WTF?

(Please excuse the fact that the following post is fuelled entirely by my mundane love of food/Jamie Oliver, rather than my fascination with the current prevalence of pirates in international headlines - which I realize would be much more interesting to discuss.)

I have no idea what Twitter is, but I have noticed it being spoken of everywhere. For instance, the front page of the Globe & Mail's Saturday Life/Style section had this recipe for Roasted Asparagus printed on it:

Put 1 lb asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle with 2T o oil. Bake at 450 for 4 to 10 min. S&P. Sprinkle with shaved parm.

I had no idea why the recipe was abbreviated this way, and also wondered why one needed a recipe for roasted asparagus (as with other roasted things, don't you just sprinkle it with oil-herb goodness and put it in the oven?) but as I read on I was amused at the challenge that Twitter poses to various chefs: reporting recipes in 140 characters or less.

I made the salmon - delicious - and the asparagus. A great pairing.

And still I must ask, what the fuck is Twitter??? And must I join it in order to swoon over Jamie Oliver's 140 character concoctions? Say it ain't so.