From all the publicity that bacon has been garnering through the Internet, that fatty and savory cut of meat has become a celebrity of its own.  Don’t you see it? We’ve created a monster!  If this keeps on going, bacon might be labeled as the world’s most versatile food.

New bacon-based products, flavors, and spin-offs have resurrected a  bacon revolution.  Most people would tell you that they are a bacon connoisseur in some form or another.  They would tell you that they would eat bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they could.  It’s amazing how a simple cut of meat can manifest so much pork-loving pride in an individual.

As it might seem that bacon is taking the world by storm, it in no way should be associated as a trend.  Bacon has been around for centuries, and unless all the pigs go extinct, bacon is here to stay.  Just think of how much the last pig on earth would be worth?  It’s mind-boggling.

No, bacon isn’t some fad that we hop on and off of.   Instead it’s the application of bacon that has been gaining popularity.  Some of these applications often do strike an odd note, hit our funny bones, or make us think, “Wow, that’s genius, why didn’t I think of that?”  The versatility of bacon has kept pork sales up, although sales have recently been impacted by fears of a potential H1N1 swine flew pandemic.

According to the US National Pork Board, bacon sales grew by 15% between 2002 and 2007.  Citing a different source, the American Farm Bureau noted that bacon sales were up 10% in 2008 and total sales reached $2.1 billion.  Despite the diet fads and public messages on reducing meat consumption, bacon has managed to evade them all.  Even the recession doesn’t seem to have a negative impact on sales.  Ah, bacon…recession proof and diet proof.

Sifting through the Internet for bacon-themed websites is daunting.  It’s saturated with bacon blogs and there seem to be new ones popping up every second.  Bacon has made its way into cakes, chocolate, beer, vodka, mayonnaise, ice cream, and salt.  There’s even the Turbaconducken, which is a turducken wrapped in bacon.  Then there’s the BA-K-47, a 1:1 scale replica of an AK-47 assault rifle made completely out of bacon.  The creator spent 8 hours making it with packs of bacon and a blow torch.  Bacon-themed products have also made their way to the masses: bacon lip balm, bacon air fresheners, bacon wallets, even a bacon suit…you get the idea.  Heather Lauer, creator of the bacon blog, Bacon Unwrapped, has professed her love of what she calls, “the best meat ever,” in her recently published book, ‘Bacon:  A Love Story.’  I picked up a copy and when I’m finished, I’ll post a review.

Bacon…maybe it’s time to classify bacon as a superfood.

Upon hearing about bulgogi hot dogs from a friend some months ago, I was skeptical of a modern mish-mash between East and West.  I am familiar with the concept of fusion, but this just sounded ridiculous.

In one corner, a Western classic that’s as American as baseball.  In the other corner, a traditional Korean dish that is passed down from generation to generation.  How did the idea of intertwining the two items come about?  Was it from a stroke of genius, or a thought from half-baked randomness?

New York Hot Dog and Coffee has 107 branches in Korea, so the idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds.  It must be doing something right.  Last year, the company opened it’s first American branch in Greenwich Village in New York City.

I have confessed my love for bulgogi, but the hot dog on the other hand, is akin to having an illegitimate child begging for my attention.  I don’t remember the last time I had a hot dog, and I don’t miss it.

You see, hot dogs never did strike me as food, more like unwanted mixed and packed meat scraps that are reminiscent of my high school cafeteria’s mystery meat.  Yet, this odd couple has intrigued me, and has rattled my culinary curiosity.

After reading reviews and being somewhat satisfied by the ratings, I decided to venture out to New York Hot Dog and Coffee.  I would put my hot dog prejudice aside for the day.  Like drinking and driving, like fire and ice, like sleeping pills and laxatives, hot dogs and bulgogi don’t go together.

Or do they?

My fellow foodies Boon and Meishan came along for the ride.  As we approached the entrance, one of the employees opened the door and greeted us.  It was a quiet Saturday afternoon there and we didn’t see many customers.  Somehow I doubt there’s going to be door service if it gets really busy.

Adorned on the wall directly across from the counter, are larger than life pictures of people stuffing their faces with hot dogs.  One of the employees approached us and asked if we were first-timers.  Indeed, we were.  He told us that the most popular items on the menu was #6, the Bulgogi Hot Dog, and #7 the Kimchi Bulgogi Hot Dog.  Fair enough, #6 and #7 it is.  As we waited for the kimchi, bulgogi, and hot dogs to be cooked on the grill, we walked around the place and noticed a back room where the decor took a page out of a bar lounge.

When we received our food, we found our way to the back area.

Left: Kimchi Bulgogi Hot Dog, Right, Bulgogi Hot Dog

One of my friends was disappointed with the small amount of kimchi, so she went back to ask for more.  A wise decision.

It doesn’t hurt to ask for more kimchi, now that’s more like it!

