Sucks you have to do a trial to read the whole thing, but I think it's easy to see how this article gives a good explanation in how language is a part of culture:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...ge-and-culture
The food comparison I think is great. Food is a necessity just as much as language, but it's not about them eating food, it's the how, what, and why in relation to the food they eat.
I can think of a good (but yes embarrassing for my daughter) example of this being applied to language:
When my daughter was born I discovered something rather...bizarre (for me anyway) about the filipino culture. All the women would stand around her when getting changed laughing and talking about her "peck peck." With my husband's face getting red and shaking his head. Didn't take long to find out peck peck meant vagina. And they were comparing it to her cousin that was born three weeks prior. Arguing over who had the bigger peck peck.
In fact, this is what my MiL wanted to use as a nickname for my daughter. She kept calling her Peck Peck. I was like "FUCK THAT NO", so we convinced them to change it to Mack Mack (daughter's name is Mackenzie).
Now, you may say that's about culture not caring about talking about a womans' privates, but it goes further than that. She would never use the word vagina. She wouldn't consider that appropriate. Hell,
I feel more comfortable saying peck peck than vagina. Somehow peck peck is not as intrusive as vagina. She speaks perfect English as I said, so this isn't about her not knowing the word or anything. Tagalog is tied in with the filipino culture so it's ok to say it because it relates to said culture. Vagina in English is not treated the same way, and so gets separated.