National Bacon Day!
There are few foods people agree on as readily as bacon. Across generations and cultures, it holds a rare position as something almost universally liked, often described as the ingredient that makes everything better. If you asked people to name their ideal sandwich, many would quietly admit this would be it: bread, bacon, and nothing else getting in the way.
Bacon’s appeal is deeply rooted in history. Salt-cured pork dates back thousands of years, used as a practical method of preservation long before refrigeration. Variations appeared across Europe and Asia, but bacon as we recognize it today became firmly embedded in American food culture during the 20th century. By the mid-1900s, it had moved beyond breakfast and into sandwiches, burgers, and fast food, where its smoky, fatty richness became shorthand for indulgence.
Culturally, bacon has taken on a role larger than the ingredient itself. It represents abundance, comfort, and excess, often acknowledged without apology. Entire menus have been built around it, and marketing has leaned heavily into its reputation as something people crave even when they know they shouldn’t. It’s one of the few foods that can be both nostalgic and provocative at the same time.
This photograph leans into that idea by stripping the sandwich down to its core. No lettuce, no tomato, no attempt at balance. Just bacon, stacked high, presented without distraction. It’s easy to imagine this being wildly popular as a fast-food option, ordered impulsively and remembered vividly. Of course, it isn’t something you’ll actually find on a menu. And that absence is part of the point.
My fast food photography project can be found in “Food From Bag to Background” on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0
Chips Ahoy!
National Cookie Day seemed like the right moment to look at something familiar. Chips Ahoy has more history behind it than most people realize. Nabisco launched the brand in 1963 with the goal of taking the homemade chocolate chip cookie and turning it into a reliable, mass-produced standard. Even the name carried a twist. It played off the old nautical call “Ships Ahoy,” but a similar phrase appeared in Charles Dickens’ writing a century earlier. That small echo of literature gave the brand a surprising bit of depth for a packaged cookie.
The early advertising leaned into that sense of character. Nabisco introduced Cookie Man, a caped superhero who defended the world’s supply of chocolate chip cookies from various villains. It was pure 1960s television, but it turned Chips Ahoy into more than a snack. It became a brand kids recognized immediately.
Then came the “1,000 chips per bag” line. It followed the cookies for decades, sparking arguments about whether the number was real or just clever marketing. The accuracy didn’t matter as much as the idea. It became part of the myth.
On National Cookie Day, it is easy to think about the cookies we grew up with. Chips Ahoy remains one of the most widely known and most often chosen. Crunchy, chewy, or chunky, the variations change, but the original concept still stands. Open the bag and know exactly what is inside.
You can see more of my Commercial Food Photography on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU Thanks!
The Fried Chicken Sandwich War
National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day — and the Sandwich That Started a Fast-Food Uprising
Today is National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, and that seemed like the right reason to photograph a few of the most disruptive sandwiches in recent fast-food history. I stacked four Popeyes fried chicken sandwiches straight from the bag onto my usual black background. No styling, no tricks, nothing rearranged. Just the food as it arrived.
Before I even started shooting, I checked in with Emily, my AI muse and assistant. She told me something I did not realize at the time: in 2019, this simple Popeyes sandwich set off one of the most unusual moments the fast-food industry has ever seen. It wasn’t just popular. It became a cultural event. And that makes it worth photographing on a day like today.
How the Chicken Sandwich War Began
The story starts quietly.
In August 2019, Popeyes introduced its Classic Chicken Sandwich nationwide. A fried chicken breast on a bun with pickles and either mayo or spicy mayo. That’s it. But within days, reviewers began posting head-to-head comparisons with the long-established Chick-fil-A sandwich. Some declared Popeyes the new front-runner.
Then Chick-fil-A sent a tweet reminding everyone that “bun + chicken + pickles = the original.”
It wasn’t aggressive, but it was enough.
Popeyes replied with, “… y’all good?”
Those two words ignited something bigger than either company could have planned.
The Public Took Over
People across the country started doing their own taste tests.
Lines formed around buildings.
Drive-thru lanes spilled into traffic.
