Popcorn: Who doesn't love it?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Popcorn: Who Doesn't Love It?"

Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Episode: Popcorn: Who Doesn't Love It?
Release Date: May 22, 2025
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction to Popcorn

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant dive into the beloved snack, popcorn, exploring its origins, cultivation, and cultural significance. The episode unpacks why popcorn holds a special place in American culture and its journey from indigenous practices to a modern-day staple.

The Science Behind Popping Popcorn

The hosts begin by explaining what makes popcorn unique compared to other corn varieties. They delve into the anatomy of a popcorn kernel, highlighting the hard outer shell (bran) and the moisture content critical for popping.

Chuck Bryant [03:20]: "Popcorn has a really hard, hard outer shell… that a high ratio of hard starch to soft starch inside makes it pop."

Josh emphasizes the importance of moisture content, noting that kernels with less than 13% water don't pop effectively.

Josh Clark [04:15]: "The sweet spot is between 13 and 20% water content inside the bran. When you heat that, the steam builds up and causes the kernel to explode into the fluffy treat we love."

Historical Cultivation and Early Uses

Popcorn's history traces back thousands of years. The hosts discuss archaeological findings indicating popcorn consumption in ancient civilizations, particularly among indigenous peoples in the Americas.

Josh Clark [14:17]: "Corn was domesticated from the wild Teosinte plant as far back as 9,000 years ago, spreading throughout Central and South America."

They explore the evolution of popcorn from decorative uses, such as garlands by the Aztecs, to its establishment as a food source.

Popcorn's Journey into American Culture

The discussion shifts to the 19th century when popcorn began to gain commercial traction in the United States. Early popcorn varieties and the emergence of popcorn stands are highlighted.

Chuck Bryant [24:08]: "In the 1870s, popcorn became a common concession at public events, and by the 1890s, mobile popcorn machines allowed vendors to sell popcorn on sidewalks, making it an accessible and affordable snack."

Popcorn and the Cinema

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to popcorn's inseparable relationship with movie theaters. The hosts recount how popcorn sales became a lifeline for theaters, especially during the Great Depression and World War II.

Josh Clark [28:25]: "During the Depression, RJ McKenna found that making a significant profit from popcorn allowed him to lower theater ticket prices, keeping his business afloat."

They also touch upon myths surrounding subliminal advertising and popcorn sales, clarifying historical inaccuracies.

Modern Innovations and Consumption

The evolution of popcorn preparation is discussed, from traditional stovetop methods to the advent of microwave popcorn. The hosts highlight key milestones, such as Orville Redenbacher's introduction of a specialized popcorn variety and microwave popcorn's role in democratizing popcorn consumption at home.

Chuck Bryant [41:04]: "Percy Spencer's accidental discovery with microwave technology led directly to the creation of microwave popcorn, revolutionizing how we prepare and enjoy popcorn today."

Health Benefits and Considerations

Josh and Chuck explore the nutritional aspects of popcorn, emphasizing its benefits when air-popped and consumed without excessive additives. They discuss its high fiber content, low calorie count, and status as a whole grain.

Chuck Bryant [12:55]: "Popcorn is low in calories, high in fiber, and 100% whole grain. A single serving can contribute up to 30% of your daily fiber intake."

They also address potential downsides, such as its impact on individuals with irritable bowel syndrome and the health implications of added oils and flavors.

Cultural Variations and Global Flavors

The podcast touches upon how different cultures adapt popcorn to local tastes, citing examples like Japan's unique flavors offered by brands like Mike, a Frito-Lay subsidiary.

Josh Clark [46:19]: "In Japan, companies like Mike are introducing exciting flavors such as Yuzu salt and Kishu plum, showcasing popcorn's versatility across cultures."

Environmental Considerations and Future Prospects

A brief discussion on innovative uses of popcorn as an eco-friendly packaging material is included, highlighting recent research into replacing Styrofoam with popped popcorn.

Chuck Bryant [46:37]: "German researchers in 2021 experimented with using popcorn scraps as an alternative to packing peanuts, aiming to reduce environmental impact."

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Josh and Chuck wrap up the episode by reaffirming their appreciation for popcorn's enduring presence in society. They encourage listeners to explore different popcorn preparations and to appreciate the snack’s rich history and cultural significance.

Chuck Bryant [49:11]: "Popcorn is not only delicious but also carries a fascinating history that mirrors technological and cultural changes over the centuries."

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Key Takeaways

• Popcorn Anatomy: The unique structure of popcorn kernels, especially the hard bran and moisture content, is essential for popping.
• Historical Roots: Indigenous cultivation and early uses set the foundation for popcorn's role in American culture.
• Economic Impact: Popcorn has been a vital revenue source for movie theaters, especially during economic hardships.
• Nutritional Value: When prepared healthily, popcorn is a nutritious snack rich in fiber and low in calories.
• Cultural Adaptation: Popcorn adapts to various cultural tastes, showcasing its global appeal.
• Innovative Uses: Ongoing research explores sustainable uses of popcorn in packaging, indicating its potential beyond consumption.

Notable Quotes

• Josh Clark [04:15]: "When you heat that, the steam builds up and causes the kernel to explode into the fluffy treat we love."
• Chuck Bryant [24:08]: "By the 1890s, you could have a popcorn stand on a sidewalk, making it an accessible and affordable snack."
• Josh Clark [28:25]: "Popcorn was keeping movie theaters afloat during the Depression by providing a profitable concession."

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This episode of Stuff You Should Know offers an in-depth exploration of popcorn, blending scientific explanations with historical anecdotes and cultural insights. Whether you're a casual snacker or a popcorn enthusiast, the discussion provides a comprehensive understanding of why popcorn continues to be a favorite treat worldwide.

Transcript

[Chuck Bryant]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity. Doesn't sound familiar? Think about how you've been sleeping lately. If you've had nights where you've been told you snore loudly or choke or gasp for air and then wake up feeling tired, it may be due to OSA.

[Chuck Bryant]

In the US moderate to severe OSA affects around 24 million adults. Many are adults with obesity, and most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.

[Josh Clark]

Don't sleep on the symptoms.

