Bacon: It's Not What's For the D.C. Council's Breakfast

When the D.C. Council sat down to its usual monthly breakfast this morning, its members were faced with a generous spread of scrambled eggs, grits, applesauce, fruit salad and massive danishes. But the lack of bacon or any other breakfast meat did not go unnoticed.

"I like bacon. I just want that on the record," said Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) one of many of the Council's many carnivores whose appetites aren't satiated by mere grapefruit.

"I don't want to solve global warming...I just want bacon with my breakfast," added Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2).

The lack of bacon wasn't a staff oversight, but rather a purposeful culinary choice by Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who hosted the breakfast. Graham, who said that he hasn't eaten meat since 1979, said that the same uproar has taken place for each of the 13 years that he has hosted the meatless version of the Council's breakfast. (Graham does eat fish, though.)

"He brings home the bacon, but he doesn't bring in the bacon," joked Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), who has been an advocate for healthier lunch options at D.C. public schools.

Graham's pleas for broader vegetarianism largely fell on deaf ears, though. "If your dog tasted like chicken, would you eat it?", he asked.

It's worth noting that today is World Vegan Day -- we can only imagine what the councilmembers would have said had they been served egg substitute and soy milk.