For the Love of Popcorn

Some of you might be aware that I love films (and TV series) to the extent that I spend a considerable amount of my time and my earnings on watching them. In fact, before I took on to writing about food, I polished my still non-existent writing skills on a now-defunct film blog.

This though is not a promotional post. What I really wanted to talk about, and which most of you would have guessed from the title, is Popcorn. And, popcorn goes hand in hand with film, that’s a given fact all around the world. Both these words are synonymous, and I’ve hardly ever seen anyone mention popcorn unless movie watching was involved, or in some cases while organizing food for a child’s birthday party.

What’s the big deal about popcorn you ask? For one thing, I don’t like them, or rather, I didn’t like them. But, after 30 odd years of active movie watching – that’s not my age, however much I wish it was – I finally bought my first pack of popcorn in a theatre. What brought about this change? Surprisingly, it was all due to a calorie counter application. Recently, I realized that popcorn, albeit light with minimum butter, was a good tummy filler and less of a fat maker. This led to microwavable popcorn which eventually led to me wanting popcorn while watching a movie – okay it’s not exactly light, but ask for it without butter and you are good to go. It definitely is better than the burgers and crisps I would generally have.

Now, there is another theory that I’ve worked out in addition to the “It’s healthy” excuse. This sudden interest in corn definitely didn’t originate overnight. What I have also analyzed – I’m just going to credit my education is psychology and a lot of self-analysing for this – is that this change came about slowly over many years. It started with liking corncob – done desi style; roasted on a coal – which was the initial method of corn intake. Soon, I discovered that this was actually the hard way as the Buttawalas (corncob street vendors) come seasonally and eating the roasted corn meant a greater use of my teeth – which are fine, but then why bother them too much. Food is something that should be easy. It shouldn’t be a burden to any part of the body since it is bad enough that we have to chew most foods, the last thing I wanted was to bite it off as well.

Luckily, it was around this time that kiosks selling “corn in a cup” sprung up everywhere. The good part was that for the first time I got to add flavours to corn. Cheese, Schezwan, Natural, Masala, and just about anything you can imagine, all kinds were available to make the mundane flavour of corn a little interesting. Unfortunately, I never got addicted to this reheated frozen corn trend and as a result there was this void that I felt in me which was eventually filled by microwavable popcorn.

Yes, yes, I know, microwavable and all, but I liked it okay. I had tasted it earlier, I’m sure, but this time it was different. Maybe my taste buds – palate, I must use the word “palate” because that’s what all food bloggers use to come across as sophisticated – had changed. Maybe I realized it’s easier to just eat something soft and mushy – and something that looks like a distant and mutated relative of a marshmallow – rather than its hard and chewy alternative. Maybe, just maybe, I never gave it a second chance. Well, now I have and I’m a much chirpier person thanks to it.

After all this time of not wanting popcorn I have finally moved a little bit closer towards becoming a bona fide movie buff/freak. But, STOP; I do have to mention that this recent love for popcorn has its pitfalls. The other day I found myself wanting cheese popcorn and if the thought of sticky hands didn’t make me uncomfortable I would be tempted to try caramel or chocolate popcorn as well. There goes my whole “healthy” excuse out the window.

Oh well… such is life; for now though, I think I hear some popping in the microwave and you know what that means…

HA! Fooled you, I’m not cooking popcorn; I just spilled my food which overheated, so now I have to clean the microwave which is a good thing how?

I’ll stop writing now.