[Chuck Bryant]

Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by Lilly USA, LLC. Hey, everyone, I want to talk to you for a sec about Squarespace and specifically Squarespace Payments. If you're running a business and using Squarespace, you're doing the right thing, because Squarespace Payments is the easiest way to manage your payments in one place. Onboarding is fast and simple. You can get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. Plus, you can give your customers more ways to pay with very popular payment methods like Klarna ACH direct debit in the US at Apple, Pay Afterpay in the US and Canada, and Clearpay in the UK just go to squarespace.com stuff and you can get a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use our offer code stuff to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Josh Clark]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck. And Jerry's here, too. And this is stuff you should know.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. Popcorn. The snack. A dish. And want to shout out listener. Sean o' Sullivan. He came up with this idea, sent it along, and I'm trying to get better about crediting people when they send great ideas that we use.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, that's. That's a great New Year's resolution, Chuck.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, which reminds me, I need to do a pickup for Cliff's notes because I did not credit Mike D. Of Overland Park, Kansas. Or maybe that'll suffice.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it might. We'll have to ask Mike D. Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he'll. You know what he'll say?

[Josh Clark]

He'll say, the mic stands for money and the D is for diamond.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

Was that exactly what you were going to say?

[Chuck Bryant]

No, but that was better.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so, yeah, we're talking popcorn today. And Chuck, there's a lot, a lot to talk about with popcorn. Who helped us with this? Was it Anna?

[Chuck Bryant]

This was Anna Green.

[Josh Clark]

Very nice. So if you don't know what popcorn is, we'll wait a second. You go ahead and google popcorn and then come back. I'm pretty sure most people know what popcorn is because it's a global sensation. But I have to say I'm quite proud that popcorn is through and through American. And not just the United States version of American. Mexico, Central America, South America, Canada. We'll include Canada. Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

They love it.

[Josh Clark]

American in that sense, that is popcorn through and through. Even still today, most of the popcorn in the world comes from the Americas.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. And we should talk a little bit about corn because popcorn is just a variety of corn. There are all kinds of varieties of corn and popcorn is the everta variety. And if you are corn, you have three main things. You have a hull. They might call it a pericarp or maybe even the bran.

[Josh Clark]

I like calling it the bran.

[Chuck Bryant]

The bran. And inside that hull you've got the germ and the endosperm and popcorn specific hull, that outer shell that has that stuff inside of it that is the main thing that makes it poppable corn. And that's what makes it different than other kinds of corn. Because popcorn has a really hard, hard outer shell. Much harder than other varieties of corn. And inside that hull there's a much higher ratio of hard starch to soft starch. And all that sounds well and good, but a little tidbit I never ever knew until this episode was like, what is making that stuff pop. And it's very simple, right?

[Josh Clark]

It is. It's awesome. It's a little tiny bit of water.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Apparently anything less than 13% water inside the popcorn kernel is not good enough.

[Chuck Bryant]

But I think you mean the hull.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, you're right. Sorry.

[Chuck Bryant]

Or the bran, as you like to say.

[Josh Clark]

The bran. Yeah. Bran to me is like mast. It's like one of those homey words. I love it. The sweet spot is between 13 and 20% water content inside the bran. And when you heat that, because the bran is non porous, that steam that gets generated gets trapped inside. Well, as we all know, when steam expands, it really expands. And it expands so much that it blows the popcorn inside out.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And what you're eating, the white styrofoamy deliciousness that you're eating, that is the starch while you're heating that kernel up. I'm sorry, that hull, I guess it's a kernel too. And that water is turning into Steam and expanding. The consistency of that starch is changing, becoming more pliable, AKA edible. And you're eating that interior starch, and you can still. That little thing that gets stuck in your teeth, that's the last bit of that hull that has exploded. And like you said, anything. Like, when you get that unpopped stuff at the bottom, and you're like, what was your problem? Why didn't you do what you were told?

[Josh Clark]

They say I had less than 13% more.

[Chuck Bryant]

Exactly. That's probably the case. It also could be the case where that hull was fractured or something was wrong with that hull.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, something's wrong with it. It ain't right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And so you're like, okay, well, why doesn't rice pop suckers? Why doesn't. Why doesn't wheat pop, smart guys? Well, it turns out it's because they have porous hulls, so steam will come out of them. It won't build up pressure inside like it does popcorn. So popcorn is a very unique, darling, peculiar little thing that everybody loves.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Don't even come at us like you don't love popcorn. Everyone loves popcorn. Sorry.

[Chuck Bryant]

Agreed. And we're gonna get some. Some yum yuckers that are gonna say they hate popcorn.

[Josh Clark]

I just don't get it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't get it either. There's a guy named Andrew Smith, and he's a popcorn aficionado and popped culture. Pretty great name for something on the Internet.

[Josh Clark]

Yep.

[Chuck Bryant]

He has gone through and shared popcorn varieties that were sold in the early, I guess, 20th century, between 1901 and 1902. He said some of these may be different names, you know, like the same thing that was named different by whoever was growing it. But they had some pretty fun names, like Tom Thumb popcorn, or Tattooed Yankee. But popcorn wasn't sold commercially at scale like that. Maybe a couple of varieties were, but there seemed to be a lot more sort of local varieties that people could grow and just sell kind of locally. But again, it's not branded or anything at this point. You're just buying it by, like, the scoop or the bag.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. It was all popcorn. It was just a generic term for popcorn. It was all called popcorn. But I think in the mid 19th century or later, 19th century, companies started to come along and basically branded their own version. And there was even a mascot in the 1870s called Colonel Pop. Love that one. I couldn't find a picture of him, could you?

[Chuck Bryant]

No, but that's because I did not look.

[Josh Clark]

Same here. And there's actually a popcorn company from not too far after Colonel Pop was developed. 1914 called the American Popcorn Company, and they're the people who make jolly thyme popcorn. And if you've never made jolly thyme popcorn, you should just do it. Just go buy one of those little foil things that has all the stuff you need to pop the corn in it. And as it pops, like, the foil expands, and it's just such a great little thing. Word of advice, though. I learned this the hard way. Don't do it on a ceramic cooktop. It's really, really bad for the ceramic cooktop. Oh, wait, I'm talking about Jiffy Pop. Jolly time comes in the bags.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Still, you should try Jiffy Pop, I guess.

