I take great pride in working in the pork industry, and have always tried to be a good ambassador to the general public. I find there are a lot of “myth-conceptions” about how pork is raised. As well as, some extremely wrong “facts” about the health factors associated with consuming meat.
Since changing the world is a daunting task, a few years ago I decided to try to change just one person at a time. Someone I have great respect for once told me to, “be an army of one”. I took that advice and ran with it.
My enemy?
Anyone who knew nothing about the pork (or meat in general) industry, but had very strong opinions about it.
My goal?
Make them engage at least once with someone who might be able to set them straight.
My weapon?
My chest. That’s right, my scrawny hairy chest was my weapon of choice. I began to source shirts that bore messages that would force complete strangers to engage with me. This has been my favorite pastime. I wear these shirts everywhere I can, and the results have been fantastic. There have been some unintended results as well (my 5 year old nephew now calls me Uncle Bacon). However, in general, I have been able to get the message out.
Rather than bore you with all the past interactions, I believe it’s time to share some history. I would like to share some of my favorite shirts, and some of the reactions that cropped from them.
This was my first shirt, and is still one of my favorites. I had to order a second, after the first one wore out! I’ve been stopped well over a dozen times while wearing it, which gave plenty of opportunities to spread the message.
Turning exercise into a reason to eat bacon…mind blown!
OK, simple message. Right? Well I was actually once stopped and told that this shirt was racist. To be honest, I had no idea what they were talking about. They believed the message I was sending out was stating two of the world’s major religions were wrong. Who knew?!
I still wear it.
And then I went out, and bought this one as well.
These three were to please my inner Star Wars geek (Trekkies are weird).
The hidden message here is to enjoy bacon periodically (very few people get that one).
My wife refused to wear hers out in public. Thankfully, my daughter was more than willing to be my partner on this one.
Plus, I almost choked on a carrot once. But mainly bacon.
Everyone needs a cause they can get behind.
And it shows.
Hey, a guy can dream.
Eat some bacon and try not to smile.
This is not dirty, so get your mind out of the gutter. It’s just a statement about some of my favorite ways to prepare pork.
Try not to sing these lyrics next time the song comes on the radio.
When you order online enough times, the web suggest items in the same category that you didn't know existed. This one came up through my scrolling, and I had to order it. The first time I wore this to the local butcher shop, he almost choked he was laughing so hard. It continues to get great reactions.
Like these? You'll love our pig jokes.
