alt Hacker Newsi really don’t understand wine or alcohol snobs in general. to me, ingredients and food freshness is so much easier to actually discern and objectively easier to say what food tastes better than arguing over fine minute notes in drinks. a pastry hot out of the oven will taste miles better than one made 4 hours ago and reheated, but it’s pretty hard to find truly fresh baked goods in a lot of places. (donuts especially are amazing less minutes after frying!)
fruit has huge differences in taste depending on the specific variety, where it’s grown, how long ago it was picked, especially stuff like stone fruit or berries. meat, fish, etc also have huge differences in quality and taste.
but maybe i just haven’t had the right glassware :)
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I have three recommendations:
1. Do what makes you happy.
2. Don't make other people feel bad for not being as discerning/picky as you about something.
3. Becoming more discerning about something may make you happy at times, but it may also cost you money and turn a simple pleasure into an unsatisfying pursuit. Choose your obsessions carefully! You can choose not to care.
You probably have friends who are, by your standards, are shamefully oblivious to the quality of fruit they eat. If they're happy don't spoil it for them.
The stuff aficionados do does tend to make a difference up to a point. It's not all BS. However, there is typically a diminishing returns curve. Often, there is also some self-deception or outright snake-oil further up the curve.
The only argument I'd make for getting picky about whisky is that you can enjoy the equivalent of a shot for an hour or more. Not as pretense. I mean genuinely enjoying the smell of it for that long and slowly sipping it. It's a way to drink without drinking much. My experience is that glasses do make a difference, but only if you like whisky on its own (or with a few drops of water) at room temperature. If you prefer cocktails or whisky on the rocks, whisky-specific glasses are probably something you don't need to worry about.
Remember recommendations #1 and #3 before you go any further! If you're happy, stay happy! It's okay to choose not to care about whisky. If you can choose not to drink alcohol at all you're probably better off.
The self importance really brings out the nuanced self congratulatory notes. People like a thing and want to hype it up in their own way. Look at audiophiles, who use music to listen to their gear. Anybody can hear but few seek to listen to where the weight is
> fruit has huge differences in taste depending on the specific variety, where it’s grown, how long ago it was picked, especially stuff like stone fruit or berries.
alcohol is usually a far better solvent than water for the compounds providing those nuances. if you want to enjoy those flavors out of situ, hello alcohol