Pop it like it's hot

When I was a kid -- way the hell back in the 70s -- people used
to make their own popcorn. It were something to see. They'd get
out a heavy pot with a lid. Set it under the fire. Melt some oil and
butter together and then throw kernels of corn into the pot and
wait for the pop. It took some skill. You had to keep those kernels
jumping around so they wouldn't burn and you had to be careful not
to use too much corn or you'd have a mess on your hands.

Now, I'm not gonna say that microwave popcorn isn't better. I think
this is one of those areas where the microwave actually does a better
job. For example. It's damn near impossible to melt butter and pour
it onto hot corn and get it to come out right. And table salt won't stick
to kernels unless they are a bit greasy. But there was something a
bit more soulful about popping your own corn.

For one thing, Americans have been popping corn for hundreds of years.
Indians invented it and popped it since time immemorial. Yanks picked
up the snack and invented kettle that would work as popcorn poppers.
It became THE snack for movie munching. Even during the Great Depression
and World War II, popcorn was affordable, fun and delicious. Like
so many other things, if it's too easy, we take it for granted.

I would also say an argument COULD be made for the homemade stuff
since recently a microwave variety called stovetop style recently came out.
I haven't seen it around, so it probably failed. But somebody out there
thought that popping your own corn was good enough to try and imitate.

So just for giggles, pop your own sometime. My advice is to use a mixture
of oil and butter as your frying and flavoring medium. Throw good kosher
or sea salt right in the oil for a good coating of salt. Try popping with sugar
for the full kettle corn experience. It may not be as fast or clean as the
microwave, but it is definitely more soulful.