The Perfect Bowl of Popcorn

Fun fact: when my mother was pregnant with me she would eat popcorn until her jaw ached and as soon as it felt better she would eat more. All my life I have loved popcorn.

There is something special about the perfect piece. When the butter, salt, and puffed kernels are all the right mix they create a combo that thrills the taste buds. I did some digging and according to the smithsonianmag, we didn't always pair popcorn with movies, in fact, it used to be banned.

I have truncated their post here, it fascinated me to learn how movies, literacy, the great depression, war, and popcorn all came together:

When films added sound in 1927, the movie theater industry opened itself up to a much wider clientele, since literacy was no longer required to attend films (the titles used in early silent films restricted their audience). 

The Great Depression presented an excellent opportunity for both movies and popcorn. Looking for a cheap diversion, audiences flocked to the movies. And at 5 to 10 cents a bag, popcorn was a luxury that most people were able to afford. Popcorn kernels themselves were a cheap investment for purveyors, and a $10 bag could last for years.

For many theaters, the transition to selling snacks helped save them from the crippling Depression. 

World War II further solidified the marriage between popcorn and the movie theaters. Competing snacks like candy and soda suffered from sugar shortages.

By 1945 ... over half the of the popcorn consumed in America was eaten at the movie theatres.

Aside from a history lesson, one other thing that comes to my mind is that making a movie is a lot like trying to get that perfect bowl of popcorn. With so many elements and different people working on a show, if one part is off, or too much or too little, the whole thing can go sideways. But! when it works out and everything coalesces to create a cohesive story - that's movie magic.

~M

*M, I have personally witnessed your great love affair with popcorn. No one, I mean NO ONE gets between M and a good bag of heated kernels! - J