Popcorn

If you asked someone who's never set foot in a Red Lobster or stuck his nose in his grocer's freezer what "popcorn shrimp" is, you'd be on the same wavelength as chef John Taus of the Corner in Center City. Rather than simply deep-frying bits of shrimp and calling it an appetizer, Taus uses larger "21/25" shrimp and popped popcorn. The result: Less greasy than you'd think, though you may develop an urge to go to a movie theater. - Michael Klein Popcorn shrimp ($11)

Quadequina was not a great warrior, nor a famed peacemaker like his brother Massasoit, but he sure knew how to liven up a party. When the Pilgrims threw their big potluck bash in the fall of 1621, he didn't bring the sweet-potato casserole nor his mother's recipe for corn-bread stuffing. Instead he made gastronomic history. He brought the popcorn. Popcorn was instantly popular, and our fondness for it has never waned. By 1820, it was a common snack food in American households as well as a stylish Christmas decoration.

Jolly Time American's Best Pop Corn. White and yellow. $1.99 per 30-ounce canister. Bonnie: Congratulations to Jolly Time for being the first major popcorn company to sell organically grown popcorn. This means American's Best popcorn was grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. This is a small but important step for the environment and the health of Americans. Now if only Jolly Time would make the giant leap of using American's Best in all its popcorn products, including microwave.

Saturday night at the movies I know where I'm gonna go I'm gonna pick my baby up And take her to the picture show . . . - The Drifters It's a good facsimile. The flickering lights, the heavy butter odor and the stacks of familiar candies. It's Saturday night at Blockbuster Video on Lansdowne Avenue in Lansdowne, and the atmosphere is as close to that of a real movie theater as you can get, as scores of customers - many of them young couples - search for hot titles.

Because the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry is so heated, the boss wanted me to engage someone from Dallas during the game. The following is a discussion I had last night with Eric Celeste, managing editor of D Magazine, FrontBurner blogger and loyal Cowboys fan. Eric and I worked together at the Village Voice Media paper in Dallas. He's one of the best editors I've ever had. (It's a short list.) Other things you should know about Eric: He willingly calls himself "Tulsa. " He's one of those creepy 40-and-over men you'll find on Facebook.

If you have recently been accosted by a person dressed up as a huge popcorn bag, you may be interested to learn you've been part of a test to determine whether a brand of pre-popped popcorn called "Smartfood" has any appeal outside its native New England. The usual way to "test-market" a product is to put it out on the shelf in a few key cities to see if anybody buys it. Smartfood Inc. has done that in the Philadelphia and Jersey shore areas but, just to help the test along, it also has been giving out free samples.

Evgeni Malkin let it be known a while back that he doesn't really care for playing in the City of Brotherly Love. Not so much because the Penguins failed to win a game at the Wachovia Center this season, or because the Flyers try to take any particular liberties with him. No, Malkin said, the problem is the popcorn. Not because the stuff available at the concession stands is any more stale or chewy than the pseudo-Styrofoam offered in most arenas, but because some fans are more inclined to toss it onto the visiting team's bench than down their throats.

Popcorn. It's an idea whose time has come - but maybe shouldn't have. Not popcorn in the big buttered tubs at the movies. Or popcorn from a microwave. No. We're talking popcorn in a shipping crate, as a protective cushion for computers, rugs, shampoo and appliances. We're talking popcorn - The Packing Material. Nobody, not even popcorn experts - there are such people - is sure who first got the idea of using bursting seeds of maize as a substitute for white styrofoam peanuts and curliques.

"Popcorn" is about a movie theater haunted by a madman who murders and terrorizes patrons via such methods as electric shock and the unleashing of a giant mechanical mosquito. Since these conditions are only marginally worse than those in the Sameric 4, where "Popcorn" was screened, it was difficult to become immersed in horror being depicted on screen. The problem is compounded by the fact that "Popcorn" is not a film of hypnotic power. The plot has do with a man, his face blistered and stapled together, who seeks revenge on the people who were indirectly involved in a fire that left him scarred for life.

The U.S. Agriculture Department says that American popcorn is making progress in Japan. Since 1982, says the department's Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. popcorn exports to Japan have more than doubled, from less than 3,000 metric tons to more than 6,300 metric tons in 1986. All of Japan's popcorn is imported, and all of it comes from the United States, the agency said. Japan has an import quota on popcorn, part of a program to restrict corn imports to protect its own producers of potatoes, sugarcane and sugarbeets from corn starches and sweeteners.