We dug into the kimchi bulgogi hot dog first, because, well, because it’s pretty and colorful.  Surprisingly, the flavors went together rather well, and the toasted bun is a nice touch.  Each layer of flavor is easily distinguishable and the flavors don’t seem to overpower one another.  The hot dog, buried underneath the bulgogi, reminded me of 7/11’s Big Bite.

Closeup!

After eating the kimchi version first, the original bulgogi hot dog didn’t have as much of a flavor impact on the palette.   In fact, before the last bite of the second hot dog, I scooped up scattered bits of kimchi from the first hotdog and placed them into the bun.  Kimchi makes everything taste better.  It didn’t have the spiciness and savoriness of the first dog, but the sweetness of the bulgogi complemented the salty hot dog nicely.

Another closeup

In the end, we weren’t blown out of the water by this unlikely combination of meat, but it was good enough to warrant a future visit to the shop.  The Korean toppings on the hot dog are simply just that, toppings.  Think chili cheese dogs and you will understand.

New York Hot Dog and Coffee
245 Bleecker St
(between Carmine St & Leroy St)
New York, NY 10014
(917) 388-2608

~ Kin

If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, well, the twenty foods deemed the worst will keep you from reaching your goal. From the famous ‘Eat This, Not That!’ segment of Men’s Health Magazine, the 20 worst foods in America are listed.

Here are a few from the list.

The Worst Food in America of 2009
Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake
2,600 calories
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
263 g sugars
1,700 mg sodium

The Worst Pizza of 2009
Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
2,310 calories
162 g fat
123 g carbohydrates
4,470 mg sodium

The Worst Supermarket Meal of 2009
Marie Callender’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
1,060 calories
64 g fat (24 g saturated fat)
1,440 mg sodium

Head on over to Men’s Health for the complete list and descriptions.

More companies have joined the peanut butter recall list in the attempt to mitigate salmonella exposure to the public.  General Mills Inc., Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., and Meijer Inc. are the recent addtions to the list.  The source of the outbreak has been traced back to Peanut Corporation of America’s peanut butter and peanut paste plant in Georgia.

Head on over to the FDA’s website for a complete list of recalled products.

Full article here

A UK study at Durham University conducted on 200 students claims that those who have high levels of caffeine intake are more prone to having hallucinations.  It seems that high levels of caffeine causes extra sensory perceptions of hearing and seeing things that aren’t there…and even feeling the presence of dead people.  Students who consumed 7 cups of instant coffee or more per day, were three times more suceptible to having hallucinations, compared to those who cosumed only one cup of coffee per day.

The study didn’t focus on just coffee alone, as tea, caffeinated energy drinks, chocolate bars and caffeine pills were also thrown into the mix.

See, you’re not crazy, just lay off the java for a bit.

Better call the Ghostbusters in Tampa, Florida.

Read

So what’s in for 2009?  According to the American Culinary Federation, the results of a survey that included more than 1,600 professional chefs showed that:

Local produce, bite-size desserts, organics, healthful kids’ meals, and new cuts of meat top the list of nearly 210 culinary items in the third annual “What’s Hot” chef survey. Rounding out the top 10 trends are kids’ vegetable/fruit side dishes, superfruits (including acai and mangosteen), small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum, artisan liquor and sustainable seafood.

Click here for the full article.

~ Kin

Here’s a good article on saving the food in your fridge and freezer when a power outage occurs.  The warning they have on the site makes so much sense, but I highly doubt many people have the same frame of mind:

“And remember the most basic rule: When in doubt, throw it out. Any cost savings you may gain by keeping questionable food will cost you much more in terms of doctor and hospital bills if someone gets sick.”

Yep, we’re not responsible if you come down with a bout of explosive diarrhea!

Read here

~ Kin

Did you know cereal was created in the 1800’s?  Neither did I!

Here’s the first paragraph of the article:

During the early 19th century, most Americans subsisted on a diet of pork, whiskey, and coffee. It was hell on the bowels, and to many Christian fundamentalists, hell on the soul, too. They believed that constipation was God’s punishment for eating meat. The diet was also blamed for fueling lust and laziness. To rid America of these vices, religious zealots spearheaded the country’s first vegetarian movement. In 1863, one member of this group, Dr. James Jackson, invented Granula, America’s first ready-to-eat, grain-based breakfast product. Better known as cereal, Jackson’s rock-hard breakfast bricks offered consumers a sin-free meat alternative that aimed to clear both conscience and bowels.

Continue reading here.

HolyTaco.com has a list of the 10 greatest fast food side dishes that often accompany their artery-clogging main dishes.  Stop on by their site for some commentary and nutrition info on the top 10.

10.  Burger King’s Cheesy Tots
9.  White Castle’s Chicken Rings
8.  Chez Ashton’s – Sausage Poutine
7.  Popeye’s Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
6.  Jack in the Box’s Jack’s Cheesy Macaroni Bites
5.  Dominos’ Cheesy Bread
4.  Jack in the Box’s Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges
3.  Long John Silver’s Crumblies
2.  Arby’s Curly Fries
1.  KFC’s Mash Potatoes and Gravy