Anyone who’s been to the Junk Drawer before knows I have a special place in my heart for delicious bacon.
So I was over the moon when a friend sent me a link to a blog documenting the adventures of Bacon himself.
I love, love, love this blog!
Bacon’s owner, Devon Boatwright, graciously agreed to an interview so I could learn more about my new fatty best friend.
I’m Bacon’s #1 fan, possibly in a Kathy Bates/Misery sort of way. I just love him so. Where did you get Bacon and how did you get the idea for Bacon to have his own blog?
Bacon was actually kind of an accident! My mom ordered Bacon for my sister but accidentally ordered two Bacons. Not knowing what to do with the second one, she decided to give it to us as a family gift. She kept joking that it wasn’t a big deal and we could open it before Christmas and it was just a silly gift. Well, I opened up the box and completely freaked out even more than my children.
Since I opened Bacon before Christmas and my sister was also receiving a Bacon, I was not allowed to post pictures of Bacon. Despite my begging, I posted no pictures of Bacon for 3 days! Then Christmas day I managed to wrangle Bacon from my children and was inspired to pose him with the turkey. Then I thought it would be funny if he helped Ray with the dishes. And it just went from there.
When I posted all the photos, people on my Facebook loved them and someone told me I should start a blog. I figured I would do it and make a coffee table book out of it when I was done. I didn’t realize how many people would actually think Bacon was as cool as I did!
Bacon has ridden the subway, crowd-surfed on a dance floor, gone grocery shopping and helped make home brewed beer. Does Bacon realize he’s a Renaissance Man?
Bacon is most definitely an “out and about” fatty meat. He does not like to sit around at home. I had to convince him to get out on the dance floor, he was scared to get stepped on. And sometimes I’ve had to give him a pep talk (seeing all his kin packaged and eyeless was like something from a horror movie). Bacon is really open to trying new experiences no Bacon has ever tried before.
What is the reaction of people in places you visit (restaurants, museums, stores) when you ask them to hold Bacon and have their picture taken? Do you get strange looks? Also, does your family think you’re insane?
MOST people think it’s kind of funny and definitely think I am weird. Honestly, I am a little weird but I am relatively shy in real life. Asking people to pose with Bacon is really a challenge for me sometimes. I haven’t had anyone say “no” outright. Though, there was the one guy who handled Bacon like he was covered in disease. I don’t even know why he agreed to allow me to take Bacon’s picture. But his lack of humor is the minority. Many people have actually approached me asking about Bacon and what he’s doing.
My husband and kids already knew I was insane. Bacon just takes that insanity into the public. I mean, my husband and I went to Italy with my parents for our anniversary and took pictures of the toilets with the insane plan of making a book entitled “Toilets of Rome.” I sometimes wonder if Ray knew what he was getting into when he married into my family. Hee hee. Luckily, he embraces Bacon and has actually come up with Bacon ideas.
Bacon can say only two words: “I’m Bacon!” Can he express himself in other ways besides speech, where he is clearly limited?
I think Bacon can express himself in the way he stares pointedly and blankly at things. And I think, depending on the context, the words “I’m Bacon!” can have a variety of deep meanings.
I’ve seen Bacon eat soft pretzels on two occasions. Is that his favorite food? Does Bacon understand he is a food?
Bacon does realize he’s a food and it makes him really nervous in certain situations. Being in the kitchen at Counter Burger terrified him. Sometimes when I cook bacon for breakfast, he hunkers down and hopes I don’t eye him ravenously. He also realizes he’s a lovely stuffed thing and hopes the dog won’t decide to drool all over him.
To make matters even worse.. Bacon’s favorite food is actually bacon. He doesn’t care if it’s cooked or raw. He’s even been known to cook little bacons for himself on occasion.
One of my cats has a favorite spot on the back of the couch where she hangs out when she’s not doing cat things. Does Bacon have a favorite spot in your house where he likes to chill when he’s not going on Bacon adventures?
Personally, I take issue with Bacon being left around like a toy. He’s very much a family member. When he is not going on adventures, he generally sits at the 6th chair at the kitchen table. There he can see everything going on. Yes, he sits in the chair properly. I have the same thing with dolls, too. It bugs me if the girls’ American Girl dolls are laying on the floor. I always have to pick them up and put them in a proper, more comfortable position.
One question about mechanics: How do you position him to, say, sit in seats, hang onto larger objects or bend over? Does he have special innards that allow for this malleability?
I don’t know if I should say that! It’s a secret! Hee hee. Really, Bacon has this wire along the sides of him that make him poseable. His mouth also moves when he says “I’m Bacon!” so that actually allows me to use the mechanics of his mouth to hang him on something. I have a thing about people handling Bacon for photographs so I try to make sure as much as possible that no one is touching Bacon when I photograph him.
If someone has to be propping him up, then I try to cut their hand out of the picture. Sometimes I snap really quick pictures as Bacon slowly slides down whatever I have managed to prop him on. I probably look like a weirdo posing Bacon in public. Especially at our night out where I took like 20 photos of one of my friends holding Bacon up on the pool table to play pool. I kept saying “I can see you in the picture and I can’t crop that!” So we’d repose. Heh.
Where does Bacon see himself in five years?
Bacon definitely sees himself in a coffee table book. He hopes he’ll have to wear sunglasses and a fake mustache when he goes out so people won’t recognize him because he’ll be so famous. He also hopes he won’t have been eaten or become a dog toy for an oversized canine.
I think we can learn a thing or two from Bacon. What is Bacon’s philosophy on life?
I asked Bacon what his philosophy on life was. After all, he’s read many books and must be quite brilliant by now. I waited with bated breath as Bacon thought long and hard about my question. Finally he answered, “I’m Bacon!” So there you go.
Bacon believes everyone should be like him. We could interpret that to mean he thinks everyone should live life to the fullest and go on many fabulous adventures and take lots of pictures. Or we could take it to mean that Bacon has a bloated self image and thinks everyone should be him.
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Devon, thank you for taking the time to help us get to know Bacon better. Also, if you get that coffee table book published, I want a signed copy (and I wouldn’t be disappointed with a Toilets of Rome book either!) I just hope Bacon remembers me when he gets famous.
Adventures of Bacon blog
Author, Devon Boatwright’s Facebook page
My husband Dave and I made our pilgrimage to BaconFest in Easton, PA today and it did not disappoint!
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