The Nauru article linked also points out that the large amount of mining has done away with most of what little arable land there was, making traditional garden culture impractical at scale. So, they sort of have to be dependent on foreign food imports, largely the kind you mention.

Ohio has lost its relative population and economic significance in recent years, but historically it was a pretty significant state. To give an idea in terms of # of representatives in the House:

Ohio had more/equal reps compared to California until the 50s, Texas until the 60s, and Florida until the 90s. Its numbers have been very close to Illinois for the past century also.

The collective cultural awareness of cities in such a state holds inertia for a while, and Ohio still has a decent population despite some decline.

I don’t have a Boston accent (RI) and say Wusstah, as does everyone from the area (including surrounding MA) I’ve known.

It’s more Wusstah than Wooster in my experience.

McDonald’s stopped using beef tallow for fries in 1990. I suppose that might be relatively recent if you are an elf.