Smell that bacon in ... chocolate?

SMELL THAT BACON IN ... CHOCOLATE?

Here are three little words that might give the staunchest snacker pause: chocolate-covered bacon.

It sounds so wrong. But it tastes just right, says Joseph Marini III, a fourth-generation candy maker who is selling the bacon bonbons at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk seaside amusement park.

"It's not just for breakfast anymore," he said with a grin.

And this isn't just a wacky West Coast thing.

This year, Famous Dave's at the Minnesota State Fair is rolling out Pig Lickers -- dark chocolate-covered bacon pieces sprinkled with sea salt.

"It's just like the most bizarre combination," said fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette. "I actually really liked it. It was a good combination of sweet and salty."

The urge to create new flavor profiles is a natural for a field driven by creativity, says Karen Page, co-author with Andrew Dornenburg of the forthcoming "The Flavor Bible," a sort of field guide to flavor pairings.

Chefs have two basic agents of change: using a different cooking method or mixing up flavors. So a classic such as tomatoes and basil might get turned into tomato sorbet with a basil sauce.

Of course, chocolate-coated bacon is just the latest incarnation of the wackier-the-better fair food philosophy. Current popular snacks include deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos. And then there's the foie gras-cotton candy matchup.

Never underestimate the appeal of battered-is-better. Said Page: "It's the melding of both these worlds, the high end and the low end."

Can't wait for the Minnesota State Fair? Read up at www.mnstatefair.org.

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE: TOXIC MERCURY

The Great Salt Lake is so briny that swimmers bob in the water like corks. It is teeming with tiny shrimp that were sold for years in the back of comic books as magical "sea monkeys." And, for reasons scientists cannot explain, it is heavily laden with toxic mercury.

Exactly where the poison is coming from -- and how much danger it poses to the millions of migratory birds that feed on the Great Salt Lake -- are now being investigated. The Environmental Protection Agency and the state are footing most of the $280,000 bill for the initial phase.

"We've got a problem, but we don't know how big it is," said Chris Cline, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.

One major question is whether the mercury is accumulating naturally, from some as-yet-unknown source in the ground, or is the result of industrial pollution. Researchers say mercury released into the atmosphere from coal-fired power plants in the West, gold mines in Nevada, volcanoes in Indonesia or industries in rapidly developing countries such as China or India may be settling in the lake.

Mercury can cause neurological damage in birds and affect their ability to fight off diseases. High mercury levels have been detected in some of the Great Salt Lake's birds. But so far there is no evidence that it is sickening them.

DOG'S CONTAGIOUS YAWNING MIGHT SAY: I FEEL FOR YOU

If you're yawning, chances are your dog is about to do the same thing.

A study published in the journal Biology Letters this week found that human yawns are contagious to dogs, a sign that man's best friend might be capable of a rudimentary form of empathy.

To scientists, dogs have been a puzzle. Dogs are adept at reading human intentions and excel in picking up human hand gestures. At the same time, they appear to lack a sense of self, considered a prerequisite for understanding the feelings of others.

The latest study of 29 dogs at the University of London demonstrates that dogs possess "some low-level attending to what others feel," said Duke University anthropologist Brian Hare. "What's fascinating about this study is that you would not expect to find contagious yawning where you did not have self-awareness."

Only humans and chimps are known to yawn contagiously.

Atsushi Senju, one of the study authors, said, "Dogs are not only reading and responding but may be sharing feelings with humans."

NEWS SERVICES