[Sca-cooks] Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 22, Issue 40

[Ang Malone]

Dragon,

   For me who isn't easily offended, it was not the why are you 
thinking of buying a bread machine, it was the they create an 
inferior product tone and what that implicated is that we would burn 
in hell for using a bread machine.

   It is one of the bad things about e-mail is that there can 
sometimes be a perceived tone, and for many of us it was a snobby 
tone. Why couldn't the question have just been, "why do you want a 
bread machine?" and left at that?  or Why do you want a bread 
machine, I really enjoy making bread with a kitchen aid mixer and 
baking it in the oven.

  For me,  I find my bread machine helpful in making a bread for me 
that is so much better than store bought, but doesn't tax my disability.

   I know many people who have dropped off SCA-Cooks because they 
feel the most vocal people are snobs and aren't usually very helpful, 
and that bread machines make an inferior product was a showcase of 
that hurt feeling syndrome.  Luckily I have the skin of a Rhino.  :-)

         Ang


At 01:16 AM 2/13/2008, you wrote:
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:55:04 -0800 (PST)
>From: "Dragon" <dragon at crimson-dragon.com>
>Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] bread machines
>To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
>Message-ID:
>         <57008.144.189.5.201.1202867704.squirrel at www.crimson-dragon.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8
>
>
>I personally saw nothing untoward about asking why the OP wished to
>purchase a bread machine. Sometimes asking why somebody wishes to do
>something will allow somebody giving advice to provide much more targetted
>input that would help somebody to make a better decision about what they
>are going to buy. I participate in a lot of technical lists and nobody on
>any of them bats an eye at the question because everyone realizes that
>knowing the application behind what somebody wishes to do can help focus
>the discussion.
>
>I am baffled by the attitude that dissenting opinions are taken as a slam
>against the person asking about something. A dissenting opinion, expressed
>politely and respecfully can be just as enlightening as one that agrees.
>Sometimes they open up additional avenues and alternative thoughts that
>may not have occured to somebody before they asked.
>
>In the context of this discussion, several of us expressed our opinions
>that we thought the bread machine was not fitting for OUR OWN applications
>and we suggested alternatives to consider. This in no way invalidates
>either side of the discussion. Nor were any of these opinions expressed in
>a manner that should have been taken in an offensive manner. Nobody said
>anything that implied that nobody should ever use a bread machine. For
>some people, it is a good fit and they can and will be happy with it. For
>others, it isn't the right way to go.
>
>So I guess what I am getting at is that I don't understand why anyone is
>getting upset or perhaps perceiving this discussion as being indicative of
>"bread snobbery". I was an active brewer for many years and am an active
>baker now. I have developed my own methods and chosen my equipment to
>produce the results I like in a manner I am comfortable with. I will share
>what I do as an alternative to a proposed solution, people can take what
>they will away from my example, even if that is that they don't wish to do
>it that way. It's no skin off my nose.
>
>Some people know I am a stickler about certain things and they
>automatically assume I am a snob about them, but you know what? I'm not.
>If something works for you, go for it. I may disagree and engage in a
>friendly discussion about it but I won't tell anyone how they should bake
>their bread or what beer to drink. And to be honest, I think that is
>exactly the spirit in which the rest of the dissenting opinion was
>offered, not as a slam but as a different view.
>
>Dragon
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>   Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
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>