My Temporary Pop Corn Thing
Feb 3, 2023 6:49:17 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Feb 3, 2023 6:49:17 GMT -5
As a kid, I wasn’t particularly fond of popcorn. In fact, the only time I ate it was when I went to the movies, and my parents bought some. It wasn’t a big deal then. But recently, during what some might refer to poetically as the evening of life, I suddenly developed a strong and constant craving for it to the extent of becoming a popcorn freak.
It got to the point where eating a large bag at one sitting wasn't unusual and going straight for the bagged popcorn at the grocery store became a prime directive. It came to the point where not eating popcorn made the day seem gloomy. So I would brave whatever inclement weather challenged, be it snow, rain, sleet or hail, in order to get my popcorn-eating craving satisfied.
Oh how glorious the taste! How utterly satisfying and entertaining the feel of my molars efficiently and victoriously doing all that crunching as I watched TV! The sweet aroma of those popcorn kernels was as if being in heaven on Earth. Well, everything was going dandy until in an attempt at frugality, I decided to pop them myself. After all, why spend more money than necessary?
The Amish lady who sold popcorn at her kiosk at the local market, suggested I use one tablespoon of oil or maybe two. So that's what I used. I waited patiently for the oil to sizzle, and then poured in a huge volume until all sat at the bottom of the pot submerged. Then I placed the lid on the pot and waited. Soon, to my satisfaction, there was the first pop followed by others until they were all seemingly popping at a good rate. Once the popping slowed, I removed the lid to take a look and there they were as if by magic, all those hard kernels suddenly transformed into fluffy delicious tidbits waiting to be munched on. I drooled deliriously in anticipation.
But then I noticed something else which had I never detected with the bagged variety, a strong smell of acrid eye-irritating and lung-irritating smoke emerging the edges of the top of the pot and which immediately set me coughing.
Upon further investigation, I found that the ones on top had popped, but the kernels on the bottom were either carbonized, or partially burned. Worse still, the apartment had become filled with smoke setting off the annoying squealing of the ceiling smoke detector which I had to turn off by using the tip of the broomstick handle. My eyes were irritated as well as my throat and lungs, but I figured that next time this would not happen if I used more oil. So next time I ignored the lady's advice and added more oil and used less heat.
By golly! It worked! They started popping, and the acrid smoke was kept to a minimum. But there is the crux of the matter. The burning wasn't totally prevented. So gradually, the apartment once more began smelling like burnt popcorn, and my lungs and eyes began reacting until I awoke recently feeling as if I was choking to death.
To add to my struggling misery, acid reflux was added to the fray forcing me to take a swig of Pepto Bismol and to reluctantly drink several cups of the heavily-chlorinated foul-smelling water from the tap in order to neutralize the danger of corrosive damage to my esophagus and stomach lining.
In the meantime, the residual popcorn fumes kept me stumbling around trying to get enough oxygen into my system to prevent me from blacking out as I groped in the semi-dark bedroom for my artificial tears so that I could see.
To make a long story short, I was force to stop and had to buy the ones in the bag. Nevertheless, I did research on the Internet about the health-risks of eating popcorn, and breathing burnt-popcorn and discovered that my reaction and found this:
Is Burnt Popcorn Bad for You?
According to the National Cancer Institute, consuming food that has been cooked beyond a temperature of 248 degrees Fahrenheit, which includes burned popcorn, may carry a health risk due to the formation of possibly carcinogenic acrylamide. Inhaling the smoke from burned popcorn could also pose a health risk.
www.reference.com/food/burnt-popcorn-bad-c3185cc71abc7506#
Microwave Popcorn Linked to Lung Harm
Rare, Deadly Lung Disease Hits Microwave Popcorn Lover
www.webmd.com/lung/news/20070905/microwave-popcorn-linked-to-lung-harm#1
I’m going to miss eating popcorn, that’s for sure, but that's far better than if I go missing because of eating popcorn. Numbsayin?
It got to the point where eating a large bag at one sitting wasn't unusual and going straight for the bagged popcorn at the grocery store became a prime directive. It came to the point where not eating popcorn made the day seem gloomy. So I would brave whatever inclement weather challenged, be it snow, rain, sleet or hail, in order to get my popcorn-eating craving satisfied.
