National Popcorn Day

Strange that Josh set off the fire alarm yesterday while trying to make popcorn in the microwave.   I went to look up some popcorn facts and found out each January 19^th is National Popcorn Day.  Nobody really knows why for sure.  Nobody gets the day off.  Schools and banks are open.  The mail gets delivered, but it was a celebration of popcorn yesterday – even if the bag we had here went up in smoke.

Nobody really knows the origin of popcorn.  Some say American Indians showed European settlers how to make it, but actually it’s been around thousands of years.  There’s evidence of popcorn in ancient China and back to the days of the Aztecs.

Popcorn kernels contain moisture, and when the moisture heats up, it expands and explodes!

Regal Cinemas say some of their bigger theatre complexes go through about a dozen, 50 pound bags of popcorn during an average week.  The week between Christmas and New Years that amount doubles!

At one theatre they say, "If they used all of their poppers for one hour you’d have enough popcorn to cover 230 football fields.

The average American eats about 68 quarts of popcorn a year.

In the south, popcorn is often combined with chocolate to get a sweet, salty taste. It's not unusual to see people sprinkle M&M's in their bucket.

In Hawaii, a favorite topping is known as Hurricane Mix. It has soy sauce and seaweed flakes.

Texans prefer their popcorn mixed with jalapeños!

To save on calories, suggestions included using light olive oil or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray.

Regal Cinemas say there are plenty of treats to choose from at theaters, but popcorn is always number one.  And they make a lot of money on it.  A CNNMoney article from last year said theatres sell popcorn at a 900 percent markup.

SOURCE: eatocracy.cnn.com