Okay, the survey. Here’s to you, Chem baby, the guy with the categorical mind! '-)
The Survey:
1) Are/were you from CHOWHOUND?
Yes, or No? (feel free to elaborate)
Actually, I’m “from” California (birthplace) and currently “from” Plano, Texas (residence) but I will say I did put in a few years at Chowhound. Since 2007, to be exact. Not a “From The Beginning-er” by any means, but still, that’s a lot of time to invest in such an “entity.” My feeling about Chowhound is that when Jacquie (former “boss” or whatever her title) was in charge, things were much more “human” and “humane.” And at this juncture, I also suspect strongly that Jacquie’s departure may have had a lot to do with her not wanting to ride the Chowhound horse into the cruel waters the powers-that-be were pushing for. But I have no way of knowing whether this is accurate.
I feel a bit of compassion for Marssy. She’s the one who took over Jacquie’s job, and probably more than that. She came on all “Hey, kids, let’s be pals,” but when you are the “corporate raider” who has to do all of the slicing and dicing, there’s not going to be a long line of people who want to be your friend. I suspect that must have stung. Maybe a lot. With the passage of time, I have watched her slice more and apologize less. I don’t think she is in a very comfortable position. Or at least I wouldn’t be.
In the eight years I’ve been hanging out on Chowhound, there has been a long arc of what’s good and what’s bad. When I first joined, it was pretty much “talk about food, but don’t talk about how food meshes with the rest of your life.” I’m probably not stating it with 100% accuracy, but I was frequently (well, moderately frequently) asked to be more focused on the food-only side of things. Yet it has always been my conviction that food drives a culture, and where would the world of diplomacy be without State Dinners? And indeed, where would a family be without Sunday suppers? Or Thanksgiving dinners? Or Marshmallow Peeps? And I have to say that with time, as I and a few others (Sam Fujisaka was a great force in battling that dragon!) persisted, a whole lot of barriers were eventually let down and Chowhound was a fun place!
But nothing lasts forever. As Chowhound was sold and resold, the unraveling became more and more intense. My current feeling about the current owners is that if “CBS Cares”, it needs some serious lessons in HOW to care! It’s a mess!
2) At this moment, are you spending more time here than on CHOWHOUND?
Yes, No, Non-applicable (feel free to elaborate)
You bet your bippy, Baby!
3) What is the single most interesting board/topic to you?
a) Regional (e.g. San Francisco, New York…etc)
b) General
c) Home Cook
d) Cookware
e) Others
I’m more of a thread/subject person than a Board/Category person. Whatever is interesting! Time was when I really enjoyed the “master discussion list” that came up when I first logged onto Chowhound. As in BEFORE the natural laws of time and sequence were tossed aside and posts from 2003 were tossed into the pot with equal ranking with new threads from yesterday. What idiot came up with that bit of illogic? For me, that was the death blow that put the old Chowhound out of its misery. Sad. Really sad! But for me, the most sad thing about it all is that no one on the business side of Chowhound seems to have the ability to grasp this simple concept.
But hey, let’s celebrate this whole new day! Thanks to our very generous host and benefactor, we’ve got a clean slate!
THANK YOU, SAMPSON! From the bottom of my heart! '-)