Everett Taylor: Taylor's Yarns

In the formative years of what some later would call "The Greatest Generation," an often heard expression was "as American as Mom, apple pie and baseball."

We always thought popcorn should have been on that list because it was about as popular as everything else other than Mom, and was close to being an indispensable diet item for most youngsters in the 1930s.

At least that was true in rural areas, which were much more heavily populated then. One of the essential farm crops every year was a couple of rows of popcorn to ensure an ample supply for the winter season when a bowl of those fluffy kernels, amply anointed with melted country butter, helped pass the hours on cold or rainy days, and nights.

The corn would be gathered, shelled from the cob and put in air-tight containers to keep out the weevils and stored away for safe keeping to use as needed until the next crop matured.

Some households had a fancy popcorn popper with a long handle that could be used in the fireplace to heat the corn to that magic point when it burst into a remarkable edible morsel. A small portion of popcorn kernels would be transformed into a large bowl of good eats, and the sound and smell of the process stimulated the anticipation of a happy period of munching.

For those who didn't have a long-handled fireplace popper, a good-sized sauce pan would do and in the hands of a skilled kitchen veteran was just as good and, some thought, better.

While most folks could pop plenty of their own, commercially popped corn still enjoyed a great deal of popularity even during times when a dime was hard to come by.

A highly popular treat in a nearby town was the product offered by the operator of a cramped stall a short distance from the only traffic stop. He had candy bars, gum and other treats, but the big attraction was a square, glass-encased popcorn machine that kept the popped corn warm until it was sold.

For a nickel, he would shovel the warm popcorn into a box very much like the ones the product is sold in today at various events. Then he would dash his "secret" oil-like topping on the corn, plus some salt, and customers raved about the taste sensation. Rumor was that the secret topping was something called Wesson Oil.

Popcorn continues to be something of an American staple even today, although it has gone through a few cycles over the years.

A few years ago popcorn stores became quite popular, offering large cans holding maybe as much as five gallons of the popped product.

Most of those stores seem to have been abandoned now, but you still can pick up just about any size bag of popped corn you want. And it continues to be the indispensable item featured at movie house concession stands.

The introduction of micro-wave popcorn is the biggest modern innovation involving that product, and that might have doomed the popcorn shops as a stand-alone business.

The microwave version could produce all of the buttery taste and delicious smell of the old fashioned version, and it was quick and easy without much cleanup required. You could eat it out of the original sack - no dishes to wash. Even many who didn't really think the quality was close to the old-fashioned kind likely succumbed to its convenience.

So it was a real bombshell when microwave popcorn became the latest of a long line of food favorites to be linked by researchers to some disease. Reports said the chemical that produced the artificial taste and smell of microwave popcorn may have caused a deadly lung disease in workers who package it.

This no doubt raised concerns among popcorn lovers, even though reports said no evidence had been found of any danger to the millions of people who eat it. Further tests will be needed to affirm or dispel the dangers posed by the chemical involved.

Congress, ever on the alert to protect the people, not only noticed the report, but the sometimes procrastinating group was stimulated into fast forward mode. House members voted Wednesday to have the government regulate food workers' exposure to the chemical, even though most companies indicated they had already stopped using it.

Democrats said a federal standard needs to be immediately enforced to ensure future workers in the popcorn industry and others aren't placed in danger. Republicans were inclined to think the bill is premature.

To get legislative action this quick, the popcorn lobby might be the strongest in Washington. And popcorn fans may feel reassured to know Congress has their interests at heart and is ready to act at the first troubling pop.

Next thing you know they might be talking about fixing Social Security, eliminating wasteful and outdated programs, cutting government spending or securing the borders. In between trips to the popcorn concession, of course.

Everett Taylor
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