Is the bacon-flavor craze over?

The news that Jones Soda Co. would be introducing a bacon-flavored carbonated beverage has prompted more than a few disgusted reactions. It also coincides with renewed speculation that American food culture's love affair with bacon, which seemed to hit fever pitch a couple of years ago, is finally dead. This is not the first time foodies have predicted bacon's demise; it was declared "over" in 2008 and 2009. But with bacon-inspired products becoming increasingly weird — baconnaise comes to mind — is this trend finally dying? (Watch a "bacon soda" taste test)

Enough already: "Bacon had a good run," says Katy Mclaughlin at The Wall Street Journal, but "now it has gone flabby—used too much and too often, it's lost its novelty and coated fine dining with a ubiquitous veneer of porky grease." These days, it's "in every restaurant," "in every course," and "in every dish," and that's simply too much. The "bacon bubble" needs to pop.

"The bacon backlash"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Nope, bacon is here to stay: Bacon is in no danger of fading away, says Andy Huse at The Daily Loaf. It's "a concentrated flavor booster that complements a variety of ingredients;" it's perfect for "both breakfast and burgers;" and, on an emotional level, it enjoys "a sentimental place in middle America's heart." Food fads come and go, but bacon is forever.

"In defense of bacon: Despite what the critics say, the bacon craze is here to stay"

Either way, this is an exciting development: Caffeinated bacon lollipops and bacon-flavored coffee syrup were all well and good, says Carly Hallam at Comedy Central, but "no bacon-flavored treat is as exciting" as Jones Co.'s new creation. This soda is "what the contents of your stomach taste like after you drive through McDonald's in the morning." And that's not necessarily a bad thing: "In a word, it's delicious (disgusting)."

"Your life is complete: Bacon-flavored soda"