BEg2 ch14 connoisseurship (truncated rant)

[Michael Bailey]

Lester Traipse “uses some drugstore brand of hair gel” - can people really
tell that?

I had a co-worker, a good guy named Toivo, one time out of the blue advise
me to dilute the hydrogen peroxide (3%) I was gargling with (briefly) on a
trial basis.
Apparently he could smell it?
I was moderately freaked!

Or like in high school when all of my friends started getting home and car
stereos and I’m a long time telling any difference let alone seeing why
it’s worth the money…

Speedwell and his nose’s ability; Igor’s curating of methcathinone;
Slagiatt’s Sassicaia; the guy with the duck stamps; Velveeta’s marijuana
with particular properties in IV; strong feelings about tables vs CSS; the
ability to appreciate the intricacies in Deep Archer; the apprentice
druggards inhaling Sid’s 2nd-hand smoke; even tastefully descriptive
delectation while enumerating negative developments in the process of
criticizing trends like rapacious real estate development or burgeoning
mountains of trash -

Versus Windust’s unappreciative accumulation of wealth in the process of
whacking the world over the head with his free market ideals -

Maxine’s susceptibility to del Vino vs her integrity in (maybe) turning
down the Fairway bag of money?

Ran out of steam suddenly on this idea of connoisseurship, (or
connoisseurship versus idealism?) in the Pynchon oeuvre.

Maybe in BE, elaborate perceptions developed in pursuance of expensive
habits is an adjunct theme to, as Mark said, following the money?