9 Nasty Truths About Your Favorite Foods
Famous Death Row Last Meals
Sharing food with loved ones is one of the greatest joys in my life. Whether it's sitting down for an impromptu cookout with friends after realizing I've made way waayyyy too much brisket, or trading sips of cocktails at a swank bar with my husband, the intimacy of communal consumption is a thing I deeply treasure.
But keep your paws off my movie popcorn.
I don't remember how it started, but it gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies to split a bag, box or tub at the multiplex. I'm at the movies to escape, and thus am not especially pleased when called upon the carpet about my lust for pumpable faux-buttery "golden topping" or, heaven forbid -- forego it for the sake of someone else's calorie skimping. And, as an otherwise dedicated sharer of food, I don't want the worry of polite portion equity getting in the way of my movie enjoyment. I just want to sit back, jam crunchy, oily, salty gobs of popcorn into my mouth, and enjoy the show. My solution? I buy us each our own bag.
Yes, I know it's the biggest financial rip-off known to mankind. Yes, I know it's the nutritional equivalent of eating 37 Big Macs and washing them down with an industrial-sized vat of ranch dressing and a 10-liter bottle of bacon grease. I've also been known to sit through cinematic pocket lint like 'Mona Lisa Smiles' and 'The Patriot' just for the butter and salt fix, so clearly I'm not rattled.
What does worry me is the trend of art houses, at least where I live in New York, getting all haute with the formula, offering sugared cinnamon, spicy cheese powder, garlic flavoring and whatnot. Perhaps they're taking a tip from
Salted, neon-yellow buttered popcorn has been a staple since Sam "The Popcorn Man" Rubin began selling it at his
DVDs, surround sound and whiz-bang home theaters are grand and all, but until I can install a butter pump and industrial kettle popper at home, I'm going to keep crunching, munching, and licking my salty fingers while sitting in front of that silver screen. Who knows? I might even be convinced to share.
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7-27-2007 @3:20PM Karen said... I am 63 years old and have been to only one movie where Ididn't have popcorn. I was on a diet and had carrots, I was miserable! I am a popcorn junkie...recently our favorite movie house in Ft. lauderdale has started popping Orville Redenbacher popcorn. it tastes llike the micro popcorn. and I am severely disappointed. If you go to the Gateway theater will you please complain to the manager about it. thanks
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7-24-2007 @1:44PM Nahkila said... I LOVE Movie popcorn!!! I think it's one of my guiltiest pleasures! The next time you go to the movies, get a box of sour skittles (or sneak a bag in!) and eat them with your popcorn! SO GOOD!!!!!!
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7-24-2007 @1:55PM kim said... kat k. There is a movie theater in Saucon Valley that has REAL butter--the aisle are four feet apart----it is a great movie experience. It is called The Rav---if you are ever in the area give it a try.
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7-24-2007 @1:57PM kim said... Kat K---there is a movie theatre in Saucon Valley Pennsylvania- (The Rav)---that has REAL butter--aisle are four feet apart---a great place to see a movie---if you are ever near Allentown PA---go see a movie---you won't be sorry--ENJOY
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7-24-2007 @2:30PM DIANA C said... WHEN I READ ABOUT POPCORN I FELT AS IF SOMEONE HAD DIPPED INTO MY INNERMOST SOUL!!! I THOUGHT NO ONE COULD EVER IMAGINE THAT WHICH I HOLD NEAR AND DEAR TO MY OWN HEART THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY POPCORN BAG !!!!!
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7-24-2007 @2:51PM Jim said... Movie Theater popcorn with gobs of butter is the only way to go. My mother used to make us candied coated popcorn every Sunday to view a video. She would pop regular popcorn, and make a mixture of water, sugar and food coloring (any color we wanted) and boil that into a syrup, then drizzle it on top of the popcorn...OMG it was heaven. I still remember the sweet taste right now, and I havent had it in 20 yrs.
But movie Theaters (in their ultimate wisdom...NOT) stopped using the good butter long ago and now use some foreign saturated mystery-substance substitute and it just destroys the whole pleasure. One of my personal favorites about movie theater popcorn was......you never found any unpopped kernels in the bottom of the bag/tub...just finger-licking reminants of a mixture of salt and butter!!!! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm
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7-24-2007 @3:42PM Tim in Dallas said... Wow, I never thought I would hear the virtues of popcorn extolled again after all that press by the "Center for (so called) Science and the (I'll take care of myself, thank you very much) Public Intrest".
When I'm watching a movie at home, I pop a "hot air" tub of popcorn for the family and one for MYSELF. Then I pour a half stick of melted butter (in layers) on my popcorn alternately seasoned with POPCORN salt (finer that table salt). If I could only find a good brand of popcorn that pops up nice and fluffy like movie theatre popcorn. It used to be Newmans Own, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
Gotta go....goatta pop myself a batch of popcorn and melt a half stick of butter!!!
