Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-06
This and That
By Charles r. Trace,pell.
"TIuRTY-THIRD STREE

80 the Smelling Of popcorn on the
ear is . job?
Well. sir, that had never occurred to
me, seeing that was brought up on
the job.
MY position Is. perhaps. something
like that Of the Indian fakir who has
never been told that q bed Of needle or
sword points might be uncomfortable!
But last night was popcorn night
at our house. so my wife and children
watched me to see how 1t is done
They tell me It's something like
this:
"On the first ear shelled, one FIRST
picks Oh. with his thumbnail, the first
two or three kernels Of . half dozen
rows, starting at the base of the ear
Then, with slightly less caution. this
bulge is pushed forward and sidewise,
spiraling around the ear; sort Of an
end run.
Then comes the final blow, the
crushing humiliation Of the rest Of the
army of kernels, done with little effort
and no pain by rotary motion, hold
ing the ear firmly with the fingers and
thumb Of the left hand. and producing
the rotary motion by the fingers and
lower thumb of the right.
THE last half dozen kernels may need
nails.
'Ths the first victory is won.
Nov one has an implement, the
empty cob. The subsequent conquests
are naught. Take the cob in the right
hand, holding against the neshy part
below the thumb with the tip Of the
thumb and first finger.
The heshy part thus protected, the
next ear is grasped by the tip, in the
left hand, and the cob is used to shell
Q wide swath directly along several rows
| of kernels, after which the humiliation
proceeds with the cob, or as before.
will it work? don't know. You try
it. My wife says 1t works when do it,
but that she gets all scratched up when
she tries 1t. I don't get scratched up,
but then don't know how it's done.
Sincerely yours, w. z. s."
The Old Master speaks, giving excel
lent hints as to the proper handling of
| popcorn on the cob.
AS he admits it is not SO easy, if you
lack the knack.
Like throwing the 16-pound hammer,
| the knack is q definite part of it.
Most amateurs in the popcorn fancy
try to do all the work with the fieshy
part Of the thumbs. working both at the
same time.
Our correspondents method Is in
| finitely better, and one which takes the
strain of the thumbs.
No matter how good the popped corn.
| it will be spoiled II one lifts &c to the
mouth with raw fingers
Getting popcorn into the mouth is .
! feat in itself.
There are several methods, including
the lift-and-stuff -in-quickly method
and the shy, ladylike grain time
| way.
Our favorite is using all four fingers
| and thumb Of the right hand punched
| together, to lift up and cram into the
yawning orifice - many grains as pos
sible.
There Is always some danger, even In
the hands Of an expert, that there viii
be . drip, and this Is dangerous to
clothes, rugs, etc, owing to the butter
used. Mote the past tense)
| Facial tissues or paper napkins should
be served with modern popcorn, since
these great inventions are excellent
| moppers OF butter or what have YOU.
Being hard to get. these wipers may not
be available, IN which eventuality the
fingers may be-let us whisper licked
| BY the tongue in q slightly surreptitfnus
manner. There should not be too much
etiquette about popcorn eating. Tha
best way b to turn out tl1esIiGhts ana
eat It only by the light Of the flreside,
50 that no one win notice any slfg1,t