Is It Done Yet?This story
dates back about 30 years but gets retold when the right combination of
relatives are around. My oldest boy was about
nine years old at the time and was given to fits of hyperactive outbursts
(which never endeared him to the relatives, so they still think this is funny). It was during one of the periods of nervous
energy that I decided to occupy him with a new diversion. The boy had yet to learn how to make popcorn,
we had already finished dinner, and the time seemed to be right.
In those
days, popcorn was popped in a sauce pan with a vigorous lot of shaking to keep
things from burning. One might think
this a perfect match for the boy’s need to do something physical, and I hoped
to get a decent snack out of the deal as well.
First, you layer the bottom of the pan with a good amount of cooking oil, set your measured popcorn to one side, get your lid ready, and fire up the burner. When the oil warms up, drop in one kernel of popcorn. “Now watch that kernel carefully. When it pops, we add the rest of the popcorn.”
The kid, with no trace of fear, stuck his face directly over the pan. I warned him to move to one side, but he was intent on watching that kernel. He quickly moved back over the pan to avoid missing the action. Of course, when the kernel finally exploded, it flew directly into his open eye along with a nice coating of hot oil to boot. With one smooth, continuous motion, he reeled over backwards and flopped to the floor in the middle of the kitchen like a fresh caught Blue Gill on a frozen lake in February.
Both hands now clutched to his “bad eye”, he was running in circles but still lying on the floor. He couldn’t get up because he couldn’t let go of his eye.
When I was assured that he was not seriously injured, I added the rest of the popcorn and finished the cooking. While it popped away, he rested with a cold washcloth to his injury. His curiosity was satisfied for the evening, but I don't think he made popcorn again until the Microwave bags were perfected
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