Scott > writes:

>From: Scott >
>Newsgroups: rec.food.baking
>Subject: southern stories and recipes needed
>Date: Sun, 02 Nov 2003 14:14:08 GMT
>
> "neris" > wrote:
>>
>> so will we get a profit share of the booksale revenues prpportinate to our
>> contributions? >:{
>
>I love those posts. "Hi. I want to make some money so, rather that do
>any work on research, why don't you donate your time and energy to me so
>that I can profit from it?"

The request was straightforward enough. If you have no interest in
contributing, you don't have to. Big deal.

I suppose she could have made up some disingenuous story about wanting
to put together a collection of anecdotes for her poor ailing grandmother
and then you'd feel good about contributing.

There are dozens and dozens of cookbooks out there which are compilations
of contributed recipes and stories. We are fortunate that many of these
works have preserved recipes, wisdom and history which might otherwise
have been lost. If their editors made a few dollars -- which many did
not -- they did so by performing a legitimate service pulling together
bits of ephemera into a cohesive anthology.

As for doing research, I thought that was what this person was doing when
she posted her request. I suppose that in pre-internet days one could
go ask people the same question face-to-face at church suppers, go through
back issues of small town PTA newsletters, or phone the Extension Service
offices in a number of Southern counties. Or one could still do all those
things and post to selected usenet groups, too.

In an era of tidal waves of spam, inappropriate off-topic cross posting,
unwanted and unwelcome solicitations for questionable products and
services, blatant scams, illegal get-rich-quick schemes, obscene and
offensive hucksterism, etc., I am unable to become morally outraged by
a simple and polite request.

Relax. Enjoy life. Bake something.

Cheers,
The Old Bear