The Breakfast Meat Mixer

While I rarely get invited to real life parties, I do receive more than my fair share of invitations to blogger media events. Up until recently, I have always politely declined offers to attend product launch parties and the like on the grounds that such events require two things that I don't have: 1) interest in new products 2) interest in meeting new people.

I have to admit, however, that one invitation that I recently received lingered a little longer in my inbox than normal: a party to be thrown in honor of a new line of microwavable sausages.

The 'Breakfast Meat Mixer' was to be held in a hotel ballroom in the city.

"Don't do it," my husband begged.

"You have to go!" screeched my sister who lives in Iowa.

The promise of a raffle drawing and a free pound of bacon sealed the deal.

The Breakfast Meat Mixer was attended by 15 bloggers (including myself) who live in the mid-Atlantic region. During introductions, I was inspired by how far some women drove to sample sausage: one blogger was from Trenton, New Jersey; another lived in Delaware.

Along one side of the room was a buffet table filled with hearty delicacies: a tower of sausage links, a plate of pigs in a blanket, an unsightly amount of ham. I piled my plate high and sat down at one of the tables.

The blogger sitting to my left filled a napkin with sausage and put it into her purse. The woman to my right was too busy tweeting about the contents of her plate to notice.

While we were eating dinner, we were treated to a riveting educational video about breakfast meat and its importance to the American family. The film was followed by a rousing motivational speech given by a marketing associate.

"Who likes surprises?" he shouted into the microphone.

The crowd erupted in cheers and wild applause. We all sat on the edge of our seats as the man unveiled a large table covered with Styrofoam coolers.

"Oh! Oh!" gasped the audience. The surprise was nothing that anyone had anticipated. The coolers, as it turned out, were full of meat.

The names of the winners of the packaged meat products were pulled from a hat. The winners descended on their prizes like The Price is Right contestants, shrieking and bouncing and hysterical to the point of tears.

"Yes!" yelled the lucky blogger who won a honey baked ham. She raised it over her head for all to see.

We were all green with envy. To add insult to injury, somehow my name didn't make it into the drawing. At the end, I was the only blogger without a cooler.

Feeling strangely relieved by my good fortune, I crept toward the door and made a stealthy exit. I was almost to the hotel lobby when I heard someone shouting my name from behind. I turned around to find the marketing executive running after me, cooler in hand.

"I found some extra bacon in the back!" he said excitedly.

I thanked him for his generosity and told him that his gesture was really and truly unnecessary.

"You could use it for an upcoming giveaway on your blog," the man suggested.

"I'll get back to you if I'm interested," I said and backed away.

We shook hands and parted ways. As I got into my car, I heard the unmistakable squeal of my bacon being raffled off.