Do you love bacon? I know, I know bacon is bad for your health and it causes your cholesterol to skyrocket faster than just about any consumer meat product out there, but it tastes so good! The connection between geeks and bacon is nothing new, but the past five years of clever bacon products including: bacon soap, salt, popcorn, air fresheners, shower curtains, and even bacon wallets have only solidified the place in popular culture this delectable treat has gained.
So, why do geeks love bacon so much? For one, it’s easy to make. Just put a skillet on the stove, lay out some bacon strips, and a few minutes later you have a crispy meal that’s full of flavor and ready to enjoy.
Bacon also goes with just about everything. Salads benefit from bacon bits, peppers wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cream cheese are a classic addition to many southern cookouts, and just about any classic breakfast menu is filled with entres served with at least one piece on the side. Even vegetarians can get in on the bacon craze with Smart Bacon and other meatless alternatives.
Bacon has a high flavor profile that is unlike any other natural product out there. It’s often joked among chefs that adding bacon to just about any recipe makes it better, and this is certainly the case with such unusual products as the Burger King Bacon Sundae. That combination of savory and sweet is hard to imitate with other ingredients. In fact, I have yet to find another meat product (vegetarian imitation or otherwise) that accurately replicates the properties of bacon.
There is another side to bacon that should certainly be explored. For one, bacon is a pork product and consumption is forbidden in a number of religious cultures. It’s also not the healthiest product in the world. The sodium nitrate used in the curing process has been linked to a number of health concerns related to regular ingestion of bacon including pulmonary disease. Cholesterol issues, heart disease, and other serious health problems have also been linked to the frequent consumption of bacon.
Good or bad, bacon is a staple in any meat eating geek’s diet. It can be wrapped around just about anything, cooked in minutes, and even served crumbled on top of ice cream. It makes an interesting room freshener, whimsical print on a shower curtain, and even a board game. Indeed, everything tastes better with bacon.
Photo: Public Domain
HA, well I’m not going to stop eating it! Bacon is glorious!
You know I personally like a hot juciy hotdog with crispy bacon wrapped around it, all on a warm bun.
THAT DIDN’T EXPLAIN ANYTHING!
I could go into detail about how fast food companies add 18 different ingredients to bacon in order to make it addictive. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an ingredient list to validate the claim made through those reports. McDonald’s came closest by releasing its ingredient list specific to bacon, but pointing out one fast food establishment as a cause for an International obsession would be short sighted. Hence, I left it out of the article. Basically, as stated in the article, the obsession over bacon is a combination of easy preparation, unique flavor profile, and the fact that it (unlike most other meats) pairs well with just about everything. You can wrap bacon around a hot dog, chicken breast, steak, and add it to ice cream. You can’t do that with anything else.
I think he was referring to the obsession of bacon specifically towards geeks. In your article you explain how bacon is the preferred food for mostly everyone not just geeks. In your article you state “it’s easy to make… and a few minutes later you have a crispy meal ready to enjoy,” I think everyone would appreciate a quick tasty meal.
Two points:
1. My favorite sandwich is peanut butter and bacon.
2. Results from the San Diego County Fair bacon consumption in 2012: 250,000 pieces of bacon —- including 5,000 of the chocolate-covered variety
I have eaten bacon once by accident, due to religious reasons… and man I wish I haven’t…. if you never try it you don’t know what your missing, but if you try it and can’t have it is a bit upsetting. Lol
Bacon is delicious. Crunchy is the best… But I think the reason geeks love it, is because it’s a delicious meat. My dad used to make me bacon sandwiches every Sunday and loved it to death. Been a bacon addict since!
Bacon is delicious. Crunchy is the best… But I think the reason geeks love it, is because it’s a delicious meat. My dad used to make me bacon sandwiches every Sunday and loved it to death. Been a bacon addict since!
the reason we love bacon is: bacon is like geeks, its useful and awesome
The reason geeks love bacon is because you get to eat something that is loaded with a bunch of fat. Plus you can hold it in one hand
For me it depends on who makes the bacon.
When my Grandma makes the bacon, it’s never crispy.
But when my Mom makes the bacon, it’s crispy, and amazing. Sometimes, the bacon is gone before we can even make use of the bacon for salads, BLT, or just to eat later.
When my brother makes bacon, he adds things to it in the frying pan. One time he added brown sugar, and it was sweet, crispy, delicious bacon.
I can’t make bacon, because I usually burn it.
I’m a big time Geek and I dont like bacon at all. I guess for yrs i was a closet geek. I like working out playing sports. i try to eat healthy so bacon is not my thing lol.
I think bacon and greasy foods are comfort for depression and I often find many geeks have depression issues and isolate themselves
Goes to show that bacon is a friend you can always count on.
I don’t know about all Geeks, but I’m lazy, and bacon is made within minutes. But personally, I go for a Hot Pocket or Pizza Rolls so I can get more variety.
Who doesn’t love bacon? — I know it’s bad for your health, but “it’s a crispy meal,” as you stated. Going off topic, I could not stop laughing when I saw the Burger King Bacon Sundae.
Perhaps geeks like bacon for the flavor and for the ease in cooking it. It does not take much time to fix, especially if a microwave is used. Of course, bacon is very popular for most people. You don’t have to be a geek to like bacon. It tastes good, and it goes with a lot of different things. Unfortunately, it is not the best thing for you. It brings up that old question. Why are things that taste so good so bad for you?
Yes, this is truth…
Unfortunately, we geeks need to watch our weight eating all this bacon and sitting in front of a computer all day…
I don’t think it’s a ‘geeks love bacon’ more a ‘America loves bacon’. Yes I realize bacon is almost an internet meme status (if it’s not already) but it simply is just delicious!
if everyone likes bacon then
— bacon is awesome;
elsif geeks like bacon then
— geeks are people
else
— they do not like bacon and are weird;
end if;
I love, love bacon but have turned vegetarian so must try the Smart bacon you mentioned. I think it’s a geek food because you can eat it while coding and then just rub your hand on your pant and continue without getting grease on the keyboard.
I know many people, old, middle aged, and young, geek and non-geek who love bacon. I personally joined the geek world 5 years ago, but I’ve loved bacon ever since I was 8 years old. Has nothing to do with being a geek/nerd. The food is just pure awesomeness!
Because we love Speck.
Bacon has always been a favorite for surfing, working and game playing on the net. As for your drawing I know that I will not win, O could cry about it, but what would that get me, the same nuttni honey…love ya anyway.
There’s a story about an American during the Colonial Era who got captured by the natives. They had bored a hole in his buttocks to sweeten the meat as they roasted him alive. He
escaped and survived his journey back to civilization by removing the bacon and eating it.
It’s really difficult for me not to see this story as some kind of metaphor though.