Sirius XM Podcasts Hey everyone, it's Dan here with another Sporkful Reheat for you.
Now, our main episode this week is a brand new one about the history of popcorn at the movies in the US and France.
So I hope you'll check that one out.
For today's reheat, we're sticking with that popcorn theme.
This is a listener call-in show where I mediate a marital dispute about the optimal time to start eating popcorn at the movies.
Do you eat it as soon as possible?
Should you wait till the movie starts?
We're tackling the big issues today.
And hey, remember that if there's an episode of The Sporkful, you want us to pull out of the deep freezer and reheat, send me an email or voice memo to hello at sporkfulcom.
Tell me your first name, location, what episode you want us to reheat, and why.
So grab a bucket of popcorn and enjoy.
From WNYC Studios, this is The Sporkful.
It's not for foodies, it's for eaters.
I'm Dan Pashman.
Each week on our show, we obsess about the details of eating to uncover truths about food and people.
Today on the show, I'm taking your calls about family food disputes.
But first, a quick reminder, you too can be a caller on The Sporkful.
If you have a big food debate, you want me to settle a great food-related story you want to share.
Maybe you disagree with something you've heard on the show in the past.
I want to hear from you.
Drop me a line, dan at sporkful.com.
Now let's get to the phones.
Hi, who's this?
This is Emily from Reno, Nevada.
Okay, Emily, what's on your mind?
My husband and I have a dispute about movie theater popcorn.
Oh, okay.
All right, go on.
Whenever we go to the movies, I wait until the movie starts and he starts eating right away.
And I think you should wait.
And he thinks you should eat right away.
So every time it's a dispute, because there's never any popcorn left over for me when I'm ready to eat it.
Why do you think it's better to wait until the movie starts?
Well, it's just when you can see the movie or the big screen glistening off of the grease and the popcorn.
And you just know it's there and you know it's going to taste so good and it's going to be so salty and buttery and crunchy.
And it's so much better when you wait because you're just so excited for it.
You're married now, but how long have you guys been together?
We've been together for about seven and a half years.
Okay, and married for how long?
We've been married for almost three.
Okay, tell me about the very first time that you guys went out to the movies together and what happened with the popcorn and the snacks.
He started eating before we even found a seat.
And when we sat down, I told him, no, you have to wait until the movie starts.
And he looked at me like, who the hell are you?
He did not.
He was absolutely not even willing to try at all.
And about how long had you been dating up to that point?
A week.
Probably.
So this is very, very early in the relationship.
Very early.
Okay, let me talk to Danny.
I want to hear his perspective.
Put him on the line, please.
Okay.
Hey, Dan.
This is Danny.
Hey, Danny.
It's Dan.
How are you?
Good.
How about you?
Good, good.
So I've been talking to Emily.
She's telling me about the situation with the popcorn.
Make the case to me, why is it more delicious?
Why do you get more enjoyment from your popcorn when you start eating it right away, instead of building some anticipations?
You don't sit and stare at your dinner after they set it on the table.
You immediately eat it as soon as they set it down, right?
Yes, and I'm the same way.
I start eating the popcorn the second I get my hands on it.
Tell me though Danny, what were your recollections from the first time you and Emily went out to a movie together.
She said, you have to wait until the movie actually starts.
And all I could say was, why?
Why?
But this is early on in dating.
This is sort of, you know, sometimes people don't let their true selves show.
So did you say well, I'm going to do it her way early on just to try to impress this woman that I'm trying to impress, or did you just eat it?
Not at all.
I just went after it and completely threw that idea out the window.
I knew I was going to have to make many more compromises if this relationship went any way.
Right. anywhere, and this was not going to be one of them.
So what are some of the compromises you have made?
Well, we have two dogs.
I didn't want any.
We have a kid.
I was still on the fence about having a kid.
It's all worked out well.
Right, right.
Maybe popcorn would work out well.
But this is where you draw the line.
You'll bring human beings into the world to compromise, but you will not wait to eat your popcorn.
Yes.
Do you find that once the movie has started, you are at all distracted by the movie and that you notice and enjoy the popcorn less?
Yes, very much so.
Because this weekend we actually, I tried it her way, and that was something that happened.
Oh, so you did an experiment.
You tried it her way and walked me through it.
Tell me exactly what happened.
I waited until the movie started and stared at the popcorn the entire time and really wanted to eat it the whole entire time.
And then the movie started and I didn't eat nearly as much because I was a wee bit distracted by the actual movie.
So you felt like, at least popcorn-wise, it was a missed opportunity.
Definitely.
But was that first bite of popcorn better because you had waited for it?
No.
Okay.
All right.
Can I talk to Emily again, please?
Yes.
Dan, I have a counterpoint that I'd like to make.
Okay, please.
I'm ready.
Okay, so he said you don't wait and just stare at your food before you eat your dinner.
