Dividing Lines

I recently discovered that the human race is divided into two distinct camps. It's not quite as obvious as some dividing lines: dog people and cat people, black licorice lovers and black licorice haters, people my age who watched Square One as children and people (like me) who didn't and have to stand on the sidelines while their friends reminisce. But within just the last two months, after years of ignorance, I've had four or five different conversations that have convinced me that there are yet another two types of people in this world: Those who believe that all bacon is good bacon, and those who believe that crispy bacon is the one and only true bacon.

It's a subtle difference, and I don't think it surfaces often because the two camps still agree on the most important issue: bacon is a fundamentally good and delicious food. It's a near consensus, with very few exceptions. I've even heard people claim that bacon is the only thing holding them back from becoming vegetarian, and I've heard vegetarians say that their only big regret about vegetarianism is having to give up bacon.

But I've always just kind of assumed that when people say "bacon" they mean exactly what I mean, which is bacon that is cooked to the maximum crispiness with as little chewy pieces as possible. I always assumed that when people ate floppy bacon, it was only because it was a poor substitute for the real thing but a substitute nonetheless. I've always assumed that most bacon out there in the culinary world is not actually very good bacon. I didn't realize most people aren't all that picky about their bacon. Or maybe that so many people are so much more open-minded about bacon than I am.

Since this has, strangely, surfaced in so many conversations recently, I'm kind of curious now to find where people fall (take my poll in the sidebar!). My own household is evenly split. Of course, half of my household is a dog, and he would eat it raw if he could...

This post is brought to you by the Craisin salad I made yesterday (at my sister's request) for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I'd never made it before, but she swore it was amazing, and she was right. It required frying up a pound of bacon, though, and my apartment still smells like bacon grease, and with the smell haunting me like that it's kind of impossible not to write a blog post about bacon.

Also, it's been awhile, but I have one new book blog post. It's ostensibly about Silas Marner by George Eliot, but mostly about happy endings.

Craisin Salad 

1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
1 (8 oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8 oz.) package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled.
1 (6 oz.) package Craisins
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 recipe dressing (below)

Mix together lettuce, cheese, bacon, Craisins, and almonds right before serving. Toss with dressing.

Dressing
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mustard (I used Dijon because that's what I had on hand)
1 cup salad oil

In blender, mix all ingredients except oil. Add oil and mix again.

** Warning: This makes a huge salad! It's the kind of thing you take to ward potlucks and family reunions. But it's really, really, really good, and definitely worth making. **