# Guy who "invented" bacon and eggs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 6, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684 "2023-09-06T11:28:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/21 "2023-09-06T18:57:59Z")
inspired by this, and related threads: > [@Polls only: No discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/3834): > > What do you often eat for breakfast (check anything that you usually eat at least once a week) [poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/3834) Sadly, I left out the “meat without eggs” option. ☹ Use “other” for that. (and for any other other, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/22 "2023-09-06T22:07:17Z")
Along the lines of inventing demand, Halitosis was a term invented by Listerine, who helpfully provided the antidote. > **[How Halitosis Became a Medical Condition With a "Cure"](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/marketing-campaign-invented-halitosis-180954082/)** > > Bad breath wasn’t perceived as a medical condition until one company realized that it could help them sell mouthwash And the “norm” of women shaving their legs is also a result of advertising. > **[How the beauty industry convinced women to shave their legs](https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/5/22/8640457/leg-shaving-history)** > > In 1920, a woman shaving her legs was national news. This is how that changed. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/23 "2023-09-06T22:13:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > help the war effort by eliminating the copper used to make green ink (the green was actually made with chromium). Wouldn’t chromium have been a valuable strategic metal for war production too? But perhaps the marketing types thought “copper is more recognizable”. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/24 "2023-09-06T22:55:03Z")
Viagra was originally meant to be marketed as a treatment for hypertension, angina, and other heart disease-related symptoms, but clinical trials revealed it wasn’t very effective in that regard. However, researchers noticed a side effect often popped up in test subjects, and consequently a ~$2-billion per year industry was erected. Pfizer’s Viagra sales did soften a bit when stiff competition penetrated the market. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/25 "2023-09-07T00:22:14Z")
Two billion dollars seems like an awfully inflated sales result for an ineffective angina cure. Perhaps the manufacturer has engaged in some puffery. The competition should probably head that off. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/26 "2023-09-07T01:09:52Z")
When I was growing up in the pre-Viagra era I noticed the back pages of certain magazines advertised all sorts of “cures.” So Viagra didn’t really create the market, although it certainly filled a hole in it bigger and tighter than anyone had experienced before. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/27 "2023-09-07T01:48:13Z")
Yeah, i don’t think that was an invented desire. The reason the researchers discovered that side effect of the drug is that the test subjects didn’t want to return the left over pills. That’s very unusual in clinical trials. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/28 "2023-09-07T01:56:53Z")
There were pills left over?!? 😲 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/29 "2023-09-07T01:57:02Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Diamonds for engagements has a very similar history. An early case of very successful marketing. De Beers ad campaign of the 1930s. Before this Sapphires, Rubies & Emeralds were far more popular. Kind of, sort of related is how one jeweler renamed brown diamonds (which were previously mostly used in industry) as “[chocolate diamonds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_diamonds)” and sells them at a premium. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/30 "2023-09-07T03:03:14Z")
I grew up in a farming community, and was embarrassed when the farm kids compared what they had for breakfast, which to them was the full bacon, eggs, toast, and possibly pancakes or potatoes. Embarrassed, because I rarely ate anything before running to catch the school bus. Farmers certainly needed the full, hearty meal, but it probably helped that it was their own chickens that provided the eggs and their own pig that “donated” the bacon. Now, after retirement, we have eggs once a week, but when the brother-in-law had chickens that had way too many eggs, we had eggs more frequently. The inventor was prossibly someone with too many eggs. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/31 "2023-09-07T03:12:14Z")
We all saw what you did there. My youngest, on the autism spectrum, would eat the exact same thing for breakfast for years and then suddenly would switch one day to something else for years. The last few years were 3 slices of bacon (pre-cooked Costco things that microwaved really easily) and two steamed eggs in a simple custard with sesame oil and a drizzle of soy sauce. She would also eat either the hamburger or chicken burger at school lunch depending on which was offered on any given day. And then _never_ wanted or ate a burger outside of school. Autism works in mysterious ways. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/32 "2023-09-07T03:14:27Z")
