Your uncle's Modesto starter has been doing its thing since 2011 and suddenly a rando at a market with a yogurt-and-vinegar rulebook is the authority on what real sourdough smells like. If anything she just proved it's working, because a 12 year old starter that still smells like pure vinegar is doing exactly what it's always done.

How did the book make you feel" seems like a weak example to judge a whole deck by. I've been in plenty of book clubs and the hard part is not coming up with questions, it's getting people past the safe stuff. A stranger's card can push you somewhere your own brain won't go. You wouldn't know what to ask about because you're too close to the book, and the best question is usually the one that catches you off guard. Dana writing it on a napkin in 20 minutes also proves nothing, the napkin version is the version that only works for Dana.