By Gareth Cook You've probably tried exercise. Maybe you've given Atkins a shot or done time on Weight Watchers. But even if you've tried a thousand ways to drop pounds, I doubt you've tried this one: the Other Hand Diet. The approach is simple. If you are right-handed, use only your left hand to eat; your right hand must stay down at your side. (If you are left-handed, of course, then eat only with your right.) I can't promise that you'll become leaner and healthier on the Other Hand Diet.

DEAR ABBY: I want you to know how much I agree with your answer to "Paying for My Popcorn in Oregon," who complained about her niece sneaking food into the theater. I used to teach a parenting class to parents who had kids in trouble with the law. I started out by asking, "How many of you teach your children to lie, cheat or steal?" Of course nobody admitted they did. I then had about 20 items I'd list, the movie food issue being one, driving over the speed limit, and so on. At least one of the 20 applied to everybody.

If you asked someone who's never set foot in a Red Lobster or stuck his nose in his grocer's freezer what "popcorn shrimp" is, you'd be on the same wavelength as chef John Taus of the Corner in Center City. Rather than simply deep-frying bits of shrimp and calling it an appetizer, Taus uses larger "21/25" shrimp and popped popcorn. The result: Less greasy than you'd think, though you may develop an urge to go to a movie theater. - Michael Klein Popcorn shrimp ($11)

THE MOVIE THEATER industry made a scene - to put it mildly - when it looked as if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might make theaters list the calorie counts in the tubs of popcorn they sell at exorbitant prices. As part of the Affordable Care Act, establishments with more than 20 locations - restaurants, convenience stores, groceries, even vending machines - will have to tell consumers the calorie counts of what they are buying. The sticker shock may persuade Americans to buy healthier foods, and restaurants to offer better choices.

It's Thursday morning at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, and thanks to the efforts of Korean War vet Walter Debes, the buttery aroma of freshly popped popcorn has replaced the sterile hospital smell. Debes, a Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Newport News in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, sells popcorn at the hospital on Thursdays to raise money for veterans' causes. Between that and other volunteer work, he's put in 10,601 hours over the past 42 years volunteering to help his fellow vets.

ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, the lobby of the United Artists Main Street 6 in Manayunk is crowded with young professionals, giggling teens, and parents with kids in tow. They don't come for a double feature or a sneak preview. They come to worship God. After grabbing a cup of orange juice, a bagel and a Bible, visitors make their way into the dim theater. As the service begins, hands are raised to the ceiling, the racially diverse crowd sways back and forth, and voices fill the room, singing to the accompaniment of a live band, following lyrics flashed on the giant screen.

G.I. Joe! Harry Potter! Night at the Museum! Star Trek! Wolverine! If the recession-fueled box-office boom continues, the summer of '09 will go down as one of Hollywood's biggest ever. The studios have positioned their brands and set their tent poles accordingly. And while there's the usual mix of sequels, remakes, comic-book and best-seller adaptations, horror, rom-coms, and stoopid teen farce, there are a number of comedies and dramas that appear grounded in the real world, too. Add a few serious indies (new Jarmusch, Soderbergh, Dardenne Brothers)

So the door slammed shut on The Dark Knight. James Franco wasn't nominated for Milk - or for his stoner dealer dude in Pineapple Express. Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" - how did that not get a best-song slot? (Hey, there are still two slots open - it's not too late!) And Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long) and Michelle Williams (Wendy and Lucy) - they wuz robbed. Get over it. The 81st Academy Awards ceremony is two days away - Sunday, 8 p.m., 6ABC - and while there are slights, omissions, and head-scratchers, there is still much to celebrate.

  Good news if you're fond of the extraordinary baguettes at Parc, the Rittenhouse Square brasserie. You can take them home. By popular demand, the Stephen Starr boite now stocks a basket of the crusty, lightly salted loaves at the hostess desk. They're made on premises (from a "secret recipe," says Starr) by baker Carlos Aparicio. The bread's at its best warmed up, though when Parc's kitchen gets busy it can sometimes forget. - Rick Nichols "La bonne baguette," $3, Parc Brasserie, 227 S. 18th St., 215-545-2262, www.parc-restaurant.

Terrell Owens was right where he always wants to be - at the center of attention. Then he disappeared. With the spotlight of a marquee Monday-night matchup squarely on him, the Dallas Cowboys' flashy, controversial wide receiver seized it in the first half of Dallas' 41-37 victory over the Eagles, blazing onto center stage with a display both breathtaking and history-making. The history came with his first touchdown, a 72-yard bolt that gave the Cowboys an early 7-3 lead.