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→‎Innovation: maple bacon bar, a result of bacon mania
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==Innovation==
==Innovation==
[[Image:Bacon donut.jpg|thumb|right|A Bacon Maple Bar from [[Voodoo Doughnut]] in [[Portland, Oregon]]]]
Newer bacon creations have joined more traditional foods like the [[BLT (sandwich)|BLT]], [[Cobb salad]], [[clams casino]] and [[club sandwich]]. Bacon appears most frequently alongside eggs and other breakfast foods, but has also been adapted into products including bacon bubble gum, bacon band-aids, and bacon air freshener. The growing popularity of bacon has also encouraged product introductions such as [[bacon salt]]<ref>{{cite web
Newer bacon creations have joined more traditional foods like the [[BLT (sandwich)|BLT]], [[Cobb salad]], [[clams casino]] and [[club sandwich]]. Bacon appears most frequently alongside eggs and other breakfast foods, but has also been adapted into products including bacon bubble gum, bacon band-aids, and bacon air freshener. The growing popularity of bacon has also encouraged product introductions such as [[bacon salt]]<ref>{{cite web
| last = Lazor
| last = Lazor

Revision as of 23:48, 14 May 2009

Bacon mania refers to passionate bacon enthusiasm in the United States,[1][2][3][4][5] and has also been described using the phrase Bacon Nation.[6] Novel bacon dishes and other bacon related items have been popularized rapidly via the internet,[7][8] and bacon loving partisans have identified themselves as bacon fanatics[9][10][11] or "bacon freaks."

The movement has been traced to the 1980s and 1990s when high-protein foods became a more prominent diet focus due in part to the Atkins diet and American lifestyles where indulgence is sometimes celebrated and fitness is not always paramount.[12][13] Since then, bacon focused events and gatherings celebrating the food have been reported and bacon related exploits have been featured in media accounts.

In the United States the term bacon is used to refer to what is known in other parts of the world as streaky bacon.

Innovation

A Bacon Maple Bar from Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon

Newer bacon creations have joined more traditional foods like the BLT, Cobb salad, clams casino and club sandwich. Bacon appears most frequently alongside eggs and other breakfast foods, but has also been adapted into products including bacon bubble gum, bacon band-aids, and bacon air freshener. The growing popularity of bacon has also encouraged product introductions such as bacon salt[14] and baconnaise.

Bacon food oddities include the bacon explosion[15], chicken fried bacon, bacon ice cream,[16] and chocolate covered bacon, all popularized over the internet.[17] A bacon alarm clock that wakes people up with the smell of cooking bacon has also been announced.[18][19][20] A 2009 Baltimore Sun story describes bacon as being "more than bacon," and stated that for "obsessive and adoring Bacon Nation it's about cheap thrills and a chance for Internet fame."[6] Calling it "like an extreme sport," the article described the innovators and enthusiasts celebrating bacon in all its incarnations.[6]

Organization

File:Photo of bacon camp s.f. logo.jpg
Photograph of bacon camp San Francisco logo from 2009 event

The increased interest in bacon has led to Bacon-of-the-month clubs,[21][22] bacon recipe contests, blogs,[23] and even "bacon camps".[24][25] Seattle hosted a "bacon camp" where bacon was included in an assortment of bacon dishes and other bacon-related items. Bacon has even been referred to as a fashion statement after a bacon bra was photographed.[1]

The Portland Monthly noted that "Bacon is such a quintessential breakfast staple, even vegetarians stake a claim to their own versions."[26] A website called "Bacon Today" was started to provide updates about bacon related happenings.[6][27]

The San Francisco Weekly reported on the first "BaconCamp" held "in solidarity with the growing popularity of events (see the recent Grilled Cheese Invitational)" and reported that the event "demonstrated just how much of a high bacon is currently on in terms of notoriety and how far people are able to stretch one culinary theme".[28] The event included lectures on bacon as art, a Power Point presentation of the Obacon project (a recreation of the famous Obama Hope poster), as well as judging and awards.[28] The slide show from the event includes a wide range of innovative food and decorative bacon entities.[29] The San Francisco Weekly advised those attending to live, breathe, and smell like it and to bring a bacon dish.[30]

