Too roasted and high in alcohol...

You know very well what I meant by ";modern."; Want to pick an argument with me? Don’t start on the ";modern versus traditional"; bit again... I was talking about the ";New Wave"; phenomenon that has gotten so old, so quickly: The tendency to produce hypertrophic protowines that have more in common with fruit confectionery than with anything that could be enjoyed with lunch or dinner (so yes, in that sense I agree with Mr. Broadbent). Said tendency is not exclusive to Spain. Nor is it ";modern,"; strictly speaking. Rather, if I may allow myself a trasnposition from cultural theory (remember, Juan, I once taught university, too), the phenomenon is post-postmodern in character. ";Modernity,"; it would sneer if it could speak, ";is so Twentieth-century...";

It would be embarrassingly disingenuous to attribute to the practitioners of the points-driven homogenistic style credit for real ";modernization,"; ";modernism,"; or whatever. WHat they make falls under a different rubric altogether.

So, substitute ";Latter-day"; for ";Modern"; if you prefer. It’s still undrinkable rubbish. And now, I have some final preparations to do before leaving for Argentina, where, no doubt, I’ll have some ";Thoroughly Modern Millies"; inflicted upon me, vinously speaking.

M.