Oh how glorious the taste! How utterly satisfying and entertaining the feel of my molars efficiently and victoriously doing all that crunching as I watched TV! The sweet aroma of those popcorn kernels was as if being in heaven on Earth. Well, everything was going dandy until in an attempt at frugality, I decided to pop them myself. After all, why spend more money than necessary?
The Amish lady who sold popcorn at her kiosk at the local market, suggested I use one tablespoon of oil or maybe two. So that's what I used. I waited patiently for the oil to sizzle, and then poured in a huge volume until all sat at the bottom of the pot submerged. Then I placed the lid on the pot and waited. Soon, to my satisfaction, there was the first pop followed by others until they were all seemingly popping at a good rate. Once the popping slowed, I removed the lid to take a look and there they were as if by magic, all those hard kernels suddenly transformed into fluffy delicious tidbits waiting to be munched on. I drooled deliriously in anticipation.
But then I noticed something else which had I never detected with the bagged variety, a strong smell of acrid eye-irritating and lung-irritating smoke emerging the edges of the top of the pot and which immediately set me coughing.
Upon further investigation, I found that the ones on top had popped, but the kernels on the bottom were either carbonized, or partially burned. Worse still, the apartment had become filled with smoke setting off the annoying squealing of the ceiling smoke detector which I had to turn off by using the tip of the broomstick handle. My eyes were irritated as well as my throat and lungs, but I figured that next time this would not happen if I used more oil. So next time I ignored the lady's advice and added more oil and used less heat.
By golly! It worked! They started popping, and the acrid smoke was kept to a minimum. But there is the crux of the matter. The burning wasn't totally prevented. So gradually, the apartment once more began smelling like burnt popcorn, and my lungs and eyes began reacting until I awoke recently feeling as if I was choking to death.
To add to my struggling misery, acid reflux was added to the fray forcing me to take a swig of Pepto Bismol and to reluctantly drink several cups of the heavily-chlorinated foul-smelling water from the tap in order to neutralize the danger of corrosive damage to my esophagus and stomach lining.
In the meantime, the residual popcorn fumes kept me stumbling around trying to get enough oxygen into my system to prevent me from blacking out as I groped in the semi-dark bedroom for my artificial tears so that I could see.
To make a long story short, I was force to stop and had to buy the ones in the bag. Nevertheless, I did research on the Internet about the health-risks of eating popcorn, and breathing burnt-popcorn and discovered that my reaction and found this:
Popcorn Health Risks
Popcorn Lung
Many bags of buttered microwave popcorn contain the chemical diacetyl, which has been causing lung problems for factory workers in popcorn plants for years. Dubbed popcorn lung, this condition develops after repeated exposure to the aromatic additive, causing serious lung damage. A case of consumer exposure was also observed in a man who prepared and ate several bags of buttered microwave popcorn each day for a number of years, notes the University of Illinois. While this particular case hasn't been proven, it is prudent to open buttered microwave bags near an exhaust fan and to avoid breathing the fumes.
www.livestrong.com/article/353034-popcorn-health-risks/
Popcorn Lung
Many bags of buttered microwave popcorn contain the chemical diacetyl, which has been causing lung problems for factory workers in popcorn plants for years. Dubbed popcorn lung, this condition develops after repeated exposure to the aromatic additive, causing serious lung damage. A case of consumer exposure was also observed in a man who prepared and ate several bags of buttered microwave popcorn each day for a number of years, notes the University of Illinois. While this particular case hasn't been proven, it is prudent to open buttered microwave bags near an exhaust fan and to avoid breathing the fumes.
www.livestrong.com/article/353034-popcorn-health-risks/
Is Burnt Popcorn Bad for You?
According to the National Cancer Institute, consuming food that has been cooked beyond a temperature of 248 degrees Fahrenheit, which includes burned popcorn, may carry a health risk due to the formation of possibly carcinogenic acrylamide. Inhaling the smoke from burned popcorn could also pose a health risk.
www.reference.com/food/burnt-popcorn-bad-c3185cc71abc7506#
Microwave Popcorn Linked to Lung Harm
Rare, Deadly Lung Disease Hits Microwave Popcorn Lover
www.webmd.com/lung/news/20070905/microwave-popcorn-linked-to-lung-harm#1
I’m going to miss eating popcorn, that’s for sure, but that's far better than if I go missing because of eating popcorn. Numbsayin?