Homer Simpson, the cartoon character, is a bacon fan and in one episode at a restaurant said, "I'll have the smiley face breakfast special. Uhh, but could you add a bacon nose? Plus bacon hair, bacon mustache, five o'clock shadow made of bacon bits and a bacon body."[1] The waitress offers to shove a pig down his throat, and then has to inform him she was kidding after he gets excited. Homer replies, "Fine, but the bacon man lives in a bacon house!" [1]

Events

In and around Baltimore, Maryland, bacon has featured at various eating and drinking establishments. At Bad Decisions bar in Fells Point people clamor for the "Bacon and Beer Happy Hours" and a bar in Baltimore redoes its whole menu for "Bacon and Beer Happy Hours", serving big bowls of bacon on the bar (using up 30 pounds of bacon in two hours). A cafe in Hampden offers the Bacon Bulleit, a cocktail of bourbon, lemon and maple syrup with applewood smoked bacon replacing the swizzle stick.[6]

The "Bacon Takedown" competition in Brooklyn, New York was held March 29, 2009[31][32] and featured 30 contestants vying for the best bacon dish. The winner was bourboun-bacon ice cream. The "Bacon Mania" ABC News segment covered the event and noted that $2 billion in bacon was sold in the United States in 2008 and that "with the bacon business booming... you might say our love affair with the breakfast meat is more passionate than ever".[5]

February 28, 2009 the second annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines Iowa hosted a sell out event for more than 300 people.[33][34][35] First held March 1, 2008 on National Pig Day, it was founded by Brooks Reynolds, a Des Moines insurance salesman who had been going on summer weekend bacon pilgrimages before deciding to bring the fried feast to the masses. [36] The event included a bacon eating contest.[37][38] Atwood's Tavern in Cambridge Massachusetts hosts an annual bacon eating contest.[39][40]

Humor about bacon includes an April Fool's day story about a putative all-bacon restaurant[41] and the supposed creation of "squeezable bacon" including a video advertisement.[42]

The end?

Negative publicity surrounding swine flu, which is not transmitted via pork product consumption,[43] hit sales and prices in the pork industry.[44][45] Heather Lauer, author of Bacon: A Love Story, said of the impact, "Bacon has been around for thousands of years. It has survived numerous health scares. Anyone who attempts to capitalize on this recent event in an effort to destroy the best meat ever will fail." [46]

Seattle's The Stranger published a story entitled: "The End of Baconmania: Our Long Coronary Nightmare Is Almost Over", and predicted the movement had "almost run its course" and was in its "terminal stage".[47] "First, there was Bacon Salt... Then came its inevitable progeny, Baconnaise—like Bacon Salt, only with mayonnaise... Then, in quick succession: bacon maple doughnuts; gummi bacon; bacon-flavored lip balm; chocolate-covered bacon; bacolicio.us, a URL add-on for superimposing a photo of a strip of bacon onto any webpage; the Wendy's Baconator (self-explanatory); and the Bacon Explosion, a bacon-wrapped loaf of pork sausage that was the subject of an 1,100-word article in the New York Times... Not to mention bacon vodka, bacon tattoos, the bacon bra, bacon-flavored dental floss, and bacon bandages."[47]

The author refers to the mania as an anti-foodie trend, a time when declaring one's love for and consuming large quantities of bacon products became a sign of joie de vivre and noted, "Trends inevitably go through their phases—early adoption, buzz, general excitement, overexposure—and bacon is in its terminal stage, clinging to relevance, grasping at any opportunity to cash in on its dwindling cachet as its 15 minutes come to an end". The article suggests a time when battered, deep-fried, bacon-wrapped bacon sandwiches might not be celebrated as the most enjoyable of food experiences and the "killjoy"s and "food Nazi"s who denounce bacon overconsumption for its negative health implications may soon prevail in their granola eating and vegan advocacy. The article concludes: "Take off the 'I Love Bacon' shirt, cancel your trip to Baconcamp, and go eat a piece of celery. It's over."[47]

