Goomba wrote:

>>>> I really do think that the "snob" value in high priced fermented
>>>> products is just that.
>>>
>>> So I'm pretty confident that you've never enjoyed the rich, deep flavor
>>> of thick, aged balsamic vinegar. I've got a small bottle that I dole out
>>> by the drop and its *nothing* like the cheap thin stuff. That you don't
>>> appreciate or recognize the difference in the two hardly means it is
>>> "imagined". Same goes for Champagne and your preferred bubbly Kool-Aid.
>>
>> The way I read it, Sycophant *did* recognize the difference. She just
>> didn't like the good stuff. When it comes to champagne, I'm the same way:
>> The good stuff tastes like soap to me. It doesn't bother me that I don't
>> appreciate this wonderful stuff which others pay huge sums to acquire; I
>> rather like my plebian tastes.
>
> I took it to say that since she didn't recognize any difference in the
> two, that the only difference was a "snob" factor and not a valid
> difference.

Sycophant wrote, "And the imagined difference is probably about the same I
found in rather nasty $150.00 per bottle Champagne vs. some $13.00 per
bottle stuff that actually tasted good..."

That implies that she has tasted "good" Champagne and "cheap" sparkling
wine, observed a difference, and she liked the cheap stuff better. It also
implies that she's never tasted real balsamic vinegar. Sorry I wasn't clear
in what I wrote above; I realize that it looks like I thought she could tell
the difference between real balsamic vinegar and the cheap crap, but I was
actually talking about wine rather than vinegar. I think you're correct that
she's never tasted true balsamic vinegar...and with the financial woes she's
hinted at, it's unlikely that she's going to have it anytime soon.

Bob