[Chuck Bryant]

I mean, before we go further, I'm curious of how you. How do you pop your popcorn?

[Josh Clark]

You know, I don't very much. We have, like, a stir crazy. I don't remember who makes it, but it's like the big black, heavy bottom with like a thing that spins around slowly on it so that it stirs your popcorn, apparently in a crazy way. And then it pop, pop, pops.

[Chuck Bryant]

But it's mechanical.

[Josh Clark]

A transparent. Well, there's a hamster that runs the whole thing. I guess technically it's mechanical energy, but there's like a transparent yellow bowl that keeps it from popping out. And then you just turn it upside down.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay. Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And then you have your bowl of popcorn right there.

[Chuck Bryant]

So you got the old school sort of mechanic. You plug it in and it turns the little stirring thing.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. But weirdly, we got it in the last few years. We tried air popping for a while, and that's just like punishment garbage.

[Chuck Bryant]

I use a whirley pop. That is the stovetop thing that you put, you know, on your stove. I have a gas stove, so it's cooking with gas. And you. You hand crank that thing and it stirs it around.

[Josh Clark]

You need a hamster.

[Chuck Bryant]

I do. Those are like 70 bucks. So, you know, not cheap, but not expensive. There's also more expensive brands like that that are like a couple of hundred bucks, like the popsmith. But the whole point is you're cooking it on your stovetop and you're turning it yourself. And that's how I like to do it. I use the. That yellow oil that's got the butter flavor in it. And I just do a little bit of that popcorn salt, because I love salt. But that stuff is super salty and goes a long way.

[Josh Clark]

I saw. Yeah, for sure. There's a specific kind called flavicol, and that's what the movie theaters use. And it's designed to dissolve in oil and get in every part of a popcorn. Popped popcorn. I can't remember. I saw the name for what. Oh, flake. That's what a popped popcorn is called. Did you know that? Yeah, I did not know that. Well, at any rate, it's meant to get in every crevice and nook and cranny of a popped flake. And, yeah, I would guess it doesn't take very much of that stuff.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, and we don't pop popcorn a lot. Like, we should do it for every single family movie night because there's really no reason not to. But, you know, Ruby loves it, the family loves it. So I'm gonna start popping more popcorn. But let's go back to.

[Josh Clark]

Wait, wait, I'm not quite done. I should say, more often than not, it's microwave popcorn that we.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sorry, I'm judging you.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it's all right. I can take it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I just don't like it.

[Josh Clark]

What about smart food? I like that stuff, too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Bagged popcorn, that's a whole other game, but a huge industry.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Remember, it used to be on our. What do they call it?

[Chuck Bryant]

A rider.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, like you had to give us smart pop popcorn backstage at our shows.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it's a good snack. Low calorie filling for sure.

[Josh Clark]

And cheesy.

[Chuck Bryant]

Pleasing to the tongue. Let's go back a little bit, though, and talk about cultivation. Because if you look at, you know, indigenous Americans before Europeans came along and wrecked everything, they were farming popcorn in south and Central America, mainly in North America, where it was farmed. It was in the southwest of the United States and Mexico, or I guess most of that was Mexico at the time. But when non indigenous American white Europeans came here, they started farming popcorn in New England.

[Josh Clark]

That was a surprise.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Through most of the 19th century, that was sort of the center of popcorn, I guess, growing and manufacturing, until eventually it moved to the Midwest and Chicago became the hub of popcorn.

[Josh Clark]

Yes. Which explains why Chicago is a caramel corn town. And despite the fact that people in Chicago won't admit it, Chicago is a caramel corn town.

[Chuck Bryant]

But most of the popcorn these days, that comes from the United States. Well, not most, but 25% of the popcorn popped in the US is grown in Nebraska. Should be no surprise. But also grown in places like Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, apparently also Brazil and Argentina grow a lot of it, too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so, Chuck, a big question is whether popcorn's healthy. And the answer is a resounding yes. If you Just air pop popcorn and only eat popcorn undressed in anything and not cooked in oil.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. But what kind of serial killer does that? Yeah, it is. It's low in calorie. Like I said, it's a really good source of fiber. It's 100% whole grain. And if you eat one serving is three cups of popped corn. If you eat three cups of popped corn, that's about 15% of your daily recommended fiber intake. So if you double that, you're getting 30%.

[Josh Clark]

I saw. So I was like, there's gotta be something wrong with popcorn. And I searched dark side of popcorn and the best I could come up with is that it's. There's enough fiber in it that if you have irritable bowel syndrome, you need to be careful of your popcorn intake. That's the worst thing anyone has to say about popcorn.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. You can also get about 3 grams of protein per serving, 18 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fat. You can get vitamin B6, A, E, K, riboflavin, thiamine, niacine, folate. So it's pretty good for you. The nutritional values are gonna shift some when you cook it in oil and add toppings and butter flavored stuff. But it's not like it destroys the nutritional value. That fiber's still in there, right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, for sure. It just makes it less healthy. You know, you've got all the problems that you have for eating butter and not just eating butter, but liquid butter. Wow. You want to talk about where popcorn came from? Because I do.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

So like I said, popcorn is indigenous to the Americas. And that's because corn is indigenous to the Americas. As far as we can tell, especially if you read 1492, corn was domesticated from the wild Teosinte plant as far back as 9,000 years ago. And the whole thing began in Mexico. And it was such a good idea that it spread throughout Central and South America. Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

Popcorn itself is not that much younger. Maybe about 2500 years or so.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I mean, 6700 years ago there was popcorn. We just, you know, don't know exactly when people started eating it.

