I love bacon. That is certainly not unique, but during the bacon craze of a few years ago, I really leaned into it. It became a standing joke among family and friends that my bacon affliction was incurable. References were often made to memes, novelty bacon themed products, and an endless stream of bacon-heavy recipes. I can even recite from memory the entirety of Jim Gaffigan's bacon monolog. In more recent times, my bacon ardor has cooled but not fully receded. Alongside of all that goes my interest in history, and my attraction to author autographed books. There is just something remarkable about a published book which has been physically touched by its author as they leave a personal inscription as a souvenir. Try doing that with an audio book or a Kindle. So when I recently learned that my local independent bookstore - which deals only in autographed books - was holding a book signing for a book devoted to the history and cultural significance of bacon, there was no way I could pass that up.
Yesterday afternoon, then, I was able to meet and briefly talk with Mark A. Johnson, a history professor who has recently published his latest book, American Bacon: The History of a Food Phenomenon. Initially a little surprised that there was a whole book in bacon, I recalled other similar books that explore society's complex relationships with individual food items, like cod, coffee, and salt. Johnson's book was a multiyear effort involving scholarly research and disciplined formal writing. In talking with him, I found similarities in our authorships: his book was peer-reviewed, just as my papers are in scientific journals. I suspect his research involved more delicious investigation than mine, however. This was an early stop on a book publication tour that is just beginning as Johnson continues with appearances at academic and culinary institutions around the country. I look forward to reading his new book and wish his every success.
