There's nothing ignorant about words meaning different things in different languages.
Try to explain that to a German. Ukraine or 'the' Ukraine. lol
White rice is horrible for you as it is loaded with sugar.
I think in the old days it was territorial do to climate and growing conditions for availability which has been passed on to the next generation.
I have noticed that ALL my Polish relatives (from ancestry) in "America" do not eat rice and prefer spuds.
Here in the Caribbean countries (Jamaica) you can expect rice with almost every meal served.
Rice, red beans, coconut milk (to sweeten it) boiled with scallions, called rice & peas.
Then we ad either pepper sauce, curry, tomato, ketchup or whatever to spice it.