Coming up with new and interesting ideas for this blog week after week can be a little challenging. It is not the easiest thing to have an idea that fits into our company’s manifesto of bringing science to people through art and education but still keep peoples’ interests piqued. I have spent time surfing the net today to try to come up with something good and the number one topic in many a mind seems to be….bacon.
People love bacon. People want to learn more about how to cook bacon, eat bacon, praise bacon. “All hail the mighty bacon!” People want more bacon in their lives. A 2010 study actually showed that 43% of Canadians would choose bacon over sex. So if you are ready, we will take a few minutes to discuss this salty and smoky topic in regards to the art and science. Buckle up! We are in for a bumpy bacon ride!
When you google bacon in art or bacon art (who hasn’t done this? And If you haven’t before, I am sure you will do it after you finish reading this) you will inevitably get a response of Francis Bacon (1909-1992), an Irish-born British figurative artist with a tortured soul whose works were bold, grotesque, and emotionally charged. Doesn’t this description make you want to hang his paintings in your home? There is also Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the 1st Viscount of St Alban; philosopher, orator, author, father of scientific method, and one of the many people said to have written some or possibly all of the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. The second Bacon’s contributions to the modern world of science were plentiful and there is enough speculation around his connection to the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons to satisfy any conspiracy aficionado.
Those two artistic and scholarly gentlemen aside, bacon art will conjure up many creations of art with bacon including sculptures of the porky goodness made to look like Star Wars figures and the Stanley Cup, famous paintings such as Starry Night translated with the use of bacon, and various paintings done of the actor Kevin Bacon. This should not surprise anyone who had ever played six degrees of Kevin Bacon; he was bound to show up at least once in this writer’s blog. (For those of you that do not know about this parlour game, it is the concept that proposes that any two people in the film industry are six or fewer links apart from Kevin Bacon. A fun game for the whole family!)
The science of bacon is a different matter. Why do so many people love this food? Two major reasons for this love besides the smoky, salty taste are aroma and the feel of it in your mouth. We are going to take a closer look at the science now…Scientists have identified over 150 compounds that are responsible for bacon’s very distinctive smell. The browning that happens when you cook bacon results when amino acids in the bacon react with the reducing sugars present in the fat to produce its desirable flavours. This is an excellent example of the Maillard reaction. The molecules generated at this phase include furans, pyrazines and thiazoles, which have nutty, caramelized tastes and aromas. Yum, Yum, furans.
The feel of bacon when you are chewing it is another reason for loving it. Humans love variety in the texture of the food they eat, whether they are aware of it or not. Bacon delivers a crunchy note to the otherwise soft foods that seem to make up the average North American breakfast. The fat in the bacon becomes both crispy and melty when cooked and when combined, this texture is not found in many other foods. This melty texture is also the reason why people often overdue their consumption of bacon. Any food that requires very little work to eat tricks the body into thinking that it must be insubstantial calorically but as most of us realize, bacon is no diet food.
There are many dangers in eating too much bacon, and/or processed meats in general, but I do not think the threat of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease is scaring too many people away from eating it. There are some varieties that combine maple syrup with the bacon which can be defined as an irresistible trio of fats, salt, and sugar. Even as I type this, I am thinking, “maybe I will have bacon for dinner”. I think creating artwork with bacon, considering the works of the Francis Bacons, or playing six degrees is a little less life-threatening but will they ultimately fill that spot in your stomach and soul that has been designated as the bacon spot? I think not. I say, bacon on! Just make sure you are not eating only bacon; through a carrot or two in there for good measure.
–Janice Willson
