This weekend Stacy Finz of the Chronicle wrote a great piece about Bill Niman, and the pressures (and difficulties) of taking a small-scale business big time. I was an early fan of Niman Ranch meats, easily fell in love with their superlative hot dogs and apple-wood-smoked bacon, and now am wondering whether I should continue supporting a business that claims to still employ the quality and husbandry standards Niman put in place but has done some dubious streamlining since Bill Niman's ousting from his eponymous company late last year.

This article makes me wonder, too: Is it possible to bring good food to the masses, or are we doomed to a kind of culinary elitism?