HAPPY BACON DAY!

Bacon Day Spread.
Originally uploaded by reseda76

What? You've never heard of Bacon Day? Well, let me tell you all about it.

In 1999, my sister found a pig-shaped cookie cutter at the thrift store. We thought it was hilarious, because when would you want to give someone a cookie shaped like a pig? Really? The only way we figured you could give someone that and not have it come across as positively insulting ("Here...I made you a cookie...it's shaped LIKE A PIG.") is if you had a holiday to justify it's odd existence. The lone cookie cutter definitely needed one of those.

Soon after, my sister and I were watching The Simpsons, and Marge surprised Homer for their anniversary - which he had forgotten about. He started running through possible reasons for her unexpected gift in his mind and came up with "Bacon Day". Luckily for him, he realized that was "crazy talk" and she couldn't possibly be surprising him for Bacon Day.

At that moment, watching The Simpsons, right after Homer said those two magical words, we looked at each other and knew what we had to do. Bacon Day was created. The cookie cutter was named "Porky Pigfat" and became the mascot of our new holiday. His likeness has graced many a Bacon Day banner, and there is even a board game created to honor him.

(Really. We drew up a board and everything.)

Every May 15th (or closest Saturday), we have celebrated the World of Pork. Even though my sister and I live in different states, we have made sure to keep the holiday alive.

Each dish must feature some sort of pork or pork-like product in it, and there are a few traditional favorites - much like a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham (but far, far less widespread or significant). Velveeta shells and cheese with hot dogs, for example, should grace one's table at Bacon Day lunch. Another holiday favorite is pizza topped with Canadian Bacon, and even just a plate of the namesake meat itself. Buying different kinds of bacon and trying them all is another way to enjoy the day. In the early years, we would make sugar cookies WITH THE VERY COOKIE CUTTER ITSELF and have decorating contests. If you can actually find a pig-shaped cookie cutter, I would do that too!

There is a Wikipedia entry stating that a group of Colorado grad students came up with a holiday of the same name in 2004 BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT IS NOT THE BACON DAY I CHOOSE TO OBSERVE and our Bacon Day was conceived five years prior to that one. Plus we have Porky.

So there.

Anyhow, Happy Bacon Day to you and yours, and I hope you had a great day of porcine indulgence!

Hooray!

P.S. If you click on the photo, you can see notes identifying each item on the table.

P.P.S. I am having a bacon coma now.