Police officers were directing cars at certain locations.
Some stores ran out of sandwiches by noon.
Others ran out completely.
Within two weeks, Popeyes announced a national shortage. They had underestimated demand to the point that the entire supply chain ran dry. That had never happened before with a fast-food menu item.
Resellers even appeared online trying to sell their leftover sandwiches for marked-up prices. One person tried to sell half of a sandwich. It didn’t matter that none of it made sense. People were buying into the moment.
A Sandwich That Changed the Industry
When Popeyes finally restocked in November, the lines returned.
This was no longer about a meal. It was about being part of a story.
Fast-food chains noticed.
Quietly at first, then very publicly.
Between late 2019 and 2021:
- McDonald’s reformulated and relaunched its chicken sandwich.
- KFC introduced a new version of theirs.
- Wendy’s updated their recipe.
- Burger King did the same.
- Smaller chains reworked their menus to catch up.
It wasn’t called the “Chicken Sandwich War” as a joke.
It was a real industry shift sparked by one product.
The timing also mattered. Chicken was already surpassing beef in U.S. consumption. Chains realized that a single chicken sandwich could define an entire brand. When the Popeyes sandwich went viral, it pushed the market faster than planned.
Why Photograph It
My ongoing Food From Bag To Background series has one theme: food as purchased, against a black backdrop, with no context except what the viewer brings to it. Photographs like this show everyday things stripped down to their basic form. No wrappers, no storefronts, nothing telling you what you should think.
For National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, it made sense to photograph the item that changed the conversation around fast-food chicken entirely. Popeyes didn’t invent the fried chicken sandwich. They didn’t try to reinvent it. But they did launch the first fast-food moment that played out like a national event. And that alone earns it a place in this project.
A Small Reminder of What Food Culture Looks Like Now
Most food trends come and go quietly.
Most fast-food items disappear without being noticed.
But every so often, something cuts through — not because it’s elaborate, but because it hits the public at the right moment.
For National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, I photographed the sandwich that did exactly that.
For more of my fast-food photographs from the Food From Bag To Background series, visit:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0
National Cuban Sandwich Day
America has never quite decided what to do with Cuba. One decade it’s enemy, the next it’s exotic fantasy — a forbidden island of cigars, rum, bright cars, baseball players, exotic women and complicated politics. Yet in the middle of embargoes and obsessions, one export slipped through and became an icon: the Cuban sandwich. Roast pork, ham, cheese, and pickles pressed together until even rivals find common ground.
Today is “National Cuban Sandwich Day”, a moment to appreciate this classic of Cuban-American cuisine, rooted in Tampa and Miami and carried far beyond. Traditionally made with roast pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread, the sandwich is pressed until the flavors meld into something greater than the sum of its parts.
My photograph shows two Cuban sandwiches plated with fried plantains, another staple of Cuban cuisine. The pulled pork and ham layers contrast with the tang of pickles and melted cheese, while the plantains add a caramelized richness to the plate. Presented against a dark background, the bold textures and colors stand out, highlighting the character of this dish.
Explore more of my commercial food photography gallery on my website at
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
National Bacon Lovers Day
Today is National Bacon Lovers Day, the unofficial holiday where logic takes a back seat and bacon worship takes center stage. People put it on donuts, add it to milkshakes, and even buy bacon-scented candles just to keep the smell lingering. Entire restaurant menus have been built on the premise that if you slap bacon on it, people will line up. If aliens tuned into Earth’s food culture, they’d probably assume bacon was our national currency.
This photograph presents a generous pile of bacon arranged in a metal pan against my signature black background. Each strip, glossy and rippled, catches the light in a way that emphasizes both texture and indulgence. It’s less about restraint and more about the abundance that makes bacon an enduring favorite.
From diners and drive-thrus to fast food chains with signature creations like the Wendy’s Baconator or the Jack in the Box Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger, bacon continues to hold its own as a cultural staple. National Bacon Lovers Day is the moment to acknowledge that popularity — and perhaps to ask whether there can ever be too much bacon.
You can see this and more in my Commercial Food Photography gallery:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
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