[Josh Clark]

Right. But we do have archaeological evidence. I think people have found popcorn buried with people in like South America. And I think there was one burial in Peru maybe where the burial was a thousand years old, but the popcorn was still viable. Like you could have popped it. Imagine eating thousand year old funeral burial popcorn. That would really be something.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. It's probably in some fancy menu somewhere in a fancy restaurant.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. One of those underground restaurants for Richie's. Where they eat people.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Where they eat ancient foods and people. Yeah. Disguised as tasty. There is written documentation. I believe the first written documentation of popcorn comes from when the Europeans came over again to the Americas. There was a missionary in the 16th century named Bernardino de Sahagun.

[Josh Clark]

He was not Italian.

[Chuck Bryant]

Really?

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he claimed Aztecs were wearing popcorn garlands, so it was already being used as sort of a decorative.

[Josh Clark]

And they called it momochitl.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay. And There was a 17th century missionary named. I'm not even gonna try. His last name was Kobo. I can say that one. And he saw Peruvians toasting a certain kind of corn until it burst. Clearly. Popcorn.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. They called it pensinkala.

[Chuck Bryant]

Cool.

[Josh Clark]

That's all I got.

[Chuck Bryant]

Good stuff.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So, yes, they were. They were. These guys were witnessing popcorn. And you would think like, okay, well, it would immediately become a big deal everywhere. That's not necessarily the case. Despite there being a legend that popcorn was introduced to the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. That seems to have been a 19th century invention, which is actually about the time that popcorn became a favored American snack in the United States.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. We should probably take a break and come back and talk about what happened from there, huh?

[Josh Clark]

I think that's a great idea, Chuck.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, we'll be right back. Wanna learn about a pterosaur and call a pterodactyl how to take a perfect boobo dollar fractals, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, the Lizzie Borden murders, and the cannonball runs. Don't explain everything to your brain explodes his Chuck and jaw. This stuff you should know. Word up, Jerry.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity. Doesn't sound familiar. Think about how you've been sleeping lately. If you've had nights where you've been told you snore loudly or choke or gasp for air and then wake up feeling tired, it may be due to OSA.

[Chuck Bryant]

In the US moderate to severe OSA affects around 24 million adults. Many are adults with obesity and most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.

[Josh Clark]

Don't sleep on the symptoms.

[Chuck Bryant]

Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by Lilly USA LLC.

[Jerry]

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[Josh Clark]

You know Chuck, as it starts to get warm outside and nice, it's like nature is calling you to your outdoor space. And what better place to refresh your outdoor space and make it feel more yours than Wayfair?

[Chuck Bryant]

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[Josh Clark]

Yep, Wayfair has all things outdoor and at unbelievable prices too. So don't wait until summer's in full swing. Get your outdoor space ready today so you can enjoy it all season long.

[Chuck Bryant]

And get this, you can get free and easy delivery even on the big stuff. So no more huge delivery fees for patio furniture. Get big stuff like patio sets, gazebos, hot tubs, even outdoor dining sets and more shipped for free.

[Josh Clark]

Wow. So shop a huge selection of outdoor furniture online this summer. Get outside with wayfair. Head to wayfair.com right now. That's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every Home so Euro Americans knew of popcorn long before they started eating it. It was just associated with Native Americans. It was a Native American thing. They love their popcorn. But in the 19th century, as far back as the 1820s, people selling seeds started selling popcorn. Seeds kind of slowly but surely started to gain traction. Thoreau was a fan. He called pop popcorn a perfect winter flower, which seems like a miss to me. And in 1848, popcorn showed up in the debut edition of the Dictionary of Americanisms. And I was looking through that Chuck and keep a stiff upper lip was in there too which I associate 100% with the UK, but apparently that's American.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh. I never really thought about where that might have come from.

[Josh Clark]

I always thought it was the uk, but I was wrong.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, as far as popcorn goes, they used to make it in all kinds of crazy ways early on. Sometimes they would just throw it in a fire and wait for it to pop out, I guess, and eat it with a little ash on it.

[Josh Clark]

Gross.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sometimes they would put an iron plank on a fire like you might do steamed oysters or something if you're sitting by the beach these days.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

And you've got some oysters and you throw a wet towel over those oysters with popcorn. You could just throw those kernels on that hot plate, stir em around just like it was on your stovetop and wait for it to pop.

[Josh Clark]

What's the towel for?

[Chuck Bryant]

The towel is for the oysters to steam them.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, so you cover the oysters with the towel and it keeps the steam inside.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, yeah. With a wet towel.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, gotcha, gotcha.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And creates that steam. But that's oysters. It's neither here nor there.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

So a frying pan obviously is one way you could have popped it early on, but those things were really, really heavy to work with. They still are very heavy to work with as far as like holding one and shaking it over a hot fire. And before they had gas stoves, you know, you gotta nail the popcorn heating temperature or else you're gonna scorch it and it's not gonna taste great or it's never gonna pop. So until gas stoves came along, it was just harder.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So it wasn't quite as popular, you know.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Although you can imagine there were some country women who had like a much bigger, stronger right arm from popping. Popping the iron skillet.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Dead giveaway that they were a popcorn fan.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Finally, in 1866, the first patent was issued for a popcorn popper. And it was essentially just like, you know, those old timey toast makers. There's like a, it's like an iron rod and it ends in like a mesh basket that you'd put the, the bread in and toast it. Yeah, something like that. But the mesh was thin enough that the popcorn brand wouldn't fall out when you're popping it and it would just go pop, pop, pop, pop. My feet can't stop.

[Chuck Bryant]

They still make those for camping, you know, you can still get those.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, that makes sense. Well, that is the first patented popcorn popper that came on the market. And it was, I mean, still Hard to do. But it was much lighter than holding an iron skillet over the fire until your popcorn popped.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. At the very least, it's lighter and had a much longer handle.

[Josh Clark]

Right. So people were like, okay, I can kind of get into this. And that's when it just started to take off.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So that was 1866, like you said. So in the 1870s, if there was a public event, you were going to be able to buy popcorn there. Anything that had a concession stand was going to be selling popcorn by that time. And in the 1890s, there was a guy named Charles C R E T O R S Cretors, I guess in 1893, he was a confectionary shop owner in Ohio. And he patented, I guess, the first sort of mobile portable popcorn machine that he adapted from a peanut roaster of his own design. And all of a sudden you could have, like, a popcorn stand on a sidewalk. And that became, like, a thing. People were buying popcorn because it was always pretty cheap.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. I looked at a picture that says glorious.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's super.

