Letters to the Editor
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tomreedtoon
"Something more smug and self-cocking..."
I'm not familiar with the term "self-cocking." Could you explain it?
"...I couldn't have written if I was Bill O'Reilly myself."
Interesting (but hardly standard or traditional) choice in your use of the subjunctive. Also, probably "himself" would be the appropriate choice, rather than "myself."
"And speaking about "style"..."
We aren't speaking, we are writing.
"...they introduced the carriage return."
I apologize if the lack of a double-space between paragraphs made my original post difficult to understand.
In spite of my poor style, I'm still interested in reading about why you think that people are snobs if they are passionate about a certain product or method of production. I think it's great that there are people out there willing to risk profit and commercial success while concentrating on creating something using traditional methods, which invariably means a more labor-intensive approach. In this day and age, that often equates with a higher price. I'm willing to pay a higher price for a good product, not because I can gloat that I can afford more, but because I will enjoy that product more. If I have $100 to spend on wine, I would rather have a few bottles produced by a dedicated artisan than a couple of cases of industrial, mass-produced swill. Even if my sole purpose is to get drunk, as you suggest, I would still rather get drunk from something that tastes better and is made in a manner that doesn't damage the land that is was made on or the water supply that surrounds it.
I would also rather send my money to someone who sees agriculture and winemaking as integral aspects of a challenging and rewarding lifestyle than to someone who has determined that "wine drinkers are a growing market sector" to exploit. If that makes me a snob, then I will accept that title, as my snobbishness does not involve judging other people.
I hope you answer my original question. And here's another one: what do you have against farmers' markets? Is there something wrong with getting great food while supporting small local farms? I'd rather rinse a little manure of a tomato than ingest a flavorless, under-ripe bundle of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Maybe if more people were willing to expose themselves to naturally farmed produce, we wouldn't have so much trouble with drug-resistant bacteria strains.