The Popcorn Chronicles

I love to eat. In fact, I have so many favorite foods, it's hard to narrow it down to my favorite FAVORITE foods.

With so many favorite foods, it's amazing that I am not as big as a house. (Actually, I could lose a little weight, but at my age that's not so unusual.) I am not a couch potato. I rarely watch television; in fact, I'd rather play volleyball, or tennis or softball when the weather is right. I walk my dog up to three times a day. I rarely snack. But, sorry, I digress.

My favorite foods include just about anything edible. In fact, I dislike only a very small number of foods, so it may be easier to simply list what I don't like. (You're wondering, "Why? What's the point in all this?" Keep reading please. I do have a point.)

My list of disliked foods includes: lima beans (ugly, bland taste), French toast (Mom used thin white bread, left them raw in the middle, so gross), tapioca (sickening texture), rice pudding (even worse), jalapeno peppers (too hot, give me the hiccups), and most steaks (seared chewy flesh, what's so great about that?). And that's about it for yucky foods.

Of the favorite FAVORITES I would have to say dark chocolate nuts-n-chews (See's), almost any Mexican food, especially enchaladas and chiles rellanos and tamales etc., and finally, POPCORN!

Ahhh, popcorn. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water. I can almost smell its enticing aroma floating from the kitchen. Have you ever walked into an office where someone just popped up a bag of microwave popcorn? Is there enough for everyone? Is there more in the back?

It's important that I get my popcorn at least once a day, without which I feel thoroughly deprived. I look forward to settling down at the end of the day with a bowl of hot buttered popcorn to read a novel or watch Animal Cops with my little dog Charlie (it's his favorite show).

I won't even consider going to a movie if I'm too broke to buy the popcorn. And let's face it, the popcorn can cost as much as the movie--but oh, what popcorn it is! Yes, it's artery clogging stuff, but as rarely as I go to the movies, I don't worry about that.

I often make homemade popcorn, the old fashioned way. Heavy pot, a little oil, shake it till it stops popping. Usually it pops the lid off the pan, I'm so good. Salt, melted butter (margerine will do). Sometimes I get a little brave and try some Parmesan cheese, or add a little sugar (Kettle Corn is "in" now.) Even have a recipe for Carmel Corn in a bag that you can make in your microwave oven. And let's not even get into chocolate drizzeled popcorn, especially mixed with pecans or almonds or....

Anyway, yep! Popcorn is the one food I could never do without. And I know for a fact that I am not the only one. We popcorn lovers know who we are. We know it's irrational and maybe a bit over the top. But we also know that popcorn is good for you! Great roughage! Okay, maybe the stuff we put on it isn't so great. But, I tell myself that if it ever came down to it, yes I could air-pop my popcorn, and I could even season it with far less salt and use fat-free butter flavoring and still be the same happy popcorn lover. IF it ever came to that.