3 ms·

This may be a legitimate grassroots social media phenomenon - the sort that big multinationals try to create but fail at. Sriracha has obviously been a mainsta

This may be a legitimate grassroots social media phenomenon - the sort that big multinationals try to create but fail at. Sriracha has obviously been a mainstay at Asian restaurants for years. But like bacon, it didn't become A Thing until Digg/Reddit/the greater internet subculture rolled around. Folks like the Oatmeal started writing digital love letters to the sauce[1], which helped boost its mythical status amongst the Reddit crowd. I'm guessing he started doing interviews when people actually started wanting to interview him. Prior to the internet's obsession with sriracha it was just an easily-overloooked condiment associated with Asian food. [1] http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha

dasil003 13y ago
I remember sriracha being a thing back in 99/00 we were eating boatloads of the stuff on ramen noodles. Of course I had friends who were waiters and bartenders, so that might have had something to do with it.
JoblessWonder 13y ago
Before Digg/Reddit/The Internet every college kid in California was obsessed with it. I still an old roommate who travels around the world with her own little bottle in case she can't find it locally. I remember an article from around 2009 where he talks about the drunken voicemails he received. It was in the NY Times so it isn't like they have been hiding. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3& http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3&
notatoad 13y ago
I'm pretty sure bacon has been a thing for longer than the internet.
ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
Sriracha has become the new 'bacon' lately. Oatmeal has been proclaiming it for quite some time, with (I believe) another cartoon being written earlier this summer. Combine that with the 'Big Government versus little sauce' angle and you have a situation Slacktivists froth at the mouth for.

dasil003 13y ago

I remember sriracha being a thing back in 99/00 we were eating boatloads of the stuff on ramen noodles. Of course I had friends who were waiters and bartenders, so that might have had something to do with it.

JoblessWonder 13y ago

Before Digg/Reddit/The Internet every college kid in California was obsessed with it. I still an old roommate who travels around the world with her own little bottle in case she can't find it locally. I remember an article from around 2009 where he talks about the drunken voicemails he received. It was in the NY Times so it isn't like they have been hiding. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3& http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3&

notatoad 13y ago

I'm pretty sure bacon has been a thing for longer than the internet.

ChikkaChiChi 13y ago

Sriracha has become the new 'bacon' lately. Oatmeal has been proclaiming it for quite some time, with (I believe) another cartoon being written earlier this summer. Combine that with the 'Big Government versus little sauce' angle and you have a situation Slacktivists froth at the mouth for.