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7-24-2007 @4:25PM Stephanie said... A long time ago I got deathly sick on buttered popcorn at the movies.
Have you tried Johnson's carmel popcorn at the Jersey Shore?
DEVINE!!
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7-24-2007 @10:45PM Harvey said... I so love theater popcorn that I have many times gone to the movie, did not pay to see a movie, just walking in, bought the popcorn for supper and went back to my hotel lobby. I have now hooked my technical rep on doing the same thing from time to time. The theaters that are the best are the ones that allow you to put your own butter on. The only problem I have is with my wife, I alway seem to ruin a shirt because I have to much butter on and it comes thru the bag. I think I need a rubber shirt. LOL Have a great popcorn day.
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7-25-2007 @1:10AM G. Peace said... There is no need to try to explain or justify the sacred union of popcorn and butter flavor to those who obviously lack the sensibility to apprecitate the combination. Should you find yourself in your local theatre accompanied by this obligatory treat, hold your head up and focus on consuming every kernel . The movie , which serves as a backdrop for this tryst, is unimportant. Whether or not your silk blouse will have to be sent out to the dry cleaners is irrelevant. What really matters is having enough butter to see you through the end of the popcorn. Of course, getting the refill to last through whatever part of the film you missed while you were waiting in line for it, has to be a priority.
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7-28-2007 @7:07PM Poppin' to please said... YUMMY...............gimmee some of that buttery, salty theatre popcorn!!
I even stuff a dish towel into my purse to spread down the front of my blouse to keep those greasy popcorn stains from appearing on my clothes. I also bring a small disposable salt for those areas in the middle and bottom of the tub that are lacking.
I am soooo bad!!!
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8-05-2007 @8:35PM Benjamin said... I work at an independent theater in a tourist town. We pop our popcorn fresh every day as soon as the doors open. Sometimes because of this, there's a short wait for the popcorn while it's popping. We have two options: Plain or Buttered. We only use 100% real butter on our popcorn, yet a lot of our customers make snide remarks about our "grease topping" after saying they want it plain. The fact that "buttery topping" is so common that it is synonymous with movie theater popcorn nation-wide really frustrates me. I just don't understand why people think that just because other theaters make there popcorn a certain way that all theaters follow this practice. People should just ask what what's in the popcorn or topping if they aren't sure rather than assuming it's artificial weird stuff. Sometimes when I tell people they don't believe me. I've even gotten into a heated argument with a man who thought I was lying until I showed him all the frozen butter that we have in our freezer. Sometimes people think they are being smart when they try to correct me when I say "plain or buttered". They respond "actually you can't call it 'buttered' unless it's real butter." It's just insulting.
I just wanted to say that some theaters out there still take making popcorn seriously and use good, normal ingredients. We also do not use any sort of flavoring on our popcorn which is also unusual compared to major multi-screen theaters, so when you order plain popcorn from our theater it's plain popcorn. "Flavacol" is one of the more common popcorn flavors that theaters use. It's basically an artificial butter flavored salt with food coloring and somehow it happens to be vegan last time I checked. We don't use that despite all the free samples that Gold Medal tries to give us. Instead we let people salt their own corn with sodium chloride. I even put a label reading "NaCl" on our salt shakers just to try to get people to use their brain a little before dumping it all over their popcorn. I'm just ranting now. Anyway support small and independent theaters who do things right still. We aren't all just art house theaters. Our theater only has one screen but we show first run movies and change the movie every 3-7 days depending on what's out and how popular they are as well as having live shows like bands, plays, puppets, opera, comedians. I'm done. Thanks for reading.
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8-25-2007 @12:07PM CJ said... I live in the Smokies and I can eat popcorn even if I have had a full 5 course meal. We usually get the #2 Special at out local theatre. For $11.00 you get a collector xl tub of popcorn, 2 xl collector cup drinks and a box of candy. Refills for popcorn and drinks are 50 cents. Can anyone beat a deal like that?
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8-26-2007 @12:01AM Debbie said... I am a popcorn freak and have to have my fix every night. Unfortunately I have been dieting. I found something that helps a lot. I air pop my corn and spray the no fat butter spray and then salt it. It is really good for those watching their weight. I have lost almost 35 pounds and don't feel deprived.
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12-05-2007 @9:13PM larry said... I too am addicted to the great taste of popcorn. Try some of the many flavors at http://www.pendletonpopcorn.com the next time you enjoy a movie. Popcorn just makes the movie experience. better.
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1-15-2008 @10:23PM Tim Ferguson said... I love popcorn and i was wondering if you can send me some coupons?! thank you so mauch and please email me back!!
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