bear on this topic. Actually, I live in France, that is, the country of bread, and even so, go out and see—ask any average French person casually, and no one today would point to bread as the main part of the meal.