In _ **East of Eden** _, the Trask brothers pretty much live on nothing other than bacon and eggs. I suppose this was common fare among rural folk throughout Steinbeck’s lifetime. IIRC, the same is true for _ **Look Homeward, Angel** _, where bacon and fried apples is a special treat. In the James Bond novels, 007’s favorite breakfast seems to be bacon and eggs. You can learn a lot about dietary trends throughout history by reading literature from different periods and genres. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/33 "2023-09-07T03:28:12Z")
I remember perhaps four decades ago reading an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/08/archives/commodities-summer-blts-and-pork-bellies-commodities-pork-bellies.html?unlocked_article_code=nK3wnrA3s9NXpPAWFNDmTeT7XuRD_wAiPeo2SDvbcObLxFMC2ivtTRQmb86UmFU_jXZfZzorU73LacI-6mKBAFIAt6oHGrayjqc2hdXgiDaJp5ywRIJk4-FVmHLJCUDpusVNiqEPHCW7ghCIZ9ultt9lJjmlWfWxCPzCMtaM5HjOLO6sWfSjI6zbmibve05JhR_BuBlwb3pRUW_OjTvs9_KLfKksnr-agfPRVEnSsOdmZ64QQOnGM9Q4WOISlpj8hjHcDhVazMc5nd1LVP866HR-fT8fsz9SWRAe02ewxhYqG4qqQXn4woEzDBAkwhms9Pqyp06LT0b9fGAhJtaIce_MpG-yWuDplEY1WuJse9InSlyQ00wfPSfxAZnoVZgA-2mvtW8KuQsW-Q&smid=url-share) in the business section of a newspaper that said that pork bellies mostly only traded during the summer months, because the primary market for bacon was BLT sandwiches. I think later with the popularity of bacon cheeseburgers pork bellies started to be traded all year long. The article even says that in the summer vacation period people would have time for a bacon and eggs breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/34 "2023-09-07T13:20:16Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Along the lines of inventing demand, Halitosis was a term invented by Listerine, who helpfully provided the antidote. > […] > And the “norm” of women shaving their legs is also a result of advertising. Not to mention, how they used to advertise the use of Lysol for women. Manipulating female insecurities about the degree of their sexual attractiveness to push product is of course nothing new to the advertising biz, but this was a particularly evil and dangerous example of marketing manipulation: > **[This Early Use For Lysol Is Wild](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lysol-original-use-women_n_5aa6d689e4b03c9edfae9848)** > > What we know as a home cleaning product was once marketed to women for something very different. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/35 "2023-09-07T13:50:26Z")
Wellbutrin was developed as an anti-depressant. It wasn’t very good at undepressing people but in tests a noticeable number of subjects spontaneously quit smoking. It was the main ‘quit smoking’ drug prior to Chantix which was developed more specifically for that purpose. I believe The Master or one of his quislings did a report on Absorbine Jr. The patriarch of the family, Absorbine Sr., was initially developed as a liniment for humans, then became popular for use on livestock, then popular again with humans, until his son was born specifically for marketing to humans. Or something like that. There’s usually some scandalous background behavior in a family situation like that. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/36 "2023-09-07T15:57:23Z")
I, uh, think you mean “underlings,” not “quislings.” 😳 > **[Quisling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisling)** > > Quisling (/ˈkwɪzlɪŋ/, Norwegian: \[ˈkvɪ̂slɪŋ\]) is a term used in Scandinavian languages and in English meaning a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for traitor. The word originates from the surname of the Norwegian war-time leader Vidkun Quisling, who headed a domestic Nazi collaborationist regime during World War II. > Use of Vidkun Quisling's surname as a term predates World War II. The first recorded use of... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/37 "2023-09-07T16:08:50Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Manipulating female insecurities about the degree of their sexual attractiveness to push product is of course nothing new to the advertising biz, but this was a particularly evil and dangerous example of marketing manipulation: > [This Early Use For Lysol Is Wild | HuffPost Life](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lysol-original-use-women_n_5aa6d689e4b03c9edfae9848) Kinda gives whole new meaning to being “flushed,” doesn’t it? 🤨😳 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/38 "2023-09-07T16:54:08Z")
They could be both. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/39 "2023-09-07T16:56:29Z")
Minions, maybe? 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684/40 "2023-09-07T16:57:18Z")
Close enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-who-invented-bacon-and-eggs/989684.md?page=3)