I have a confession to make: I am apathetic about bacon. Perhaps it’s just that by the time I first had a taste of bacon, my taste buds were so developed in another direction that they were inured to its allure. I am the woman who actually thinks adding bacon to a plate of fluffy scrambled eggs and toast serves to spoil rather than enhance my breakfast. So apathetic am I about it that in all my years of making the US my home I have never once purchased and cooked bacon. Now that I think of it that is rather odd – especially considering that I am one of those shoppers for whom going to the supermarket is akin to a cultural carnival. I literally get giddy at the prospect of finding new unfamiliar items that I can experiment with. I am the shopper you’ll see at the Korean grocery store, looking quizzically at a new ingredient, putting it in my shopping cart and only then doing a quick search on my iPhone to find a recipe, oblivious to the queue of irate actually knowledgeable shoppers behind me. Yes that’s me… and if you’ve been one of those unfortunate victims of my ignorance and exuberance, then I am sorry.

That said, you would think that this adventurous approach to foods would have led me to at least give bacon a try. It didn’t… until this week.  You can’t be a foodaholic and not be aware of the bacon craze that is sweeping the nation. I have heard of bacon chocolate bars, bacon-infused vodka and – gasp – bacon ice cream!  Has the world gone mad?  Anders suggested that we should make a sandwich to participate in this new craze.  Well realizing what bacon neophytes we were, I figured we should learn to walk before we run. This bacon-lettuce-avocado-tomato sandwich is my attempts at treading gingerly into this new food world.  I realize that for some of our readers, this sounds like such standard bacon fare, normal enough to be banal, even. But bear with my virgin palate since, just making this sandwich was such a new thing that I might as well been having bacon ice-cream. The verdict – I LOVED it.

We used bought applewood smoked bacon and use Brandy Boy tomato, romaine lettuce and Haas avocado because that’s what we had at home.  Other varieties of these of vegetables can be substituted. You want to ensure you use a smooth creamy avocado and crispy lettuce – Boston and iceberg would work well.  If you are thinking that iceberg has such low nutritional content, remember that you are not going for a healthy diet here. Hello, you are having a bacon sandwich!

Sandwich Recipe

• 2 slices bread
• 2 slices bacon (baked or fried until crispy but not burnt)
• 2 pieces lettuce (enough to cover bread)
• 2 slices tomato
• 1/2 of a small avocado (about four slices, depending on your bread)
• 1 tsp mayonnaise

Lightly toast both slices of bread.  Spread the mayonnaise on one side of each slice.  Take one slice (mayo side up) and layer with the lettuce, tomato, bacon and finally the avocado slices. Close with the other slice of bread and enjoy while still slightly warm.