Denny’s Bacon Sundae and Baconalia Love Fest in Celebration of America’s Bacon Obsession: Why?!

OK, seriously… what is with the recent obsession with bacon?

Seems like everyone has been jumping on the bacon bandwagon in recent years.

Why am I suddenly blogging about society’s love affair with bacon? Because while watching The Colbert Report last night, I discovered Denny’s new Baconalia event… described on the Denny’s website as their self-proclaimed “bacon love fest.”

In celebration of Baconalia, Denny’s has come up with a slew of new bacon-themed dishes, including:

• The Ultimate Bacon Breakfast


This is the Jack in the Box version of the bacon shake. And yes, this exists. I can't make this stuff up!

• Bacon Flapjacks
• Pepper Bacon & Eggs
• Triple Bacon Sampler (Because why have just 1 type of bacon per dish when you can have THREE? Those 3 being hickory-smoked bacon, Denny’s new pepper bacon & turkey bacon.)
• BBBLT Sandwich (Because regular BLTs are for shmucks. Obviously, one should only eat BLTs with not just 1 layer but three layers of bacon. And consisting of how many strips of bacon, you ask? Oh, that’s right. Eight.)
• Bacon Meatloaf
• …and (what I’m convinced is the worst bacon creation of all) Denny’s New Maple Bacon Sundae

Yup, that’s right.

Denny’s has officially crossed the line with its Frankenstein creation of Ice Cream + Bacon.

“Bacon makes a classic ice cream sundae even more awesome. We start with maple-flavored syrup, and a scoop of rich, creamy vanilla ice cream and then a generous sprinkle of our diced hickory-smoked bacon. Add another sweet layer of syrup and vanilla ice cream topped with even more bacon and a drizzle of syrup.” -Official Denny’s website

Please excuse me while I throw up.

But it’s not like Denny’s Baconalia is the first “bacon lovefest” of its kind. Let me illustrate the ways in which bacon has recently taken over pop culture in recent years.

Example #1: Wendy’s does Bacon Better… By “Applewood”-ing Everything

No other fast food chain is as obsessed with bacon than Wendy’s, with their huge line of bacon products, including:

• The Baconator Single
• The Baconator Double
• The Bacon Deluxe Single
• The Bacon Deluxe Double
• The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger
• The Double Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger

Wendy’s wants you to believe that their bacon products are better than other fast food chain’s bacon products. And how do they do that, you ask? By tacking the words Applewood smoked” every time they mention the word “bacon.”

Just check out their official description of the Baconator Single sandwich (don’t even get me started on the name “The Baconator“… what is this, the bacon version of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Governator” nickname?):

“Two 1/4 lb. patties topped with juicy Applewood smoked bacon in between a premium fresh bun. Topped off with mayo, ketchup, and American cheese. Now that’s not just a sandwich, but a tasty treat.” -Official Wendy’s website

And apparently there’s no such thing as too much bacon… because Wendy’s Baconators have consistently been advertised on TV as having “6 strips of bacon!” I mean, c’mon. Six? Isn’t that overkill? At least the Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe Single only has 4 strips:

“Four strips of Applewood smoked bacon piled high atop a hot ‘n juicy beef patty, made to order every time. Add American cheese, cool and crisp veggies with a little condiment love and you’ve got a burger to satisfy your senses.” -Official Wendy’s website

Example #2: Dairy Queen’s “Bacon It” Song for Their Bacon Cheddar GrillBurger TV Ad

For those of you who have yet to have the pleasure (I’m being truly sarcastic here) in viewing Dairy Queen‘s TV commercial for their Bacon Cheddar Grillburger, then you’ll have to check out the video link below:

Yup, that’s right. Dairy Queen has officially transformed the word bacon into a verb thanks to their new Bacon Cheddar GrillBurger song:

“(This one is for the carnivores…)
A buck 99 gets you burger perfection
Right down to the pickles and the cheese selection
(GrillBurgerrrr…)
A quarter pound of beef is how we start making it
Put in your mouth right after we bacon it!
(GrillBurgerrrr…)
(Did I just use bacon as a verb?)
(Maybe…)”

Example #3: Vosges’ Bacon + Chocolate Line

Vosges Haut-Chocolat may be a high class chocolate truffle company, but that doesn’t mean they can’t jump on the bacon bandwagon! And frankly, I can’t describe their line of “Bacon + Chocolate” products any better than they have on their website:

“Bacon + Chocolate?! Two equally obsessive foods come together to create an unbelievable taste combination of sweet, smoky and savory. Applewood smoked bacon pieces with alderwood smoked salt, and 45% creamy milk, or 62% deep dark chocolate.”
-Official Vosges website

Yup, that’s right. Apparently Vosges realized they’ve hit the mother load with the idea of combining food’s two deadly sins:

Bacon… and chocolate.

It all started with their original Mo’s Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar, and eventually evolved to include products like their Flying Chocolate Pig… a bacon-flavored solid chocolate product shaped like an actual pig! Is it just me or does that just sound wrong?

Well, according to Vosges, it’s not wrong at all… in fact, they proudly proclaim their flying bacon chocolate pig as “yet another way to get your daily dose of bacon.”

Excuse me, daily dose?! Geez, no wonder our society is plagued by obesity!

So, there you have it. I’m officially convinced that the human race as it exists today is obsessed with bacon.

Know of any other outrageous bacon products? Please leave a comment and and let me know!

Cheers,
Karina Shum