Craftspeople Unite!

Hello, loveys! Livia has missed you indeed. Today, high on Benadryl, she is addressing the deeply annoying irruption of the word artisanal (quite often misspelled as "artisinal," which just goes to show you...). To her dismay, Livia has determined that artisanal is, in fact, a word and that, in most instances, it is being used correctly, if pompously.

But dear, dear! Must everything from artichokes to zucchini be artisanal? Can nothing be just ordinary any longer? Really. How fancy must a beer be, for the gods' sake? Artisanal cheese, artisanal bread, artisanal vodka, if you can stand it--where will it end? You don't hear the French touting their artisanal Bordeaux, do you? Livia believes this phenomenon to be an outgrowth of the "you are special" claptrap so prevalent when today's young (ish) adults--the artisanal offenders--were growing up. Unfortunately, if everyone is special, then no one is, and the same goes for beer and pretzels.

So knock it off, loveys. Livia has some nice artisanal wolf's bane for those who heed her not.