Kernels of Pop-ular Wisdom

KERNELS OF POP-ULAR WISDOM

What’s it about popcorn? Is there a secret to its association with the movies?

Popcorn seems to possess a staying power from celluloid days to digital times. Informal surveys often bring popcorn as the top favorite snack for moviegoers.

The silent era of films required a degree of literate audience. Movie theaters were similar to an elite establishment with plush seating and luxurious carpeting. Popcorn hinted at being a messy affair, and seemed to have a plebeian connotation. With the advent of sound in movies, the patron circle opened up to people from different socioeconomic strata. That meant opening up another business for profit; food! Popcorn was sold outside the cinema halls initially. It gained popularity due to its affordability especially after the Great Depression. Cinema theaters with popcorn had more profits and clientele than those without. Hence it became a staple fixture not just in the US, but all over the world.

Perhaps it is the perfect, shareable, finger food. It appeals to all senses. With ticket in hand, you anticipate the darkened theater is going to transport you to a fantasy world of your own. Would it not be wonderful to cradle a nice bucket of popped corn?  Following the smell of butter and popped corn, you have no idea that the olfactory sense is fully enabled and engaged. You grab a large tub, and off you go to ensconce yourself in a comfy niche. Bucket seats and bucket popcorn; that sounds like a plan. The tactile ownership of your big popcorn container seems like all you have; yet it is all you need. The perfect snack is devoid of stickiness and mess. Like snow, you can dust it all off. Visually, the red striped tub is an invitation you cannot miss. Red has the highest wavelength after all. Even when the theater lights are dimmed, the little puffs of popcorn stand out with the very whiteness. A visual bulls-eye, this treat never misses the mark.

At the auditory mode, even at the seminal popping level you’re hooked. You pass over all other snacks, because this one calls out to you. You begin to feel hungry even if you just had a huge meal. In the darkened theater, popcorn makes the right amount of crunching noise without annoying your neighbors. In fact, it entices them to extend out a hand. Passing it around, you realize there’s a generous amount for everyone else.

You visit the cinema hall to leave behind your cares, to escape from the daily grind. Popcorn is a snack that weaves in memories of wintry holidays at a subliminal level. Associate that with holidays and no deadlines. It transports you to a worry-free zone. You can eat a whole lot of it without feeling queasy. The butter might add to your calories, but popcorn allows you not to think about that.

Did I even bring the gustatory sense? Popcorn’s just the thing you need when your eyes are glued to the silver screen.It’s salty, textured, buttery, and tasty.  You can fly in your rich, fantastical world of cinema, while simultaneously sitting with your popcorn tub having a real-life “hand-to-mouth” existence. A paradox indeed!  Does popcorn serve as a metaphor then? In several developing countries where people are living paycheck-to-paycheck, cinema is that escape from the gritty hand-to-mouth existence.

You buy the soda for the popcorn most of the time, as that’s the libation offered. Empty calories? Not going to go there. Why soda, why not a healthier option? Is there a nexus between soda companies and popcorn? Shhhhh, the lights are dimming, and frankly does anyone really care?

Image Credit: Darren Hester via flickr under a Creative Commons license