David Friedland wrote:
I would like to note that we discussed this matter in
February, and
although perhaps no consensus was formed on policy, I continue to
stand by my statements on the topic, particularly that how-tos,
recipes, and similar didactic texts are inherently POV and don't
belong on Wikipedia proper.
<http://mail.wikipedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2004-February/010873.html>
<http://mail.wikipedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2004-February/010883.html>
Note, however, that information about this kind of content is
decidedly NPOV.
It is completely ridiculous to say that because the verbs in a recipe
are in the imperative mood, they are inherently POV. The imperative
mood can be instructive by nature, and does not imply an order to do
things that will be enforced by anybody. If you don't follow the recipe
the meal may be a flop, but the cook proceeds at his own risk. We have
a general disclaimer which should apply when the recipe doesn't work.
But if a recipe is POV, then so too is its deletion.
This intent to delete articles of practical instruction communicates a
view that the content of an encyclopedia should be restricted to a
narrow and snobbishly academic range of subjects.
In any case, the point is that there is no such thing
as a neutral
recipe, only a neutral "meta-recipe".
If your solution were really to turn a recipe into a "meta-recipe" then
go ahead and do that. It would be better than deleting, though the
downside for you would be the requirement to do constructive work.
Ec