Pop This!

My wife Bonnie asks the question, “Does anyone want popcorn.”  That’s a no brainer question, of course we do!  Then she pulls out a contraption to make popcorn over a campfire.  It looks like the pizza pocket maker but with a bigger box on the end.  The lid of the box has holes in it so you can see the popcorn popping.  Just put some butter on the bottom of the cast iron box, add the popcorn and hold it over the fire. It’s that simple.

 My kids love hearing popcorn pop.  Pop…………….pop………….pop…..........pop………… pop…….pop  pop  pop……..pop pop pop pop pop pop pop ….pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop………pop pop……..pop………………….pop.  You get the point, or the “Pop.”

My kids also enjoy eating popcorn.  The more butter and salt, the more they enjoy it.  I know what you’re thinking, bad parents.  But what do they really have to worry about; by the time they’re my age, there will be a cure for hypertension and obesity anyway.  Let them indulge.

I also love the taste of popcorn.  It’s the eating part I don’t like.  It’s one of those foods you end up paying a price for, not money wise, torment wise.  You know what I’m talking about, those tiny cellulose kernel fibers getting stuck in-between your teeth.  You twist and curl your tongue trying to extricate the kernel.  The edge of the kernel then cuts into your tongue with vengeance for daring to dislodge it without its permission.  The tongue finally says enough, as you use your fingers, tooth picks and dental floss to disentangle the obstinate intruder. Finally, it releases from its lodged position and finds its second new home to hide; under your tongue. 

Once again your tongue is waged in vicious battle as the kernel cuts into the underside of its flesh.  Your tongue surrenders for a second time as you jab your fingers into the soft flesh hiding space, trying desperately to remove the invader once and for all.  As a last ditch effort, you summon all the salvia you can muster and try to wash the stubborn kernel from under its hiding place.  It somehow works, as the kernel is swept into its third resting place, the back of your throat.  Now it’s your throats turn to react violently as the tenacious invader now irritates its soft lining.  You try coughing it out, gagging it out, flushing it out, nothing seems to work. Then in an single instant, it is gone, never to inflict torment on you again. It found its final resting place, in your stomach. 

Do you dare bite into another handful of popcorn, sure!  There is an unknown ingredient in popcorn that affects your short term memory. The second you’re done choking on that kernel, your mind erases it from your memory and you’re ready for the next handful.  It’s the way it has to be, for popcorn to survive all these years. Mother Nature always protects all its siblings!

Camping fun with Carl, signing off.