Miltonian Bacon

During the First Age, seeking to provide the comforts of home to their fellow refugees, dwarven scientists invented so-called “universal bacon.” Using portable 3D printers, synthetic protein packs, and a database of recipes for salt-cured meats from across the recently failed universe, the dwarves gave the peoples of Eden access to nearly any kind of bacon they could imagine.

Enthusiasm for this technology was dampened only by the size of the components involved. With limited space in their post-apocalyptic dwellings, most Edenians weren’t willing to trade other more vital appliances just to make room for a bacon printer. Eventually, however, the dwarves were able to make a small enough version that most homes could fit one—even if folks didn’t run out and buy one as quickly as they might have during the height of the fad.

It was only during the Wander Years between the First and Second Ages, when Winkie halflings gained unfettered access to the Universal Bacon Laboratory, that the true breakthrough took place. The industrious halflings, being small folk themselves, had long been experts in miniaturizing things built by their human neighbors on Earth. And once they had the notion to turn fresh bacon into an easily accessible condiment, they were off to the races.