This one hits really close to home. Breakfast tacos are king around these parts, and we sell a lot of them at the coffee shop I cook for. Every morning I have the pleasure of throwing about 8 pounds of bacon on the grill just as the sun is rising and I am certain the whole neighborhood can smell it.
I get a lot of “Man, I’ve been vegetarian for years but that just smells amazing.” comments in the morning. Honestly I get a very twisted type of satisfaction from seeing the air enter their nostrils and turn into psychological turmoil. Vegetables are great and I’m glad that people are eating them, but there seems to be some stigma against actually ordering the vegetarian options on the menu and instead requesting some weirdo veggie haphazard that spares no lack of imagination. I’m sure they have their reasons for being difficult to cook for, just like I have my reasons for telling them about about the hydrocarbons from the Maillard Reaction the next time they mention a weakness for the smell of bacon. If I make anyone frustrated and confused when they’re vulnerable then my apologies, I’m only trying to be informative!