THERE WAS A MOMENT, not too far back in the past, when bacon was relegated to one time of day, and one time of day alone: morning. Sure, bacon, or perhaps more accurately pancetta, would pop up in evening pastas every now and then, and BLTs are a venerable favorite, but a dine-outer would most likely see two or three strips aside a fried egg or tower of toast. That whole pigeonholing of the savory superstar came to a slow but decisive end, what with the dawn of the internet and the rise of the true-blue bacon fandom. Suddenly strips were showing up in Bloody Marys, on t-shirts and housewares, and, yes, atop cupcakes. And much like bacon was once thought of as a morning staple, and then leapt into lunch and dinner dishes, it was also associated, way back, as a hearty foodstuff, something you might consume on a chilly morning. This no longer holds true, for it is now a year-round foodstuff, and popular in the summer, when several bacon-based revelries spring up around the state. One of the munchiest is in Monterey, as the name would suggest. It's the...
MONTEREY BACONFEST, and it will sizzle-pop on the first Saturday in summer, June 24, at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center. Bacon margaritas will likely to get much of the beverage buzz at the party (and this is yet another sign that bacon wasn't going to stick to Bloody Marys on the beverage front, though, of course, classic Bloodies'll be available, too). After all of your devouring, spend some time rocking out to the live tunes or looking around at the crafts for sale. If you're a baconist, will you finally come across a new-to-you bacon-themed or bacon-featuring dish? In these full-on days of supreme baconiana, that's becoming a challenge, but with more festivals, like Monterey Baconfest, it just might happen.
