bacon adds to life

I was watching a science program on TV the other night, and they were discussing how life might have begun on Earth.  (It’s funny to me that I know, yet so many scientists still don’t know.)  There are numerous theories / hypotheses, and one of the main ones is that life started by accident.  Supposedly amino acids in primordial soup collided with each other many times, until the right combination was formed to produce life.  (And I have to wonder — who was first, male or female?)  Amino acids are part of the building blocks of life.

The second widely-held theory / hypothesis is that an asteroid with frozen organisms deep inside crashed into Earth.  This would mean that we’re all aliens, and that life as we know it came from another planet.  But even if life came from another planet, it still had to start somewhere, somehow, since the Universe was formed by the Big Bang.

So let’s go back to the first theory.  Life had to start somewhere, obviously.  If colliding amino acids can create life, then you could create life by slapping pieces of bacon together enough times.  (You may think I’m being silly, but hold on.)  Bacon contains amino acids.  Actually, science explains that part of the reason we are attracted to the smell of bacon cooking is because of the chemical reaction of amino acids and reducing sugars.   (It’s called a Maillard reaction, if you wish to do further study.  That reaction also contributes to the taste of seared meat and roasted coffee.)  Of course, another reason we’re attracted to the smell of bacon cooking is because it smells awesome.

So since bacon contains amino acids that are essential to life, and life can supposedly start from the random collision of amino acids, then a simple formulaic proof could be constructed proving that slapping strips of bacon together can create life.  (Perhaps that Abstract Algebra class in college could be useful after all…)

Wow… the power of bacon!

Obviously a corollary to this new theory would be that eating bacon adds to your life.

limerick day

Yesterday, May 12, was Limerick Day.  I saw that on our special days of May feature, and looked at the comments.   Ironically, some of the user-written limericks (in the comments) are about Mango-Man’s love of flowers.  So since this week’s caption contest is about the same theme, I thought I’d let you know about further writing on it.   Plus, you now know it was Limerick Day, if you’re interested in such things.   I’m no poet, but limericks aren’t hard to write, and they can be fun (as evidenced by the comments referenced in the other post).

caption contest, car covered with flowers

At the monthly Buffet o’ Blog pizza-devouring staff meeting today, the topic came up of Mango-Man’s love of flowers.  After all, it is spring, and as the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.”   So now flowers are coming into bloom, and thus Mango-Man should be happy, and it’s a new season for making fun of him for it.  🙂  Since this has been a recurring theme of late, I figured this week’s caption contest could follow that theme.  If you are a new reader here and aren’t familiar with this recurring joke, you can catch up on the fun at the original post: a man who likes flowers.

So here’s a picture of a car covered with flowers.  You get to write a caption explaining this picture.  Remember that you can write from anyone’s point-of-view, even if they’re not in the picture.  Be creative with it, and have fun.

(To see our other caption contests, click on the “Say What?” category in the sidebar.)

If you particularly enjoyed this post with the ensuing comments and/or the original post about the man who likes flowers, there was a caption contest along these same lines a few years ago, with a man in a flower garden.

Is it fun to be fat?

Apparently some people really enjoy being fat.  There are a number of bloggers who call themselves “gainers” and document their quest to get fatter.  One blogger named Peter is 5’8″ and 250 pounds, and he is trying to gain more weight.  He has said:

“I love how my weight feels when I run, falling and shaking my body shortly after each step… The only thing I love more than being fat, is getting fatter.”

Uhh… He has also explained that “it feels natural to be fat”.  I don’t know about that, but I have experienced weight gain myself, and it was all natural.  I didn’t have to take any supplements or follow any special non-workout routines.  It just happened.

Peter has also said:

“I talk with many men who are much larger than I am, about their bodies and why they grew so large. They talk about the satisfaction of being full like some people talk about how good they feel after a hard workout or something. Being fat is just what makes them happy.”

Here’s where I think he’s confused (among other things) — I can understand the satisfaction of being full.  When I demolish a pizza buffet and then sit around talking with my friends, it feels good.  That feeling does make you happy.  But being fat doesn’t make me happy.  That’s the difference.  I’m slightly overweight because I love to eat, but I don’t like being fat.  I enjoy playing sports, and hiking, and being able to go places that require walking, without being out of breath all the time.

It’s possible to eat a lot and not be fat, if you maintain a high metabolism.  Then you get to enjoy eating AND enjoy physical activities.  I realize some people may not care about physical activities, so being in good health may not matter so much to them.   But when people get to the point that they get out of breath from tying their shoes, I don’t see how that’s enjoyable.  And then there’s the added health issues of being obese, which aren’t fun at all.

So my conclusion (not that you asked, but you’re still reading), is that it’s not fun to be fat.   But it is very enjoyable to eat, as evidenced by the numerous food conversations we have had here on this blog, particularly our Buffet o’ Bacon series.