My point is that it is silly to complain about people being nerdy about a specific topic, just because there are others with more expertise. Especially in cooki

My point is that it is silly to complain about people being nerdy about a specific topic, just because there are others with more expertise. Especially in cooking, the concept of "inventors" and "authorities" for such basic things as chilli oil, is a strange one. For me personally, getting deep into a specific food item like this is bascally like traveling. I will first do my own experimentation, not because I think I will discover something new, but because I will more deeply understand why things are done the way they are when I (later) read "proper" sources and consult with others. At that initial stage, I am bound to overcomplicate things, but it's the good kind of overcomplication. It is like traveling to a new place, and walking around randomly before opening a map. Of course I "overcomplicated" my path from A to B, but I've seen so many interesting (but not necessarily important) things on my way.