[Josh Clark]

Got like, the big old penny farthing wheels on it. It's just I would love to buy popcorn from it.

[Chuck Bryant]

You know why penny farthing is called that?

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Chuck Bryant]

Because one wheel was relatively the size of a penny to the size of a farthing.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, wow, that's neat. Is that kind of like that thing where, like, if Earth was the size of a pinhead, the sun would be the size of a basketball?

[Chuck Bryant]

Exactly.

[Josh Clark]

So this is the 19th century. I think we made it through, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Okay, so by the 20th century. Well, no, we haven't quite made it out of there. Cause I think we would be remiss to not mention Cracker Jacks.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I mean, people in the late 19th century were into, like, sweet popcorn balls and making popcorn sweet and delicious.

[Josh Clark]

So it was a dirty lie when you said that we made it out of the 19th century.

[Chuck Bryant]

So dirty. I mean, this was 1896. We were so close. But they were eating sweet popcorn in the 1840s. I think Cracker Jack came along in 96.

[Josh Clark]

Yes. So another thing that people put popcorn to use for. Again, people are starting to get pretty crazy with. With this. Remember our live episode on the Kellogg brothers at the Battle Creek. Battle Creek Sanitarium before they started serving cereal there. John Harvey Kellogg's wife, Ella Kellogg, introduced popcorn as a cereal, a breakfast cereal with milk and a sweetener. And it was essentially the predecessor to the Corn Flakes and the Bran Flakes and everything that came after that. And in my opinion, it was the direct, indirect predecessor of Corn Pops, which are still around today, but they came out in 1950 and were one of my all time favorite cereals.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, okay. I was like, what is Corn Pops? Yeah, yeah, Corn Pops. Yeah. She called it popcorn pudding. And there's a historian named Andrew Smith that was basically like, popcorn may have been what cereal became if it hadn't have been for other grain manufacturers. Really getting super aggressive with the breakfast cereal companies being like, no, no, no. You want to use bran or oat or whatever.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, don't be stupid.

[Chuck Bryant]

Another thing you could use it for back then that I have recently used it for is for flour. You could grind popcorn into flour. And I have had this pancake. Popcorn pancake mix in my house, which is pretty good and way better for you than pancakes.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, yeah. It's gluten free, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And it is good. You're not just saying that. You spend some money on it, by God, you're gonna like it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I can't remember the name of the company, unfortunately, but you can find that out pretty easily.

[Josh Clark]

I saw a recipe for popcorn bread, and I was like, wow, that sounds interesting. And if you look closely, there's like five other types of flour in it. It's just. Popcorn's just part of it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

I'd still eat it if somebody else made it, you know?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So we finally made it to the 20th century. And the reason the 20th century became such a big deal, as far as popcorn goes, is because that is when movies started to come out. At first they were silent movies, and then talkies and movie theaters started to open throughout the United States. And very quickly people were like, popcorn and movies go together really well. But it turns out the theater owners were the last ones to figure this out.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. They were like, this stuff is a disaster of a mess. It's all over the floor. And it still is. But they deal with it because they make a ton of money selling it. It was the Depression coming along where theater owners were like, hey, wait a minute. People don't have a lot of money right now. Popcorn is very, very cheap. It's a very affordable snack. So they. People were selling popcorn outside of theaters that people could bring in, much like my mother did in the 1980s in her purse. And they finally were like, hey, maybe we could lease lobby space to these popcorn vendors and just have them sell it in here. And then someone was like, wait a minute, what are we doing? We're doing this all wrong. We need to pop and sell this popcorn. Cause the markup is incredible and we're just losing money. So they started, you know, it became hand in hand with theaters making profits from the concessions. Largely popcorn.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, I mean, like a lot of money off of popcorn. There's a well trod story about a theater owner from during the depression named RJ McKenna who found that popcorn was basically keeping his theater afloat. During the Depression, people didn't really have much money for a movie theater ticket, but if they did, they still had money enough for popcorn because it was a cheap snack. So RJ McKenna made the very wise business decision of lowering his ticket prices below what he would have made a profit on because he made so much money off of popcorn in the concession stands. And I think they like the number that's bandied about is $200,000 from popcorn alone, which is more than $4.5 million today. If that's in $1936 from popcorn.

[Chuck Bryant]

Big, big profits.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, for sure. And he said a bit of a tradition, as we'll find out, that popcorn's still big profits.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, big time. During World War II, there were sugar shortages, so sweet treats were on the wane, I guess, and salty treats rose. And popcorn was right at the center of that. Apparently, Americans were eating three times more popcorn in the 1919-40s than they ever had before. And also the connection to movie theaters strengthened during the 1940s. In 1945, more than half the popcorn people were eating in the United States was in those movie theaters.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, and there's another really great. I want to say it's an urban legend, but it actually happened. A guy named James Vicari, or Vicary, who we've talked about before, because he was the basically the inventor of subliminal advertising, even though subliminal advertising isn't really a thing. But the reason he ties into this is because he supposedly experimented on people showing frames interlaced within movies that popped up so quickly that you couldn't perceive them, you only perceived them subliminally. And they said things like, go eat more popcorn. And popcorn sales like tripled, supposedly. Even though the whole thing was a total fraud and the guy made it up, it's still worth mentioning. If you ask me.

[Chuck Bryant]

He didn't actually even do that. He said later that he made all of that up. He never even did the subliminal advertising.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I saw that too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So that was just a fraud from top to bottom. Prior to the 30s, most of the popcorn was white corn, but movie theaters moved to the yellow corn variety and it just looked better. It looked buttery, even though it wasn't. And people that just became the de facto popcorn that you mainly eat here in the United States. Is that yellow corn? I think by 1990, 10% of commercially sold popcorn was white corn.

[Josh Clark]

Let me ask you, do you get buttered popcorn at the movies?

