Everything Tastes Better With Bacon... or Does It? [Tennessee Eats]

Yesterday, Kim and I did a fun food experiment at work.

For the fall issue of one of our magazines, I'm doing a blurb on Piggy Popcorn from the Loveless Café (RIP, Biscuit Lady!). The folks there were kind enough to send me a few bags for us to shoot in our studio, along with a catalog with Carol Fay smiling on the cover with a tray of biscuits, as well as the Nashville Vacation Guide, which we publish (ha).

They also told me about how they developed the uniquely Southern concept of Piggy Popcorn And I Don't Share (said to the tune of "Jimmy Crack Corn and I Don't Care"), which is basically bacon popcorn, where they use syrup to stick the bacon to the popcorn.

Yes, candied bacon popcorn.

I don't know why I find the concept of this product so awesome and the idea of the KFC Double Down so disgusting, but what can I say. Maybe it's because it's from Tennessee, not Kentucky, I don't know. But it sure was fun walking around the office and offering this questionable confection to everyone.

The conversations went something like this.

Example A.
Us: You have to try this.
Them: What is it?
Us: Caramel corn... with bacon.
They dubiously investigate a single kernel, smell it and then chew slowly and make an awkward expression. I reeeeally wish I had carried around a camera, better yet a Flip Cam, to capture the myriad of facial distortions.
Them: Interesting... it's okay... definitely interesting... I don't think I'd buy it, but I'd eat it... if there was a bowl of it on my desk, I'd probably eat the whole thing (and possibly get sick because it's so rich).

Example B.

Us: You have to try this.

Them: What is it?

Us: Caramel corn... with bacon.

Them: Oh, bacon! Everything tastes better with bacon!

They enthusiastically try a handful. No awkward facial expressions ensue.

Them: Genius!

Example C.

Us: You have to try this.

Them: What is it?

Us: Caramel corn... with bacon. From the Loveless. C'mon, you have to try it.

Again, dubiously they inspect and sniff the kernel and ingredients package, which by the way does include bacon, bacon renderings and pancake syrup. Their faces crinkle up, and they utter something along the lines of the following:

"It tastes like I licked my frying pan."
"It's like I put my head in a smoker."
"It tastes like Snausages smell."

And probably a few other hilarious nuggets of insight that I have since forgotten. (Leave a comment if you remember any good ones!)

All in all, it was probably about 50-50 (would/would not try it again), although those of Example B were by far a majority male. We thought it was a guy thing at first, but a few girls (even ambivalent vegetarians) also enjoyed it.

It's a fun novelty gift, and a local Nashville food blogger is actually introducing the product to China as we speak.

However, my desk does kind of smell like Snausages now.