I like myself a fresh loaf as well. I think there's more joy/ritual in bread making/baking. There's more types of bread to experiment with. It's a hobby. Some bakers I know spend more money on mixers and cast iron baking pans and other contraptions than a fancy rice cooker. No one makes rice for a hobby or bring plain rice to potluck. Your chickpea comparison is apt. Imagine if your normal staple is just chickpeas. It's a chore made for automation. East Asian rice consumption is pretty boring, people stick with their brand rarely even switch up grain types. Other cultures put stuff in their rice, spice it up, cook it with stuff and have more one pot raw rice recipes. But if your rice diet is 95% white rice consumed the same way, splurging on a "unitool" like a rice cooker to save time brings joy.