Right.
But that's not true.
You do wait.
When someone else doesn't have their dinner, you sit there and wait.
There's an appropriate time to start eating.
And that's when the movie starts.
Do you not feel, though, Emily, that you're a bit distracted once the movie starts?
Do you feel like you're able to fully focus on the deliciousness of the popcorn?
Yes, I do savor it, yeah.
Even though the movie's already started.
But I can see why you think it's distracting.
Yeah, but I eat less because the movie just takes my attention away.
Either that or the popcorn doesn't taste – you eat less because it doesn't taste as good, because you're not paying attention to it.
Here's what I feel about this, Emily.
I think you've got a couple options.
The first option is you could just get two small popcorns.
Yes.
I know that doesn't exactly make sense from a financial perspective.
You're going to pay a lot more for the same amount of popcorn, but that may be the price of marital bliss.
It could be.
While it's possible that the very first bite of popcorn is better with your approach because there's more anticipation, I think that the average pleasure per bite over the course of a large popcorn is going to be diminished because it's distracted eating.
Okay.
And I'm actually going to play for you a clip.
I interviewed Deepak Chopra on the topic of eating alone.
But what he said is sort of this is general advice about eating mindfully and getting maximum pleasure from your food.
Sit down quietly.
Take a few deep breaths.
Experience gratitude for the abundance of the universe.
And then enjoy the food. with full awareness and in silence.
Feel your body.
Feel the sensations that are aroused without forcing anything.
And don't treat your body as a garbage can.
What do you think of that?
I think eating movie theater popcorn is the exact opposite of what he wants you to do.
He said don't treat your body like a garbage can.
You picture anybody eating popcorn...
In a movie, it's like eyes open looking at the movie.
Right.
It's mindless.
It's mindless.
You're not there to eat popcorn.
You're there to enjoy the movie.
The popcorn's there just as an enhancement.
But why not get maximum pleasure from the popcorn?
Why not give it the attention?
Because you're going to miss the movie.
Not if you start eating it before.
True.
And I would also encourage you and Danny to attempt my bullfrog method of popcorn consumption, which is a single kernel at a time.
Hold the kernel in front of your mouth one inch away.
Stick your tongue out to the popcorn and like zap it, grab it like a frog grabs a fly.
And also look at the popcorn.
Popcorn is beautiful.
There are actually two different types of popcorn kernels, Emily.
There are mushroom kernels and butterfly kernels.
And they form popcorn in different ways.
The butterfly popcorn makes the sort of more irregular oblong shapes, the little starbursts.
The mushroom popcorn kernels turn into the balls like the sort of Death Star shape of popcorn, and they're both beautiful in their own way.
They have different properties.
They, I think, create different textures in your mouth, and they are to be appreciated and admired.
And so not only do I recommend that you enjoy the flavor of every popcorn kernel individually, I recommend that you enjoy the beauty, the visual aesthetic beauty of each one individually.
Well, I think you definitely brought a better argument to the table than Danny ever.
His is just impatient.
Yours is a whole spiritual experience.
There you go.
There you go.
All right.
Well, Emily in Reno, Nevada, thanks so much.
Enjoy your next movie and your next movie, Popcorn.
Thanks Stan, from a mother and daughter looking to bury the hatchet after a decades-long dispute over salad dressing.
Plus, a follow-up on our show about eating and drinking in the shower.
You guys will never guess what legendary Hollywood leading man loved to eat in the shower.
I'll tell you.
Stick around.
Welcome back to another Sporkful Reheat.
I'm Dan Pashman.
You ever like go to our show page in your podcasting app and you're scrolling back and you're like oh, that seems like a good episode.
How did I miss that?
Well, you missed it because you're probably not following our show in your podcasting app.
And it's really important that you do.
So please do this right now.
Go to our show page in your podcasting app of choice.
If it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you click follow.
Other apps, maybe it's a plus sign or a heart or a favorite or the word subscribe.
Whatever it is in your app, it's really important that you click it.
That way you won't miss great episodes.
It's super quick and easy.
You can do it right now.
Thank you so much.
Now back to this week's reheat.
Welcome back to The Sporkful from WNYC Studios.
I'm Dan Pashman.
We did a call-in show a couple months ago about drinking and eating in the shower, where I talked to people who go way beyond the classic shower beer.
I'm talking like ice cream sandwiches in the shower, beef jerky in the shower.
Now, some of you were disgusted by this episode.
Some of you were upset by the idea that water was being wasted.
Although in fairness, Nobody suggested taking a longer shower, just a more delicious one.
But many of you, I dare say, were inspired.
Here's a voicemail we got from Lisa in Stoneham, Mass.
I love coffee and I lived for a while in my 20s with a very kind man who, because of the rhythm of our mornings, would bring me a beautiful fresh, steaming cup of hot coffee, which is the only way I will drink it hot and just brewed.