[Chuck Bryant]

I get popcorn. And the AMC that I go to here has the. Do your own butter. That's not butter, by the way. At all. No, it's butter flavored oil and stuff. But I add, you know, when I was a kid, I would just drench it in that stuff. Now I do not. Now I do like that flavor, but I'll just do a pretty sparing couple of squirts and shakes.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I never was into it, even as a kid. I tried to be, and I just couldn't get into it for some reason, I think. Cause it just wets the popcorn. And I don't like popcorn wet.

[Chuck Bryant]

I love it, but it's just. You can't have it drenched in that stuff. Like, that's when it's really bad for you. It's when you're just like dumping all that oil on there. Sure, But a little bit. I like. And I'll shake it up and you get. I get enough of that flavor just from a dab.

[Josh Clark]

Good. I respect our differences.

[Chuck Bryant]

Here's the thing, though. With TV coming along, the popcorn industry was really, really worried that, like, oh, no, you know, all this popcorn is being eaten. Movie theaters, like, we're toast. Because people aren't gonna go to the movies anymore because of tv.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

A, that didn't really happen. People still went to the movies back then, but what they found out was people loved popping that popcorn at home while they watched tv. And you could also have popcorn ads on tv. And so people with their televisions were eating more popcorn than ever in the 1950s.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, well, you know what stuck out to me from that anecdote, Chuck, is like, that's an example of early disruption, right? Where people are like, oh, there's a change. There's a huge sea change in the way people do things. So this thing is going to totally go away forever, right? And just since the Internet age, we found that just doesn't really happen. Like, everything from bookstores to paper to, I don't know, seeing people in person were all just destined to just go away because they've been replaced. And it's just not how it goes. Which I think is kind of neat to understand because it makes you a little less fearful of Change or technology or progress in some ways.

[Chuck Bryant]

I agree.

[Josh Clark]

Although anyone who's listened to the end of the world knows there's plenty of technology to be scared of. It's gotta be selective.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And, you know, there are dents in industries for sure, like, you know, newspapers and magazines. Some have shuttered, but if you believed, you know what the scare tactics, everyone's gonna be like, you're never gonna hold a newspaper again after a certain year.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, newspapers, though, that one did take a pretty hard hit. But it wasn't necessarily because of the Internet. It was because of captains of industry essentially realizing that they could capture journalism if they. If they defunded local news. And that's exactly what happened. And I don't remember what episode it was on, but there's this. There's a YouTube podcast that I love. Yumi introduced it to me, or me to it. One of the two called Doom Scroll. It's hosted by a guy named Joshua Citarella, and he has the most interesting guests on who are just. They just think and talk about their thoughts. And I mean, like, it's. It's all rooted in, you know, like academia or research or something. They're not just riffing or anything like that. But one of them was talking about that, that capture and what happened to it. And it's just so strange to think, like, yeah, local newspapers went away, but the effect that that had on democracy and on people being informed and just generally caring about stuff, that was a huge, huge deal. Allegedly.

[Chuck Bryant]

Did he eat popcorn while they said this stuff?

[Josh Clark]

No, I don't think he did. No. He drinks like La Croix instead.

[Chuck Bryant]

No. All right, well, let's take our second break, and we'll finish up with popcorn right after this. Wanna learn about a pterosaur and call a pterodactyl how to take a perfect boob, and all about fractals, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, the Lizzie border murders, and the Cannonball Runs. Don't explain everything to your brain explodes. Just chug and jaw this stuff. You should know. Word up, Jerry.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity. Doesn't sound familiar. Think about how you've been sleeping lately. If you've had nights where you've been told you snore loudly or choke or gasp for air and then wake up feeling tired, it may be due to OS.

[Chuck Bryant]

In the US moderate to severe OSA affects around 24 million adults. Many are adults with obesity, and most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.

[Josh Clark]

Don't sleep on the symptoms.

[Chuck Bryant]

Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by Lilly USA LLC.

[Jerry]

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anabe. Annabe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. We're designer Quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699 and now's the perfect time to upgrade. During the Memorial Day sale, get up to 60% off site wide. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly stain resistant and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabric. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Shop washablesofas.com to save big this Memorial Day backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees. Every penny back. Don't miss the Memorial Day sale. Upgrade [e-mail] that's washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Chuck Bryant]

Hey everybody, here's an interesting fact. The most common disease in the world is cavities. It's also one of the most preventable, which brings us to the Colgate Total Active Prevention System because it attacks the root cause of oral health problems like cavities and gingivitis.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, spoiler alert. It's bacteria. The system is 15 times more effective at fighting bacteria. It reduces bacteria buildup in six weeks starting in week one. Compared to a non stainless fluoride toothpaste and flat trimmed toothbrush when used together.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's some cool science too. The unique technology in the toothpaste was recognized with the Edison Patent Award, which honors outstanding research and innovation.

[Josh Clark]

But this is about more than impressive awards and healthy smiles. Oral diseases can increase the risk of other health conditions such as respiratory disease, diabetes and cardiac conditions. With the Colgate Total Active Prevention System, you can help prevent problems like cavities and gingivitis before they start, which may make a positive impact on general health conditions.

[Chuck Bryant]

Be dentist ready Shop the Colgate Total Active Prevention system by visiting shop.colgate.com Totally. So we talked a little bit about innovations and how to pop popcorn over the years. That is still evolving. I feel like every few years there's some new sort of weird gadget to pop popcorn with.

[Josh Clark]

I did not know that, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Electricity coming along was a big deal, obviously for electric popcorn poppers like you have. Well, you and your electric hamster, that is. They had a drawback, though, because they were dangerous. The early electric popcorn poppers were like fires waiting to happen, essentially. I think in the late 60s, Consumer Bulletin examined all the most popular ones, and one of them, they determined did not pose safety hazards.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's the one we have.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. From 1968.

