1) No difference in meaning - "why" and "what for" are synonyms.
2) "But she also" - here, "but" means in contrast to something in the previous sentence or paragraph
"looked back fondly on the past" - to "look back on" means "to remember"
"frowning" - her facial expression
"as she described the rudeness" - here, "described" means "talked about"
"she said" - this means the writer is reporting her words, but may not agree with them.
"was rampant today" - here, "rampant" here means "widespread."
So the sentence means:
"But she also remembered the past, frowning as she talked about the rudeness she said was widespread today."
Does that help enough?