(classical music)
- Hey, internet, it's me, Ben.
Every day before I head into the studio,
I have a healthy, hearty breakfast
of stuff like eggs, coffee, whiskey.
Don't judge me.
Of course, I also have bacon!
That's not entirely true.
I mean, who has their life together enough
to eat breakfast every day?
That's crazy talk, right?
Guys?
Anyway, the point is this,
if you are in the States
then you already know that bacon
is one of the most popular breakfast foods
in Western Civilization.
And it's right up there with eggs,
but, this was not always the case.
You see, for much of American history
breakfast would be something simple
like a slice of buttered toast.
Put it over here
with some coffee, maybe some orange juice,
and believe it or not,
there is one man responsible
for changing the way
America eats breakfast.
His name, Edward Bernays.
I know, I know, you're probably wondering,
how could just one guy
sway the minds of millions,
and hey, Ben, wasn't bacon already around?
It's true, you're right!
Yes, bacon, or cured pork, had been around
in European cuisine for hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of years,
but it was not thought
of as a breakfast food.
So in 1925, an outfit named
the Beech-Nut Packing Company
hired Edward Bernays to
boost their bacon sales.
He commissioned a study,
or I should say, "a study."
In a poll, Bernays had a physician
ask 5,000 doctors the
same loaded question:
Is a hearty breakfast better
than a light breakfast
to replace energy lost
by the body at night?
Now, because of the way
this poll was phrased,
most doctors agreed that, yeah,
a hearty breakfast was superior.
So Bernays reported
these scientific results
to other doctors across the United States.
He also embarked upon a
broadcast and print campaign
reporting these results along
with advertisements for bacon.
This campaign exhibited some brilliant,
and not exactly ethical strategies.
First, it used the appearance
of objective scientific evidence.
Second, this evidence came
from trusted authority figures,
I mean, doctors, come on!
Third, it sounded like nutritional
advice rather than an ad.
Beech-Nut profit soared, and today
bacon is a major breakfast heavyweight.
Each year people consume
more that 1.7 billion pounds
of this stuff in the United States alone.
And that is just counting statistics
from the food service industry.
A little more than half of all U.S. homes
keep bacon on hand at all times.
For emergencies, I guess.
So there you have it.
The story of how one man fundamentally
changed the way America
eats every morning.
And that's not the only thing
he successfully sold either.
He popularized soap, cigarettes, even war.
True story.
If you'd like to learn
more about Edward Bernays,
then check out my series on
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know,
not that I would pull a
shameless marketing ploy
when we're talking about
shameless marketing ploys.
Anyway, while you're online go ahead
and toss me a like for
this delicious piece
of sizzling bacon history and
let us know what you think.
Should Americans throw
out this dishonest science
of breakfast, and get
back to the pre-'20s meal
of coffee, toast and OJ,
or is bacon here to stay?
Also, is anybody else
hungry or is it just me?
