Bacon

A global pork shortage is on the horizon, according to Britain's National Pig Assn. , which has foodies and bacon geeks fearing an "aporkalypse. " Thankfully for the Chinese, there's a pork reserve in China to accommodate such a crisis, but whatever will we do in the U.S., where bacon has become as trendy as designer cupcakes? Kidding. It's not as though bacon-wrapped hot dogs will suddenly vanish from the Earth in 2013. You will, however, have to a pay more for your artery-clogging indulgence, though it's doubtful prices will become so exorbitant that danger dogs become a brag-worthy delicacy on Rich Kids of Instagram . The eventual price hike is in part a result of this year's severe drought, which ravaged corn and soy crops across the Midwest, subsequently increasing the cost of feed.

BACON AND PORK SHORTAGE "NOW UNAVOIDABLE" A British trade group is predicting a pork and bacon shortage next year , blamed on the drought conditions that hurt the corn and soybean crops this year. [Los Angeles Times] MARKETING TO KIDS: SO HOW IS THE FOOD INDUSTRY DOING? The FTC is revising a 2008 report that looked at how food companies market products to children, expected to be released by the end of 2012 . [ABC News] NO MORE JUNK FOOD AT THE HOSPITAL...

Might want to get your fill of ham this year, because "a world shortage of pork and bacon next year is now unavoidable," according to an industry trade group. Blame the drought conditions that blazed through the corn and soybean crop this year. Less feed led to herds declining across the European Union “at a significant rate,” according to the National Pig Assn. in Britain . And the trend “is being mirrored around the world,” according to a release ( hat tip to the Financial Times)

Now that "30 Rock" is in its seventh and final season, Alec Baldwin says he plans to let his yoga instructor wife, Hilaria, "bring home the bacon. " "Even though we don't eat bacon," she joked Sunday on the Emmy Awards red carpet in Los Angeles.  Alec Baldwin, nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for the hilarious and lovable Jack Donaghy he plays on "30 Rock," said he would stop loafing in February to do a little Broadway. PHOTOS: Top Emmy winners  |  Emmys red carpet arrivals  |  Overheard at the 2012 Emmys "With the show ending, this is a bittersweet day for me," he said.

  Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Note: Adapted from "Seamus Mullen's Hero Food. " Aleppo pepper can generally be found at gourmet and cooking supply stores, and is available online. 1/2 cup diced slab bacon 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 24 littleneck clams 2 ears corn, shucked and cut into 2-inch lengths 3/4 cup dry white wine 2 teaspoons pimentón Aleppo pepper Handful fresh basil leaves, torn Healthy drizzle of olive oil 1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sweat the bacon over medium heat.

If you're going to be at the Los Angeles County Fair Thursday, put down that chocolate-covered bacon and come by the Culinary Styles area between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. to say hello. I'll be giving a cooking class -- all hot-weather salads -- and answering questions. Feel like a little watermelon salad with feta, mint and cumin-lime dressing quinoa salad with grilled corn, tomatoes and cilantro, or maybe woven zucchini with goat cheese? Learn how to make them. And then go back to the bacon and deep-fried Oreos.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was a short-lived fad from the late 1990s which sprang from the notion that anyone in Hollywood was no more than six steps removed from sharing a credit with actor Kevin Bacon. The creators of the game, college buddies Craig Fass, Brian Turtle and Mike Ginelli, had their moment of fame, promoted the game and it thrived for a bit before fading into obscurity. Until now. Just as Bacon is set to reinvent himself as a TV star in Fox's upcoming thriller series "The Following," the game that bears his name has been reinvented by Google as a fun little Easter egg on its search pages.

Onion, potato and bacon topping Total time: 45 minutes Servings: 1 to 2 Note: The toppings should be warmed before being added to the frittata. 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 2 teaspoons butter 3 fingerling potatoes 3 slices thickly sliced applewood-smoked bacon Frittata base 1 tablespoon minced chives 1/3 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese 1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the onion in butter in a small skillet over low heat without coloring until the onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

Industriel, it should be mentioned, is a restaurant that can leave a certain kind of person sputtering with rage. It is decorated in a kind of Depression chic, for one thing. Walls are paneled with old wooden soda crates. Banquettes are upholstered in a gold vinyl you may have never seen outside cocktail lounges attached to ancient Midwestern bowling alleys. And the not-unplentiful homeless people on the street outside are confronted with the enormous blowups of Dorothea Lange's photographs of starving Depression-era migrant workers that flank the doors.

Bartender Calixto Hernandez has a wrist as loose as Steven Tyler's tongue, so the results can be menacing if you're not careful. Every Sunday, Hernandez lords over one of the most popular build-your-own Bloody Mary bars in the city on the back patio of La Cita in downtown Los Angeles. He provides a pint glass half full (or more) of vodka and you go to work mixing and garnishing it from the movable feast of condiments, crisp bacon, sauces and pickled veggies he lines up on the side of the bar. Thanks to the oppressive August heat, which mandates a healthy amount of escapist day drinking, the Enabler has lately been obsessed with build-your-own Bloody Mary bars.