GUEST EDITORIAL: Why Do We Eat Popcorn in the Cinema?

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Why do we eat popcorn in the cinema?

by Esther Moe

Popcorn is not always connected been to the cinema. The tantalizing hint of salt and butter dates from the time of the Great Depression when cinemas all sails to pull out at the head above water to keep. About eight thousand years ago maize arose from the grass-like complexion. It doesn't look like our popcorn.

Popcorn know we as a hefty tray popped corn kernels in the dark untidy in the mouth is crammed. It was the first corn variant in Central America in culture was introduced. Andrew Smith, author of 'Popped culture; a social history of popcorn, " says the popcorn from Central America, both to the south and to the north moved, but which the culture only in the south position held. Eventually brought the trade the hard grain of corn to North America, more specifically merchants of New England, the early 19th century in Chile with the granules in contact came and they especially funny thought.

Roasting is fun

After the arrival in the eastern United States was hard, the Americans found the puffing a form of entertainment and in 1848 was popcorn, and snack, listed in the Dictionary of Americanisms. Popcorn was literally exploded and you saw it really anywhere where people with other fun had, such as circuses and markets. Oddly enough, were they completely absent in theaters.

An important reason for the popularity was that you could easily take popcorn with you. In 1885 appeared the first steam-powered popcorn machine, made by Charles Cretor. Now could you everywhere where you want popcorn making and merchants were eager to use the new facility: no sporting event, circus or market if there appeared to be at least one popcorn machine. One other advantage, above example fried or baked potatoes, was it you there easily quite a lot of could produce. And finally, of course, the irresistible scent.

Thanks to the sound film

But still there is no talk of the cinema popcorn tolerated. They wanted as much as possible in real theaters look, a chic appearance love and well stay away from cheap snacks like popcorn. That changed from 1927 ; then came the sound film and ran a much broader audience to. By 1930, ninety million Americans a week were already coming to the movies. The crunch of popcorn was less bothersome with the sound film, all to the cinemas there really to get used to.

The Great Depression took old conventions slicing. In looking for cheap entertainment streamed the masses to the theaters and for five or ten cents for a hefty bag could you long popcorn enjoy. For the sellers no better way for money to earn: raw popcorn cost only ten dollars for a big bag and it was a year saved are.

Offered the movie it self not to, out on the street swarmed the popcorn vendors, how emphatically cinemas also signs hung which no popcorn them to within allowed.

Reluctantly got the machines the buildings in, initially were the popcorn vendors from the street into the lobby allowed, against a great state money.

Ultimately, the widespread sale of cheap snacks such as popcorn dragged the cinema owners through the crisis. In the midst of the years thirty disappeared the classic movie theaters. Typically, according to Smith, was it a cinema chain from Dalles popcorn machines installed in eighty of years buildings, but they repelled in her posh five. Those five were in among the others survived.

To advertise

During the Second World War had competing snacks like sodas and candy to suffer under sugar shortages and ran the popcorn consumption further on. In 1945 was less than the half of the whole popcorn production in the United States in cinemas consumed. Movie houses advertised with their popcorn offer in the lobby and the famous clip it "all go to the Let's lobby, which in 1957 was released and no less than forty seconds lasted. In 2000, selected the Library of Congress the ad because of the cultural and historical value to listed to be in the United States National Film Registry.

In the years fifties began the demise of the cinema, popcorn or not. The television kept people at home and there was popcorn just totally not easy to do: you had everything necessary that you not daily use: a machine oil, butter, salt and other ingredients for popcorn just as delicious to make as in the cinema. But America would America not be if there are no manufacturers came with a solution: a complete little container, which you alone in your stove did not have to stop, oven clock in and ready is kees. From the 1970s onwards, microwaves made it even simpler. The German Nord Mende advertised with its microwaves even with popcorn, "the sponsor of the mid-film.

Much is good

Nowadays advertising popcorn manufacturers emphatically with home movies look. The relationship has not only affected had the cinemas, but also in the popcorn industry: for 1929 was white popcorn. The yellow variant saw your little, was also more than twice as expensive. But at cinemas was rather the yellow sold, because they continued to heat much more out and played so well in the irrepressible American tendency to all that great and a lot is better to find. Therefore began to crowd the white variant down to point and to ask for "that of the cinema. Today is white popcorn approximately ten percent of the corn popcorn cultures and yellow the rest. Sales of popcorn is very lucrative, certainly a rather extreme prices which are in Western Europe to be asked in cinemas: the margin is less than 90%, if not more.

Popcorn continues unabated popular, both with the authors, vendors and with the public. Inextricably associated with movie watching.