Right when I turned the shower off, he would hand me my cup of coffee.
So I'm listening to your eating and drinking in the shower episode, and I loved it.
I thought it was quirky and amazing and lovely and I thought wait, I could bring my coffee into the shower.
It had never occurred to me.
I have no idea why.
Somehow it was like the coffee had to magically appear when I got out of the shower.
But why couldn't I brew my coffee and then get in the shower?
And the day after your podcast came out, I started bringing my coffee into the shower and it has changed my mornings.
Coffee in the shower is the best thing of 2016 by far.
So thank you.
Well, thank you, Lisa.
And I heard this from others, too.
Jill in Hoboken, New Jersey, loves coffee in the shower in the morning.
She says it's like being wrapped in a warm hug while being given a pep talk about how much ass you're going to kick today.
I also got a note from Wade in Berkeley, California.
He shared a link to a story from the Milwaukee Sentinel.
This is February 1985.
Before it was the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
All right.
That's how long ago this was.
Headline, Newman munches melon in shower.
And the article reads, most people just sing in the shower.
But actor Paul Newman likes to eat cantaloupe while showering in his Westport, Connecticut home.
After his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, complained about the rinds, which you just got to.
Take a moment there and just picture Joanne Woodward comes into the shower and there's melon rinds all over the place.
And it's like, Paul, I told you not to eat melon in the shower.
And the article goes on to say that Newman tried, unsuccessfully, to have a garbage disposal installed in their tub, according to Ladies Home Journal.
Now, if you're a Seinfeld fan, this reminds you of the time that Kramer actually did install a garbage disposal in his tub.
This food is fantastic, Kramer.
Yeah.
And here's to David Putty for helping me install a much-needed and much-appreciated garbage disposal in my bathtub.
You have a garbage disposal in your bathtub.
Oh, yeah, and I use it all the time.
Yeah, I made this whole meal in there.
This food was in the shower with you?
Mm-hmm.
I prepared it as I bathed.
Oh, Jeff.
I wasn't able to confirm whether Paul Newman actually inspired the Seinfeld plotline, but it makes me really happy to assume that he did.
So that's the follow-up on shower eating and drinking.
Thank you all for your responses.
Clearly, this topic hit a chord.
And for those of you who thought this was just a little too weird and a little too freaky Paul Newman did it.
Okay, Paul Newman did it.
Paul Newman, shower eater.
Now, let's get back to the phones.
Hi, who's this?
Hi, this is Mary from Brooklyn.
I have a bit of a family dispute about salad dressing.
My mom, Carol, is on the other line to kind of be the other side of this.
Okay.
Hi, Carol.
How are you?
Hi.
I'm fine.
Good.
So Mary, you go first.
Tell me what the issue is.
Okay.
So as a child, you kind of get like plain vegetables, you get kind of plain stuff.
And then as you grow older, you kind of graduate to more complicated foods.
And somewhere around the age of I don't know, maybe about like 9 10, 11 years old, there kind of started to be this household thing of well, now it's time for salad dressing on your salads.
And somewhere along the line, I just decided I didn't want it.
And there ended up being a bit of a dispute of like no, you have to have salad dressing in order to be an adult and do adult things.
But I'm an adult now and I still don't use salad dressing, and I found my life to actually be a lot easier that way.
Well, it's hard to just really go to the mat.
You have to have salad dressing.
But at the time, it seemed like the sort of thing that you needed to learn to like.
In retrospect, I'm not really sure why.
I remember being emphatic about it, but I don't remember.
In retrospect, I'm not really sure why it's that big of a deal.
Right.
Well, I have a feeling that a lot of parents probably feel that way about a lot of things.
There's a long list.
I think there's a pretty long list.
Right.
Like, why did we make such a big deal of that again?
I don't remember.
Santa Claus is on that list.
But so Carol, the first time Mary said no Mom, I don't want any salad dressing on my salad.
Like what did you think?
I think I just I said okay now, but then she would learn to like it, and then I would just keep trying.
You thought, oh, it's just a phase.
Right.
And Mary, do you remember what was the reaction from your family when you first started saying I don't want any salad dressing at all?
I you know, while I have trouble remembering one specific incident, I kind of remember like almost like a little montage of incidents.
And I do remember confusion, a little bit of like, why don't you want salad dressing?
It was something unheard of that you don't want salad dressing on your salad.
And I was like, no, I just kind of like the taste of vegetables as they are.
How do you think your life would have turned out differently if you ate salad dressing?
I feel like I would have had a slightly higher anxiety around again, especially in college and restaurants and stuff.
And what kind of salad dressing would you like?
And they list five dressings and none of it's what I wanted.
And I just feel like it'd be more of an ordeal.