The day after the "end of" story was published, an article starting with the words "All Hail Bacon!" noted that a Poynter Institute report found bacon taking the social media networks "by storm" and that the meat's popularity is "now practically at an epidemic pace, as all of these socially interactive sites are literally pulsating with posts, updates, comments, even clubs / groups dedicated exclusively to the LOVE of Bacon!". [48] Efforts to alleviate flu concerns and fight back against the anti-pork and bacon tide have also been reported.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hepola, Sarah (2008-07-07). "Bacon mania: Why are Americans so batty for bacon? It's delicious, it's decadent--and it's also a fashion statement". Salon.com. Retrieved 2009-03-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Jenkins, Kathie (2008-11-06). "Baconmania is sweeping the nation". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Lapan, Tovin (2009-04-03). "Bacon Mania: Are U.S. Pigs Magical?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Robin Roberts also talked about Bacon-mania, and the country seemingly going bacon obsessed. 'Baconographers' say this is because bacon is a comfort food, and people are taking guilty pleasure in eating something that's nutritionally taboo, and then extracting even more bliss by exponentially increasing the decadence factor!" Tamsen, Trevor. "Robin Roberts Chats With News10 Goodmorning". KXTV. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ a b Bacon Mania March 30, 2009 ABC News
  6. ^ a b c d e "Dan Taylor slathers Baconnaise on turkey sandwiches and has used it as a sauce to dunk steamed shrimp. The Lutherville foodie also makes a dip by crumbling bacon into warm cheese that he calls 'life-altering.' Phillip Kerrigan... recently tried bacon bread pudding, bacon peanut butter cups, bacon toffee and bacon rum. For a friend's birthday, he whipped up a batch of homemade bacon and egg ice cream. Here are just two proud soldiers of the burgeoning Bacon Nation, marching forward boldly and bravely, if somewhat greasily, striving to push the conventional limits of a once-ordinary breakfast meat." Rosen, Jill (2009-03-25). "Bacon nation: Devotees take this cheap meat to extremes". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Meehan, Peter (2009-04-04). "Bacon is dead! Long live bacon!". Salon.com. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) ]
  8. ^ Marvel, Bill (2009-04-04). "We are living in the Golden Age of Bacon". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Carter, Noelle (2008-12-17). "Bacon will make it better". Anniston Star. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Carter, Noelle. "Daily Dish: The Bacon Explosion". Los Angeles Times Blog. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Carter, Noelle (2009-01-15). "Coffee cake to please a bacon lover". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "'I'm a bacon fanatic,' he said. 'When I go out to breakfast, I order oatmeal with bacon on the side. Nothing tastes like bacon.'" "The fat of the land: popular, high-protein diet helps fuel bacon blitz". Rocky Mountain News. 200-06-06. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "So why are so many people suddenly so into bacon? James thinks it's about people taking guilty pleasure in eating something that's nutritionally taboo, and then extracting even more bliss by exponentially increasingly the decadence factor. A hot dog is bad for you. A hot dog wrapped in bacon and sandwiched between two oblong maple doughnuts is hard-core food porn." Jill Rosen, "Bacon nation."
