One would never expect this nerdy-looking man to be educated
with a degree in agronomy. He and his
business partner Charlie Bowman experimented with various hybrid seeds for popcorn, until they
agreed upon one. In 1973 they introduced
their brand named “Orville Redenbacher”.
The rest is glorious history.
Next time you go to a movie and immediately inhale that
amazing movie-popcorn odor, thank Orville Redenbacher.
…the FDA
allows an average of 30 or more insect fragments, AND one or more rodent hairs
per 100 grams of peanut butter?
…eating
healthy food is about $1.50 more than eating diet foods?
…in China
and certain parts of India, eating mice are considered a delicacy?
…A 16 cup of
buttered movie theater popcorn has more grams of fat in it than a bacon and egg
breakfast, a Big Mac with fries, and a full steak dinner all combined? (Some modifications have been made since this report
was released.)
…Americans
spend almost half of their food
budget for eating out; this means that out of $6,000, $2,700 is spent on eating
out. Wow.
…America’s
favorite snack food (eaten while watching TV.) is potato chips, which are
devoured at a rate of 1.2 billion pounds
a year?
Back in 1983, my husband John and I went on “Date Night” to see a movie, called “Terms of Endearment”. Not knowing much about the film except its strong acting cast, we thought it would be excellent. Which it was, of course; it won best film, best actress, best supporting actress, and maybe best director.
Shirley MacLaine plays a strong-willed, vain mother whose daughter, played by Debra Winger, develops cancer. Ms. MacLaine is helped through this horrific experience by her neighbor, played by Jack Nicholson. Mr. Nicholson plays a former astronaut, who is thrown into helping this family during this heart-wrenching time. Jeff Daniels plays Debra's unfaithful, but likable husband.
Heart-wrenching, sobbing-tears, and nose-blowing. That is what half the theater was doing during the entire movie, once Ms. Winger’s character goes into the hospital. Oh, I was probably the noisiest and most prolific when it came to the sobbing and blowing. All my tissue, which was an ample supply, disappeared into a sodden mess in the empty popcorn container.
Half the theater, did I say? Yes, all the women in the theater were crying buckets of tears. The men? A few of them had moist eyes, discreetly wiped; my husband was one of them.
During the biggest scene of all, when Ms. Winger’s character is in the last moments of breathing, and silence reigned in the dark theater, there was a sound. It cut through the air like a buzz-saw in a timbered forest.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…snort, snark, and hiss…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The source of the sound was behind me, and I turned to see a man in his 50s. He was completely asleep, head thrown back, mouth open, and arms crossed. The buzz-saw sound was erupting from his slack mouth. His wife saw me watching him, along with every woman in a twenty foot radius. She gave him an elbowing that must have bruised straight to the ribs. He jumped up, saying, “What? What? Where?”
As Ms. MacLaine welcomed the grandchildren into her home, and we were supposed to be prostrate on the movie floor, sobbing with grief among sticky popcorn, we instead were busting with laughter.
I guess every tragedy needs some comedy. A big THANKS goes to the A-Z Blog Team! Check out the link below: http://tossingitout.blogspot.com
