not really?

italian and japanese cuisine don’t consider fat and seasoning the “basics” of cooking - quite the opposite actually. these cultures consider exemplifying the inherent qualities of the fresh ingredients more important and it shows in their dishes. just look at a proper italian pasta dish, or some sushi/sashimi…

it’s only a weird position if you come from a culture where “maximize the amount of brain chemicals this dumps out” is the objective of the cuisine…