  14. ^ Lazor, Drew (2009-03-24). "Bacon Salt: Don't Snort It". Philadelphia City Paper. Retrieved 2009-04-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Cochrane, Kira (2009-03-05). "Going the whole hog". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Candied bacon ice cream". DavidLebovitz.com. Retrieved 2009-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "Get Your BBQ On: Bacon-Infused Webinar Sheds Light on Social Media Marketing Viral Marketing Sensation BBQ Addicts Join Marketbright for a Free Webinar on Marketing 2.0". Marketwire. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ "10 minutes before you're supposed to wake up, it'll start cooking the bacon. The smell will waft out, waking you up to the odor of sweet, sweet hogfat." Wake and Bacon is most delicious alarm clock ever Portalino
  19. ^ [1] July 30, 2008 Dvice
  20. ^ Wake n Bacon
  21. ^ "Bacon of the Month Club". The Grateful Palate. Retrieved 2009-03-15. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Food Gifts That Keep On Giving: From Utensils To Treats, Bobby Flay Likes To Give (Or Receive) These Presents". CBS. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2009-03-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "It inspires big-city chefs, down-home cooks and local food fans alike. It shows up at breakfast, lunch and dinner--even in dessert. The secret ingredient? Bacon... With a growing number of bacon blogs such as IHeartBacon.com and BaconToday.com, fans of the flavorful meat have plenty to talk about." Ketzenberger, Jolene (2009-03-24). "Bacon: An old favorite goes upscale". NewarkAdvocate.com. Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ Bacon camp.org
  25. ^ Bacon camp.com
  26. ^ Barker, Brian (March 2009). "B... Is for Bacon: Pork-Drunk Love". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "Bacon Today". Yards Media. Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ a b Tamara Palmer Saturday Gluttony: BaconCamp March 23 2009
  29. ^ BaconCamp slide show
  30. ^ Michael Leaverton March 13, 2009 Food Apocalypse San Francisco Weekly
  31. ^ Weekend Scheduler Bacon Takedown New York Magazine
  32. ^ Bacon takedown website
  33. ^ Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival
  34. ^ Bacon Fest 101 February 24, 2009 Des Moines Metromix
  35. ^ Tom Perry 'Best' bacon made in Iowa February 25, 2009 Des Moines Register
  36. ^ Bacon Festival NPR Blog
  37. ^ Blue Ribbon eating contest 2008 video
  38. ^ Blue Ribbon eating contest 2009 video
  39. ^ Micah Bellieu Greasy does it at the Atwood Tavern Pig outing February 7, 2007 Boston Phoenix
  40. ^ Video coverage of Atwood's 2008 event
  41. ^ Baconalia
  42. ^ Nina Garin BACON PRANK: SqueezBacon, real or not? April 1, 2009 SignsonSanDiego.com
  43. ^ Paul R. La Monica [http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/01/markets/thebuzz/?postversion=2009050115 It's still safe to bring home the bacon Call it swine flu or H1N1. But the outbreak has led to bans on pork and falling prices of commodities and pork processors. It looks like an overreaction.] May 1, 2009 CNNMoney.com
  44. ^ "Eat bacon!" Clytie Bunyan Campaign could save pork’s bacon May 3, 2009 News OK (website of Oklahoman)
  45. ^ "The threat of a global pandemic of swine flu has not only threatened the economic recovery, it’s put one of America’s greatest love affairs on the rocks. I am, of course, speaking of bacon." Cindy Perman Swine Flu Myths: Wash Your Hands, Eat the Bacon April 29, 2009 CNBC
  46. ^ Cindy Perman April 29, 2009 Swine Flu Myths: Wash Your Hands, Eat the Bacon CNBC
  47. ^ a b c Erica C. Barnett The End of Baconmania: Our Long Coronary Nightmare Is Almost Over May 5, 2009 The Stranger
  48. ^ Rocco 'Boss Hog' LoosbrockBacon Bigger Than Oprah, CNN and Ashton Kutcher!May 06,2009 Newsblaze
  49. ^ Indrani Sen A Swinish Proposal May 5, 2009 Diner's Journal New York Times

Further reading

  • Joanna Pruess Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence October 1, 2006 The Lyons Press 192 pages ISBN-10: 1592288510 ISBN-13: 978-1592288519
  • Bacon: A Love Story: A Salty Survey of Everybody's Favorite Meat Heather Lauer
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