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Sunday, July 12, 2009

How Popcorn Shot to FAME


Having popcorn while watching a movie at the theater has a unique charm of its own. It is a luxury that always makes the movie-going experience so special for me. The Fame multiplex, at South City, Kolkata, is one of my favorite best places to eat flavored popcorn by the tub and watch the latest blockbuster. One can take one's pick of movies, snacks and beverages, all at once!
Recently, as I went to to the said destination, to watch a rather insipid film, just because I had some spare time and the urge to recline in the cozy comfort of the air-conditioned auditorium, I decided to order for popcorn at the onset and munch along. At the interval, I was in for a pleasant surprise when in the lights of the auditorium I read the stuff printed so colorfully on the notoriously over-priced popcorn pack's wraparound! It had an assemblage of movie trivia & tidbits, plus a poem dedicated to the specialty popcorn. I humbly reproduce the poem, unedited, to amuse my readers..... here it is:



How Popcorn shot to Fame

Depressed with his two-tone hue
Corn wanted something new.
He wished to be more glamorous
More glorious. More Fame-ous.

It was the 15th century though
He had to settle for less than more.
Pondering CORN stumbled on some hot coal
Then his head began to throb and roll

Suddenly his body began to split
And then CORN exploded
In seconds it was over with
He was snowy-puffy... splendid!

CORN had become POPCORN
But centuries later we still love his charm.
That's how he shot to FAME
Have him Salted. Cheese. Caramel. Or just plain.

7 comments:

Dibyendu Paul said...

well its really nice to have popcorns when watching a movie. It makes the ambiance a bit different rather i can say it gives the thing a nice and cozy feeling turns us on and get into the flow of the movie. when the movie is boring it worst a lot to heal the stress.... wat say??? ;)

Anindo Sen said...

Right said. That's exactly what I feel. Popcorn is a huge draw, especially it's of the melts-in-the-mouth kind of cheese flavored popcorn. Or the caramel popcorn that Fame Multiplex is so famous for!

Krishh said...

It is a fact that most of our movies have become popcorn-esque, hence the popcorn in all the enhanced flavors are so much fun to have - and sometimes even more fun to have than the inane pieces on screen!;)
I am a traditional person when it comes to choosing my munchies, and hence I dig the regular salted popcorn at the multiplexes, and better still are the patties and pastries and chips at the standalone theaters!:D

LoverBoy said...

I have read that in the early days of cinema, many theater owners in the U.S. refused to sell popcorn on the premises as they found it to be a tad messy. However, soon after the demand for popcorn, especially the kind that the industrious vendors would serve hot from the popcorn poppers, became so huge that theater owners had to install the popcorn poppers at the halls or they would quickly go out of business!

We cannot think of watching movies without popcorn & cola in hand, and am mighty glad that FAME celebrates the age-old popcorn in their own wacky style.

pallavi said...

Hmmmmmmmmmm......
a desperate attempt to be funny...
no, no, I am not telling you, but the Fame creative campaign designer who've come up with a rather un-poetic offering to doff their hats for the ubiquitous POPCORN! Its warped humor is anything but funny! The overpriced flavored popcorn is marginally better than the packaging.
Talking of popcorn, I am reminded of the classically cheesy 'sharing-popcorn-at-the-theater' scene with Mickey Rourke in the movie DINER! It celebrates and at the same time lampoons the American male bravado that has a ring of universality, hence damn funny!

Anirban Halder said...

A nice, well-written, insightful yet casual post (Casual doesn't come with a negative sense here). Yes, the caramel flavour served by Fame is something cinebuffs sort of crib about elsewhere. A lead singer of a leading Bangla band did it once to us at Priya Cinema.

aniruddh said...

A cool one!
Hey, did u know:
Americans today consume 17.3 billion quarts of popcorn each year!
The average American eats about 68 quarts of popcorn each year!
Amazing, eh?;)