Heather Lauer - Bacon: A Love Story - A Salty Survey of Everybodys Favorite Meat

I bet youve eaten bacon in the last forty-eight hours.

Whether you purchased this book yourself, or someone saw it and thought of you, you are probably one of millions of Americans who have a condition called Obsession With Bacon (OWB). Otherwise it seems unlikely that you would be in possession of a literary work singularly focused on the Best Meat Ever (and yes, of course, Im talking about bacon).

One of the symptoms of OWB is the need to find as many ways as possible to incorporate bacon into your daily diet. For some of you, this may be as simple as enjoying a strip (or ten) of bacon for breakfast every morning. For others it could mean a lunchtime BLT at your favorite neighborhood caf. The ber-obsessed might experiment with bacon in a dessert or cocktail. Regardless of the impact OWB has on your life, the common indicator for all sufferers of this condition is youve often got bacon on your mind.

I know because I, too, suffer from OWB.

Ive got OWB so bad that one day during the summer of 2005, I decided to embark on a mission to learn as much as possible about the brilliant meat product that is bacon, and to share my passion with the world. And thus began my love affair with the Best Meat Ever that is Bacon Unwrapped (www.baconunwrapped.com).

The evolution of Bacon Unwrapped , and ultimately the process of writing this book, have led me to consume more bacon in the last couple of years than I ever would have imagined to be humanly possible. Now my friends and family automatically think of me every time they eat bacon, and theres nothing weirder than receiving an e-mail or call from someone who feels compelled to report that they had bacon for breakfast. I spend more time than is normal talking with perfect strangers about the best way to cook bacon. Friends regularly ask me to recommend a good brand of bacon. People buy me bacon-related gifts for my birthday and holidaysIve received the same bacon wallet from three different people, and Ive got enough containers of bacon band-aids to take care of my cuts and scratches for the next couple of decades.

So suffice it to say, when I decided to launch Bacon Unwrapped on a whim that one summer afternoon, it changed my life in a very strange and unexpected way. What was once an occasional pleasure has evolved into an integral part of my daily existence on many different levels.

Bacon has also evolved over time, and it has come a long way from the days when it was cured mostly for practical reasons as a means of food preservation. What was once a survival tactic is now a passion for many people. These days bacon is available in a variety of flavors, and consumers have more options available to them than ever before. Some people are satisfied with the choices at their local supermarket. Others will travel long distances or pay shipping fees to acquire their favorite bacon, like groupies following their favorite rock band on a cross-country tour. Several companies are building a name for themselves as purveyors of specialty bacons, and the popularity of artisanal bacons is increasing exponentially as more and more people are exposed to these flavorful and unique products. These dealers in bacon are openly exploiting the needs of the most obsessed bacon addictsand our palates are grateful.

Americans consumed 737 million pounds of bacon in 2006, according to the National Pork Board, equal to $2 billion worth of bacon. Bacon sales rose 20 percent from 2000 to 2005, a result of added flavors such as maple and jalapeo and the increased use of bacon to accompany other foods, according to the National Pork Board. Not only are we addicted to bacon but our addiction is growing more intense by the day. Fifty-three percent of households report having bacon on hand at all times. Having bacon in your home is just about as common as having basic household items such as laundry detergent and lightbulbs.

But the increase in bacon sales over the last several years is attributed more to restaurants than the individual consumer. Sixty-two percent of restaurants now have bacon on their menu, as more have included it in non-breakfast items such as sandwiches, pizzas, and salads, according to the Foodservice Research Institute. When Americans go out to eat, they are demanding more baconmore bacon now! Chefs at restaurants around the United States are waking up to the fact that Americans just cant get enough of their darling meat, and bacon is increasingly appearing on menus ranging from your local greasy spoon to some of the top restaurants in the country. Baconmania has swept the countryjoin the movement or get out of the way!

To further prove the omnipresence of bacon, even the Internet is feeling the pressure of the bacon movement. A recent Google search for bacon yielded over 50 million results. Setting aside the pings related to Francis Bacon, Kevin Bacon, and all of the other individuals and locations that are lucky enough to have such a splendid name, the results include numerous Web sites where you can purchase specialty bacon, information about cooking bacon, countless recipes that feature bacon, blogs about bacon, a wide variety of bacon-inspired products ranging from bacon scarves to bacon scented candles, videos of people cooking and eating bacon, bacon-related humor, and chat rooms where people talk about nothing but their love of bacon. There are a lot of people in this world who are obsessed with bacon and arent afraid to express themselves and their undying passion for cured pork belly. For these intrepid souls, bacon is clearly a source of joy, creativity, and daily inspiration. But for most, bacon is just a really delicious meat that appeals to our carnivorous instincts and attraction to foods that combine sweet and salty flavors. Bacon has been around for eons, and thanks to its greasy allure its popularity shows no signs of waning. And, oh yeah, bacon is simply the BEST MEAT EVER.

Bacon has been a source of amusement, some incredible meals, and even a few new friendships for me during the last couple of years. With this book, I share some of those meals and experiences with you, along with the knowledge Ive collected along the way. Included are interviews with people Ive met whose lives are impacted by bacon on a daily basisthe true Bacon Nation. This book is an exploration of bacon as food, culture, humor, adventure, and something that unifies humans on a very basic and primal level. While you may learn something from this book, I hope more than anything that you just have fun with it in the same way Ive thoroughly enjoyed becoming a bacon connoisseur. I also encourage you to try some of the recipesparticularly the quirkier ones. So go on, celebrate your Obsession With Bacon, and in the immortal words of Homer Simpson, bacon up!

M OST OF US take for granted that bacon can be readily purchased from grocery stores and butchers all over the world. Or that it can always be found in abundance at your neighborhood Eat-O-Rama (our love of trough-like eating is yet one of the many things humans and pigs have in common). But our good fortune regarding the widespread availability of bacon has been a long time coming. To understand why bacon is The Best Meat Ever, its important to understand how it came to be a part of the human diet in the first place.