I've avoided the food heritage part of the question because I didn't want to sound judge-y*, but it's definitely one of the big differences between how DH and I were raised. My house was far from a "sweets-free" zone, but dessert was not part of every dinner, either. (Salad usually was, though, on
top of whatever other veggie we having.) DH came from a "food is love" house, and he battles to keep his sweet tooth in check to this day. So I definitely think our food heritage shapes our adult preferences and struggles.
I also think it shapes our expectations in areas like independence and gender roles. In DH's house, meals were kind of seen as an act of service, and very much his mom's domain. In my house (except for big weekend brunches) breakfast was a serve-yourself affair as soon as you could be trusted to use the toaster.

I learned how to start dinner in upper elementary school, simply because I was the first one home, and it was a team effort, with my dad cooking at least as often as my mom. My brother and I were both encouraged to experiment with recipes as well.
Over the years, DH and I have merged our food heritages into something in the middle.
* I really
don't believe that some parents are perfect and some make mistakes - we just all make
different mistakes!