You feel like people who like salad dressing, they're constantly flummoxed by the paradox of choice.
Yes.
Carol, thoughts?
I will say, well, the only thing I'll say, I mean, I do see her point.
But the salad dressing, if it's a good one, it really makes a good salad better.
And so I'm sorry that she's missing out on that deliciousness.
Because I get some tragedy.
Yes.
If I can jump in here, you know –
Isn't it so tempting as a parent, to it's like you feel, like you really know the better way to do something.
Oh, definitely.
And you so badly like you get certain pleasure out of something and you so badly want your kid to get the same pleasure from the thing that you get this pleasure out of.
And then they just start saying, no, they don't want to do it.
And it's so maddening.
It is mad.
It is.
And Mary, may I ask how old you are now?
I'm 24.
Okay.
Do you have any kids?
Nope.
Do you have any thoughts about how you want to raise your children with respect to salad and salad dressing?
Well, if this hypothetical husband that I have has salad dressing in his life, then I suppose I will offer that to them.
But otherwise, it probably just won't come up.
I'd be like, oh, well, I have oil and vinegar in the house separately.
Would you like that on your salad?
But otherwise, I'm probably not going to, you know, they can do their own thing.
What if your husband's at work and your son or daughter comes home from school and says Mommy, all the kids are eating salad.
They say it's the coolest.
I want to eat a salad with dressing.
And you're like, but I don't know how to make dressing.
I don't know how to put it on the salad.
I'm paralyzed.
Call your grandma.
Well, that's a great idea, is to call Grandma.
Right.
Are you at all worried, Mary, that you're going to be lacking in this crucial parental life skill?
Not particularly, because in other ways, I'm fairly culinarily adventurous.
So hypothetically in the future, if the Internet still exists, I could just go on the Internet, find an array of salad dressing recipes and try them out.
And, Carol, imagine that day however many years in the future...
You get a call from Mary, and she says, Junior here wants some salad dressing.
I'll grill him a nice grilled Caesar.
Yeah, that would be great.
That's great.
I like that idea.
I hadn't really thought of my future that way, but I really like it.
My husband, he'll grill romaine lettuce on the grill.
It's just delicious.
And then you make a nice Caesar dressing?
And then a nice Caesar dressing.
That's fabulous.
Look, I don't really think that there's necessarily a right or wrong here.
Carol, as a parent myself, I totally know how it feels to make an issue out of something and then look back on it and be like why did I make an issue of that?
I have no idea.
So I get that.
And Mary, it sounds to me like in your own way, Mary, you are an iconoclast.
Are there other ways in which you rebel against society's expectations?
Oh, yeah.
What do you do for a living?
That is a good question.
So I have a variety of kind of jobs to pay the rent, but what I'm trying to do with my life and my career is I'm an actor and a fight choreographer.
If you're a fight choreographer, does that mean this whole dispute with your mom is just an entirely fake thing that you made up to get on this show?
No.
No, it would be a lot more interesting and dramatic if I did that.
Well, I'll leave you with a favorite quote of mine Mary, because I admire the fact.
You know.
Your mom felt like you have to eat salad dressing to be an adult, to fit in, to make your way in the world, and you said no, and you've chosen a somewhat unconventional path.
And as a person who works in theater, I'm sure you're familiar with the works of George Bernard Shaw, who said
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.
The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
Yay!
And progress is certainly one of the goals here on The Sporkful.
So I wish you guys both the best.
Mary in Brooklyn, Carol on Long Island, thank you guys so much for calling in.
Thank you.
Thank you.
That's it for Calls this week.
Thank you to everyone who called in.
And remember that if you have a food dispute that you want me to settle, an innovation to share, or maybe you just have a great food-related story, I want to hear from you.
Drop me a line, dan at sporkful.com.
This show is a production of WNYC Studios and The Sporkful.
It's produced by Anne Sanney and me.
Engineering help from Bill O'Neill.
Music help today from Black Label Music.
Special thanks to Joanna Solitaroff and Paula Schumann.
Until next time, I'm Dan Pashman.
And I'm James Volitis in Essex, England, reminding you to eat more, eat better, and eat more better.
This reheat was produced by Gianna Palmer.
The team that produces The Sporkful today includes me, along with managing producer Emma Morgenstern and senior producer Andres O'Hara.
Our engineer is Jared O'Connell.
Music help from Black Label Music.
The Sporkful is a production of SiriusXM Podcasts.
Our executive producer is Camille Stanley.
And hey, did you know you can listen to The Sporkful on the SiriusXM app?
Yes, the SiriusXM app.
It has all your favorite podcasts, plus over 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, plus live sports coverage.
Does your podcasting app have that?
And there's interviews with A-list stars and so much more.
It's everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one.
And right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to SiriusXMcom slash Sporkful.
Until next time, I'm Dan Pashman.
