NYT: Bacon Isn't Manly

The New York Times recently shared their thoughts on bacon and manliness (with a little commentary on facial hair mixed in for good measure):

I've seen more mustached lips on the street and more bacon-wrapped-fried anythings on menus than ever before. And the Internet tells me that facial hair and pig fat is manly, so it's possible we are. But, I don't think any of that stuff makes you manly. A mustache, on most of you, makes you look like the kind of guy who has a suspicious locked room in his basement, and bacon in every meal makes you a gluttonous fatso. Both of these things seem kinda dumb to me, along with all the other nonsense guys are taking part in because it helps them hark back to the days of manly men.

I've long thought that bacon has become fetishized by self-esteem-deprived men looking to Prove Themselves in ways their job, environment, and general scent just doesn't otherwise allow.  Then again, I'm a vegetarian who is constantly cooking up veggie bacon in pans full of peanut oil because that shit tastes so good.  So maybe chowing down at the Bacon Bacon food truck is less about compensating for a cushy job, a college education, and growing up with loving parents and more about taste?

Plus, there's some decidedly questionable sexual benefits to having facial hair.

[Photo by eb78]

Comments

GG's picture

"I've long thought that bacon has become fetishized by self-esteem-deprived men looking to Prove Themselves in ways their job, environment, and general scent just doesn't otherwise allow." Ding ding ding ding! Exactly.

scum's picture

Do you hate bacon and men?

Chachito415's picture

You equivocate in your post. Don't! The bacon trend is ridiculous. And I think it has more to do with trust-fund gringos who want a semblance of working-class culture in their privileged lives.

...but being insecure about your gender role is VERY manly, apparently.

P.D.Bird's picture

OR,some people like bacon,and some people like Moustashe riders. and I like both. But really,i see bacon as just food.

chalkman's picture

bacon transcends class boundries and gender roles, at least when you cook it in the oven on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 425.....

Brillo's picture

If you go to the New York Times for tips on manliness, you've already lost.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. If you have a Gravatar account associated with the e-mail address you provide, it will be used to display your avatar.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <b> <i> <blockquote> <strike>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.