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I OP'd the VOLT thread and I honestly just wanted to know if it was a "has been" restaurant. However, I think a lot of snark comes from 1) people are just bitches and 2) people don't read the post all the way. They just assume you're an idiot.

I got my answer - yes, it's still a great restaurant. I got mostly snark but those are lonely people who need a life.

They also probably have loved other posts (restaurant and recipe suggestions) that I've made. It's the joy of being able to stay annonymous on here - people feel safe in their attitudes.

I'm about to run over and look at the above-mentioned threads to see the snark (I know, a lookie-loo!) but won't comment there so as to not bump them. Just want to say I love the food forum people so thank you, OP, for watching out for the group.

These five word descriptions of the threads are hilarious btw.

OP here. I had just read in quick succession the fried chicken thread, the foodie gift thread, and several of the organic threads. But I also had in mind, if not necessarily snark, some condescension in the take-a-kid-to-Volt thread, the Kensington wine thread (admittedly one that got off on the wrong foot), and particularly the what to serve with meatballs thread. It just seems that the judging and the uncalled-for putdowns that permeate the rest of DCUM are seeping in.

Fried chicken peacemaker, I had just read your post too, and was thinking the same as you were. Thankfully plagiarism's not a sin here.

I'm not the OP, but I'm the person who tried to lighten up the fried chicken thread. I agree with the OP, though. It does seem like lately there's more name calling here then there used to be.

(Asparagus snark was not mean and usually the food forum is pretty funny with its snark. Even pasta salad lady was funny.)

Lately, people get offended really easily (the OP of the jar thread also comes to mind) and immediately jump to an insult.

It's still better here than other areas of the board, so, I don't think it's a huge deal. I just like it more when we're funny.

I'm not joking when I say this -- every thread that involves Trader Joe's brings out the crazy TJ's zealot(s). It's been this way for years. I wonder if they are TJ's employees or if TJ's would cringe if they knew there was a band of marauding women "standing up for" their store by pounding the crap out of anyone who dissents. Full disclosure -- this happened to me recently.

What other threads? Maybe someone is just trolling through the Recent Topics page and being indiscriminately snarky.

Are people talking about asparagus again?

Don't they realize how controversial such topics can be?

This. Let's get back to this!

DC is a rude town so I am not surprised.

Are people talking about asparagus again?

Don't they realize how controversial such topics can be?

I agree the food thread is usually much nicer and everyone is more willing to help without the snarky comments than the other topics. I think the foodie gift thread had a surprisingly mean comment too.

Besides the fried chicken thread, where else has the bitchiness shown up?

Ignore the trolls and don't respond to their snarky messages.

Well one poster was from NYC commenting on the ISO fried chicken in MoCo pretty much to be snarky.

So it's out of your control. Just accept that many threads devolve and move on.

I'm not sure what's going on lately, but it seems like every other thread has been ending in snarkery or outright bitchiness. For those who are new here, this is the food forum--where people like to help one another out, be nice to newbies, be tolerant of repeat questions and things people could google, and generally enjoy food with one another. We get a little heated sometimes over whether organic is worth it or not, or who's being the wine snob, but in general, it's a pretty mellow cooperative place.

I don't know where all the new attitude is coming from, but it would be helpful if people could take it back to Real Estate or the schools sections or wherever you new folks have wandered in from.