If I were touring by myself, I would not bring cooking gear with me. I don't cook. Instead I'd make creative "cold" meals like buns with cold meat, cheese, tomatoes, etc., raw fruit & veggies, granola bars, and so on. If I stayed in a hostel, I'd pick up a meal from a grocery store that could be microwaved so I could have some variety.

I would also not carry much in the way of excess food with me ... just enough for a day or so.

But Rowan likes cooking so he brings cooking gear with him, and for lunch we might have sandwiches or something like that ... a cold lunch ... but for supper, Rowan cooks up a delicious variety of meals on his Trangia.

And we still don't carry much in the way of excess food with us ... just enough for a day or so.

Unless we were cycling in a place where there was no chance of a grocery store for several day, I don't see the point of carrying 3-5 lbs of a food with me. As long as I can hit a grocery store at least once a day, I'll pick up a variety of food as I go.