Bacon.
Crispy, oily, delicious on a tomato or an egg. The mere word elicits a visceral desire for meat among some gentle readers. Comedian Jim Gaffigan calls it "the most beautiful thing on Earth."
"The only bad part about bacon," says Gaffigan, "is it makes you thirsty -- for more bacon."
There are plenty of bacon-obsessed people out there -- trust us, we've met some of them -- and many of them will converge on BaconFest at Dad's Garage in Atlanta on March 26. The annual beer-soaked festival and fundraiser for the improv and theater venue will be larger than last year, with a bigger site and -- naturally -- more bacon.
Niki Wing of Midtown will be ready. She was crowned "bacon queen" at last year's BaconFest -- her prize for posting more than 100 tweets and Facebook messages about bacon.
"I lost Facebook friends and Twitter followers because of the obsessive tweeting," said Wing, a speech pathologist at an elementary school who tweeted up a storm about bacon again this month. "I usually add some fun bacon facts. I have to win this year."
Wing, who is baking bacon chocolate chip cookies for the event, is not alone in her bacon-worship. Bacon and bacon flavors have shown up in vodka, beer, whiskey and doughnuts. And then there's the weird stuff: bacon lip balm, dental floss and ice cream.
Last year, 38 percent of Americans ate bacon or a bacon substitute at home at least once in a two-week period. On average, about 36 percent of restaurant orders at family restaurants such as IHOP, Cracker Barrel and Denny's included bacon, according to Chicago-based The NPD Group.
Sales of bacon vehicles such as BLT clubs, turkey clubs and breakfast sandwiches are growing. Americans ate 5.5 billion helpings of bacon at home in the year ending February 2010. Bacon pops up in unexpected places: in chocolates and among the toppings at frozen yogurt stores. Bacon cheeseburgers are declining, but Americans still ordered 1.3 billion of them in 2010, according to NPD.
"We eat a lot of bacon cheeseburgers," said NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs.
BaconFest organizers got a lesson in supply and demand last year, when the event sold out and no tickets were left at the door. This time, the goal is to accommodate 750 people, up from 500 last year. There will be more booths with inappropriate activities -- obscene face-painting, bra-size guessing and people dressed as mascots in a "heavy petting zoo." Also, more portable toilets.
This weekend's version of BaconFest pulled in sponsors including Diesel Filling Station, Whynatte Latte and P'cheen International Bistro & Pub. Vortex Bar and Grill is donating 1,000 pounds of bacon. P'cheen will supply a whole pig. Volunteers will assemble BLTs as fast as they can.
"Obviously, this is the biggest it's ever been," said Kevin Gillese, artistic director at Dad's Garage, which uses the event to raise money for rent and other expenses. "We didn't realize last year we would be out of capacity almost immediately. We're going to be prepared for that. If things go well, we could pull in tens of thousands of dollars. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we might pull in ones of thousands."
Bacon is a key part of the southern culinary tradition, said Paula Deen, a cooking personality and celebrity endorser of Smithfield Foods, a major pork company. Deen has recipes for bacon-wrapped corn on the cob and other pork plates.
"You can take it from savory to sweet," she said of bacon. "Pig rules in the South. That's just the way it is."
It's not just a southern thing, though. "When I go up North and go into fancy restaurants, I see pork belly and foie gras," Deen said. "You talk about fat on fat!"
Nick Melvin, chef de cuisine at Rosebud, said the Morningside restaurant's new house bacon has gotten a strong response. The meat is cured for about three weeks in a bath of honey, salt, aromatics and bourbon.
"I love bourbon and I love pork," Melvin said. "I figured, bourbon and pork together...why not?"
Attempts to plumb the reasons for Atlanta's fascination with bacon turn up several shades of devotion.
"I may not be the passionate bacon lover you're looking for," said Stefany Sanders, who works with social media for a public relations firm. "But I do use Bacon Salt on popcorn and am prepared to buy Baconnaise if my husband would allow it."
Mike LaSage of P'cheen International Bistro & Pub is more emphatic. He plans to prepare 60-80 pounds of Jalapeno-infused bacon for BaconFest. LaSage, who has experimented with chipotle and garlic-infused bacon, said a plate of bacon and sausage is his ideal breakfast.
"Bacon is my life -- pork is my life," he said. "Anything to do with a pig, I am all about. Probably my favorite food of all time. I don't celebrate Christmas -- I'm not a Christian. But BaconFest is my Christmas."
Bacon, Gillese says, epitomizes what Dad's Garage is all about.
"People love bacon even though it's not always good for you," he said. "It's a symbol for our licenses. It's a symbol for doing stuff that you know you shouldn't, but you just want to."
To-Go Box
When: Saturday, March 26th, 1-6 p.m.
Where: Dad's Garage, 280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, GA 30307 (Inman Park, near Little Five Points)
Ticket: http://www.dadsgarage.com or 404-523-3141
Prices:
- Portioned Porking: $25 online, $35 phone and door. Includes admission to the festival, game tickets, and three cups of food or bacon.
- Bottomless Bacon: $50 online, $60 phone and door. Includes admission to the festival, unlimited game playing and unlimited beer and bacon.
- Whole Hog: $100 online, $110 phone and door. Includes portions of whole pig roasted by P'cheen, high-gravity beer, and exotically flavored bacon. Also includes bacon bib.
Note: Festival organizers say this is an adult-only event. No children or dogs.
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