[Josh Clark]

Although the hamster that runs our popcorn popper did come with a little fire chief's hat that he wears. It's so cute. So, yeah, that's another interesting thing about popcorn. If you kind of track its trajectory, it just keeps evolving with new stuff. Like anytime something new comes along that you can apply to popcorn, whether it's movies or TVs or electricity, people apply it to popcorn. Like it's just this little thing lurking in the background that's been woven into our culture so thoroughly and for so long, you just look right past it and then it trips you as you walk by and you suddenly recognize how important popcorn is.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. TV Time was another one. We already mentioned Jiffy Pop, but TV Time was a. It was just a packaging innovation where they had like sealed popcorn to keep it really fresh. And then also separate kind of like Fun Dip, separate compartments for seasonings and oil. So it was kind of an all in one thing. So just even little innovations that aren't mechanical, like packaging innovations like microwave popcorn, I guess we could get to. Because that really changed the game.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And we've talked about this guy plenty of times. He was kind of like the Hayflick limit for a while on early stuff. You should know, he came up a lot. But a guy named Percy Spencer worked for the Raytheon Company and he was in charge of creating magnetrons. I can't remember what he was doing with them. I think they were for like radar or something. And he was standing next to one at some point and he had a chocolate bar, I'm guessing Mr. Goodbar. That's what I've always envisioned. Yeah. In his front pocket, like a total nerd. Because obviously his shirt was also a short sleeve button down shirt. And the Mr. Good bar melted in his pocket. And he thought, hmm, that's curious. It's like I was saving this for after lunch. Exactly. Now it's just oozy. And then he decided almost immediately to see what happens with popcorn. If you could do the same thing with popcorn. And he did it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And so like microwaves and popcorn. Microwave popcorn grew in lockstep from the very beginning. In fact, he Even in his 1946 patent for the microwave showed popcorn being popped. So it was always sort of tied together. The first commercial microwaves were very big and expensive and not really for the home. They were more for restaurants. So once they went to the house, microwave popcorn was right there along with it. In 1951, a gentleman named Orville Redenbacher got together with a guy named Charles Bowman and bought a corn plant in Indiana and experimented with different versions of popcorn varieties and landed on the Red Bow variety. And in 1969, started selling Orville Redenbacher branded popcorn. And here's what I didn't know. They sold that brand six years later. They sold it in 1976 to Hunt Wesson Foods. But he was just the name and face of it. So he stayed the name and face of it.

[Josh Clark]

Wow. Yeah. And a Red Bow variety, you said. I wonder if they named it after his penchant for red bow ties or he started wearing red bow ties because of the variety.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't think they named the variety. So I bet you he started wearing that thing because of that.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, there you go. He also just said one more thing about Orville Ribenbacher. His Eames lounge chair. You know, the one with the ottoman?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

He had one in his office, and I think Nebraska, Omaha or something, and it's still out there. Orville Ribenbacher's Eames lounge chair from his office is out there somewhere in the world.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like someone owns it.

[Josh Clark]

Yes. I've coveted it ever since I first heard about that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Not just an Eames chair. You want Orville Redenbacher's Eames chair.

[Josh Clark]

Yes.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

And I still. I don't know why I've never really stepped back and asked myself, but it's. Hey, it just got me for some reason.

[Chuck Bryant]

I mean, you can't be a Gen Xer and not have a soft spot for Orville Redenbacher. And the Bartles and James guys.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, they were great. They were wonderful dudes. They were the predecessor of Penn and Teller, I think.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I think you're right.

[Josh Clark]

So, yeah, we talked about microwaves and how microwaves started to come into the home. And microwave popcorn came along quickly after that. I think 1981 was when you could start buying microwave popcorn. And like I said, it's like a global phenomenon. I think I said it at the outset. Everybody knows popcorn, whether you love it or not. You know about popcorn. You know where to buy it. And there's different tastes around the world, as you might imagine. Apparently, in the United States, the favorite flavors of popcorn are salted, buttered white cheddar, regular cheddar. So white cheddar's finally overtaken regular cheddar. This is a big deal.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes, it should.

[Josh Clark]

And then kettle, which is the sweet kind.

[Chuck Bryant]

I like a kettle corn.

[Josh Clark]

That's all right. I've never been crazy for it, but, you know, if somebody put it in my mouth, I wouldn't just spit.

[Chuck Bryant]

I'm gonna try that sometime, see what happens backstage at our next live show. I'm just gonna stuff some kettle corn in your mouth.

[Josh Clark]

Do you remember when we were filming a. We were filming some commercial, I think, and we were eating popcorn at the movies for this. This part of the commercial, and we did, like, one take, and then Chad, our friend, the director. Director, the stuff, you know, TV show, he came over. He's like, just one note. Don't mash a handful of popcorn into your mouth all at once. And he goes, that's a note for regular life, too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, no.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And so how else are you supposed to eat it?

[Josh Clark]

I don't know. Like, I guess you hold it in one hand and then, like, daintily pluck a few out with your other hand. That's what I've seen people do in the movies, but like that. Yeah, I just put my hand in a bag of popcorn or a bowl of popcorn. Just shove it into my face as that's how you're supposed to eat popcorn. Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

I'm on your side.

[Josh Clark]

It's not just me, but, yeah, Chad made it seem like it was just me.

[Chuck Bryant]

Isn't it a little funny that you ever think about that? We used to get way more opportunities to do that stuff very much earlier in our career.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. I think also that we've kind of mellowed out in our quest or our willingness to do stuff like that.

[Chuck Bryant]

We've kind of, like, we said no too much.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, we're kind of like, hey, we're happy podcasting. We tried so many different things, and it's always just come back to podcasting that I think we're just like, yeah, we're happy living this way.

[Chuck Bryant]

I mean, I am. I'm kind of glad now that I'm older and have a family at home and I have to travel to do that stuff. It just seems weird. Like, earlier on, I felt like TV shows were trying to get us on to be, like, talk show guests or do Toyota commercials. Hey, come on and talk about the Housing crisis for the NBC and just nobody asks anymore. And it's quite wonderful.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it is nice.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I love it. Anyway, if you go around the country, you're going to get some interesting flavors. In Japan, apparently, there's a bagged popcorn company called Mike that Frito Lay owns, and they have, of course, like, Yuzu salt or Kishu plum popcorn. So you're going to get some. Some pretty exciting flavors when you travel around the world, depending what they like there.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And I know for a fact it's not pronounced Mike, but I failed to ask Yumi how to pronounce it.

[Chuck Bryant]

So what is it? Mi.

