Hump Day Headline

For the bacon-obsessed, a camp in Michigan has the cure

Yes, you read that correctly. Bacon camp. It's like band camp, but with bacon.

People are driving thousands of miles to Wisonsin to experience the "thinking person's bacon camp". The camp's founders agree with my assertion that the proliferation of bacon has jumped the shark and want true lovers of bacon to embrace the purity of the food.

With goals like "get people off the 'I love bacon' thing" and "rechannel bacon enthusiasm" the camp encourages aficianados to understand how bacon is made, the differences in cuts and preparation styles and the optimal cooking procedures.

Is this the answer to bacon having "jumped the shark"? Is elevating bacon to a higher art the way to get it out of every bandage wrapper and novelty store? Would you go to Camp Bacon?

Discuss in the comments!



Has bacon jumped the shark?

I think it has. Well, not so much bacon itself (as bacon is and forever will be known as delicious and as such can not jump the shark), but the love of bacon. Or the proliferation of bacon into unexpected and unusual arenas. Like coffee.

I havent tried Torani's bacon-flavored syrup for coffee, but I have to agree with Joel Johnson that maybe that's taking it too far. For many years, bacon and coffee have shared a rather intimate relationship, being key components of breakfast. They are really the pillars of the meal, with eggs, toast, cream and sugar playing supporting roles. Was the span of table between mug and plate too far? Is that why we needed bacon-flavored coffee syrup? I don't know what led to this, but I know one thing: it's gone too far.

Let's briefly recap the path by which we've arrived at this point:

There was Bacon Salt, a meat-free flavoring used in adding a light salty, porky touch to a variety of foods, which was a great idea! Meant that I could add the flavor of salted meat to green beans without actually having to defile my stove top with bacon grease. Then there was Baconnaise, a bacon-flavored mayonnaise...delicious in theory; delicious in practice. It's a bit on the salty side, so I cut it with regular mayo for most uses, to balance out.

But from there, it got ridiculous: bacon chocolate, bacon lollipops, bacon ice cream... And it didnt stop with food! There is the bacon wallet, gummy bacon, bacon t-shirts, and that's not even counting the weird stuff (like bacon underwear) and the internet memes (like this one) and....you get the idea; you've seen them.

I think what's really driving bacon toward its inevitable burn-out is that each new iteration (or exploitation, depending on your viewpoint) is trumpeted. Loudly. And people are jumping on the bacon wagon like hogs running for slop. And I'm over it.

Here's the thing: as a consumer, if you keep yelling something at me, eventually my ears are going to hurt. I'm going to get tired of hearing about bacon and start rolling my eyes at each new form it takes. The item (or food) that I loved originally is now tainted. And no one wants to eat tainted bacon.

So let's hope that bacon-flavored coffee syrup is the last straw and in a few months, bacon will return to the simple life it longs for.  

Sizzle-Pop?

The geniuses who gave us the deliciosity that is Bacon Salt have done it again. After extensive research (read: eating) they have developed another new product to round out their line-up.

Bacon Pop. Bacon-flavored popcorn. (Pause for salivation).

You could just put some Bacon Salt on your regular popcorn, but that might make it too salty. And then the grains of Bacon Salt might not coat evenly. And if you eat too much popcorn, you might run out of Bacon Salt and not have any for when you cook green beans.* You know, hypothetically speaking and all.

But despite having the vision and courage and chutzpah to start a business based on applying the taste of salted pork to...well, everything, the real genuis of these guys is in their brand recognition.

They started from scratch and have quickly gained national recognition, exposure and a loyal customer base. All because they've done a few things right:

- Easily recognized product names: Bacon Salt, Bacon Pop, Baconnaise, etc. All products are concise descriptions of the product and build off the main brand theme of "bacon". Anyone who has heard of any of these products will quickly identify the other products in the line-up.

- Listening to customers: J&D's takes customer feedback very seriously. Sometimes a little too seriously.... For each product, they conduct customer surveys (often solicited via Twitter @baconsalt) and round up product concept feedback, taste testers and beta testers. New products are generated directly from this feedback.

- Consistent brand "attitude": everything about this brand says "why not?" Why not have salt that's bacon flavored? Why not use the taste of bacon to make licking envelopes less obnoxious? Why not make product announcements via Twitter? They struck a balance between whimsy and strategic product development, applying business practices to a food they love. And all the while keeping a firm grip on reality and the levity of the brand.

So here's to you, J&D. I'm slowly working my way through your entire product line-up (currently through Baconnaise and four flavors of BaconSalt) and when Bacon Pop becomes available tomorrow, you can know I'll be looking for it at my FLGS (friendly local grocery store). Which J&D's products have you tried?

*I've found that Bacon Salt does quite well for seasoning a pot of green beans when you can't get your hands on any fatback.

Bacon and Mayonnaise Lovers Rejoice!

I know many of you out there are bacon lovers. I also know many of you are mayonnaise lovers. So why not mix the two? That's right, from the makers of BaconSalt comes Baconnaise.

The Seattle Times reports starting October 11th baconnaise, a bacon-flavored mayonnaise and sandwich spread, will start arriving at local QFCs and Pike Place Market. Also, if you want information on the launch party at the Kangaroo and Kiwi Pub visit http://www.baconsalt.com/.