[Josh Clark]

K. We'll go with M. But it's not Mike.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, of course it's not Mike, but I'm an American, so.

[Josh Clark]

No, I'm with you. I just wish I knew how to say it, but you probably were right with me. K. What else could it be? Me.

[Chuck Bryant]

K. Nike.

[Josh Clark]

Kinda. Yeah. Mikey, what else? Chuck, is there anything else to say about popcorn? Oh, I know one. Apparently people have used popcorn as, like, a packaging, like, stuffer for packing peanuts. Yeah, packing peanuts, but popcorn instead, since, like, the 1950s. But the problem is, is if you use popcorn, it can get kind of gross, Especially if you didn't think and you popped it in oil and covered it with butter before you put it in as a packaging material. It'll just get gross. It can attract pests and stuff like that. So no one's quite figured it out. But I guess a few years back, 2021, there's some German researchers who are, like, hot on the trail of this. Using scraps of corn that is like, that you get off the floor of, like, a cornflake factory that they figured out how to pop. And it's essentially Styrofoam, but it's made of popcorn. And I'm like, hurry up with this, because Styrofoam is one of the worst things humans produce on this entire planet.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, totally. Packing peanuts are a nightmare.

[Josh Clark]

They really are.

[Chuck Bryant]

So, yeah, maybe popcorn could. Could help out with that. Just a couple of things to finish on. It is an $850 million industry. I guess in the United States alone, that bag popcorn, like the smart pop and all that stuff combined is about 1.5 billion. So it is. It is.

[Josh Clark]

It's popping.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it's popping. And I'm glad that we held onto the stat because we kind of teased about movie theaters and how much the markup was and how much money they made. The popcorn markup in movie theaters is 1,275%.

[Josh Clark]

I totally buy that. That actually seems low.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it's such a money maker because it's just so cheap to get. And you get that machine that runs forever. Maybe a little maintenance on it and then the stuff goes with it and then you sell it for a gazillion dollars for a bucket. Then you got that butter flavored liquid. That's no good. If you do like real butter on your popcorn at home, I encourage that because real butter is great, but you gotta use clarified butter or ghee because the water and the milk solids are removed in those and that's what's gonna make the popcorn soggy. So if you're just melting butter and pouring on your popcorn, you're like, why is my popcorn soggy and gross? That's why. Use clarified butter or clarify your own butter and pour it over your popcorn. And it is delicious and not soggy.

[Josh Clark]

Very nice. I think that's it for popcorn, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

I've got nothing else on popcorn. Go forth and eat it. It's good and pretty good for you.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And check out that book by Andrew Smith, Pop Culture, because it's the definitive tome on popcorn.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

Well, since we talked about Andrew Smith, it's time obviously for listener mail.

[Chuck Bryant]

This. This is from Cecilia S. And it's about our music bumpers that we've said before, but it always bears repeating. They are made by Stuff youf Should Know listeners. They always have been. Every single one of them are made by listeners and they send them in. And it's a really cool, like, interactive part of the show for the listenership. Guys, in terms of your music bumpers, I love how they relate to the episode subject. If it's about an eerie subject, the song reflects that with an eerie tone. Or if it's a somber, sad subject, the song reflects that. And there are many other examples. This brings to mind my father, who was a music director at the church we belonged to growing up. He would sometimes fill in when the organist was unavailable. And before and after Mass, he would softly play hymns but insert a bit of whimsy. For example, at the start of baseball season, he'd play a little Take Me out to the Ball Game in the style of a hymn. Or during football season, the university fight song could be heard in the fashion of a solemn liturgical piece. Many other instances of his playfulness. He had a big band combo in college in the 1940s and into the 70s, and they could sometimes be heard in church. Anyway, love the show. You both display Such curiosity and knowledge and with wonderful wit and sensitivity when needed. Thank you to whoever is responsible for the music. It's not often I would say that about a podcast. So Cecilia, like we said, those are from the listeners. But Jerry, our esteemed third leg of our stool, is. Who ties those so aptly to the subject matter with her own wit and whimsy.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, Jerry deserves way more credit for that too. Cause sometimes it's just like, man, you just knocked it out of the park with that pick, Jerry.

[Chuck Bryant]

She does. And we're never like, Jerry, this is a Halloween one. So make sure to use the scary bumper.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, we don't do that. We leave it to Jerry.

[Chuck Bryant]

She does her thing.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And also, huge, huge, heartfelt thanks. I think I just said thanks, but I really meant thanks to every single person who's ever sent in a music bumper. Because that's just such a cool, just little subtle part of the show, having all those different great little pieces of music. Thank you to everybody who's ever done that. Thank you to everybody who's going to do it in the future even too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, 12 seconds or less.

[Josh Clark]

I think we say 16.

[Chuck Bryant]

I thought it was 12.

[Josh Clark]

Somewhere in that neighborhood. Between 12 and 16 seconds. How about that?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, but if you send in one of those 30 second long ones, you'll hear from me saying, this is great, but cut it down and we'll use it.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's a note for real life too.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

Well, if you want to get in touch with us like Cecilia, you can send us an email too. Send it off to stuff [e-mail].

[Chuck Bryant]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Josh Clark]

Let's talk about moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity. Doesn't sound familiar. Think about how you've been sleeping lately. If you've had nights where you've been told you snore loudly or choke or gasp for air and then wake up feeling tired, it may be due to OSA.

[Chuck Bryant]

In the US, moderate to severe OSA affects around 24 million adults. Many are adults with obesity, and most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated, don't sleep on the symptoms. Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by Lilly USA LLC. While others are sitting in lecture halls, you're already building your future at Ferris State University. Hands on training starts from day one. With real world skills that lead straight to careers in construction, engineering, automotive tech and more. You're not just learning, you're earning, building a life you can be proud of. And with in state tuition for out of state students, success is within reach. Ferris State University Unleash your potential. Register now at Ferris. Edu. That's Ferris. Edu. This podcast is supported by Talkspace. When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace. Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones. I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well. My husband and I started seeing a couple's therapist through Talkspace too. Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military you're listening to an iHeart podcast.