Missing In Action

I've been missing in action. MIA. Plain and simple. My last post was on Sunday, January 21, 2018. I clearly flaked out the entire month of February. So what happened, you ask? Well, there's this annual awards ceremony where the prize is a hefty gold statute named "Oscar." I was in full-on Oscars mode.

Every year, I try to watch as many Oscar-nominated films as I can before the start of the Oscars on Sunday evening. This year I saw a personal record 49 out of 59 films (believe it or not some folks see all of them). This year, however, I had the good-fortune of seeing maybe half a dozen films before they were nominated. I also benefited from the fact that, because of the Winter Olympics,  the Oscar ceremony was held on March 4, later than the typical February showtime. 

And that's why there was no blog post in February. Simply not enough time between after-work trips to the movie theater and late-night double/triple features on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

So needless to say, I love the movies; always have. And I also love that movie staple: popcorn. Nothing beats popcorn at the movies, except maybe a box of Junior Mints.

But where did this association with movies and popcorn come from? It likely started in the 1930s during the Great Depression when the cheap diversion movies offered became very popular.  And what better accompaniment to a cheap diversion than a cheap snack?! It didn't hurt that movie theater popcorn was not easy to replicate in a 1930s kitchen, making it even more of a special treat.

Eventually TV started to put a dent into the movie theater business but not Americans' desire to have their movie theater popcorn. Suddenly, there were numerous contraptions and methods to make popcorn at home, some better than others. My favorite, and the one that got me through various 1970s disasters movies and the original Planet of the Apes franchise, was Jiffy Pop!

For most of us, Jiffy Pop was the first time we got to use the stove by ourselves. Jiffy Pop also taught us to be patient; to pay attention. There was no selfies or snap chapping. Constant vigilance and constant motion was key to successful Jiffy Pop. Otherwise, your house would smell like someone set Fido on fire!

But the real game changer occurred in the 1980s—a double whammy—with the arrival of the VCR and the microwave oven. The VCR we had in my house in the early 80s were about the size of a Prius. The VCR further hastened the decline of the movie theater. Then the VCR was replaced by the DVD player, and that declined with the arrival of streaming services. Microwave popcorn almost killed Jiffy Pop. (I sometimes see it on aisle 7 at the Piggly Wiggly.) 

So back to the Oscars...

This year, I hosted my first Oscars party. I went all out with the decorations. I even had a miniature Hollywood Sign in the front yard. 

Movie #49: Marshall

I also made dishes that were themed to go with each of the nine movies nominated for best picture. Here they are:

Call Me By Your Name: Negroni. The movie takes place in Italy, so what would be better than a classic Italian cocktail.


Darkest Hour: Pol Roger champagne because that was Churchill's favorite.

Dunkirk: A selection of French and English cheeses with little French and British flags.

Get Out: Black and white cookies. Of course!

Ladybird: Chips and salsa. (Critical scene in the movie takes place in a Mexican restaurant.

Phantom Thread: Cold asparagus salad with vinaigrette. Reynolds Woodcock likes asparagus, but if prepared with too much butter.

The Post: Pastrami on rye sandwiches. There is a scene in the movie in which sandwiches are served to the hungry reporters franticly banging on their typewriters in order to make deadline.

The Shape of Water: Shrimp cocktail. Enough said.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Pigs In a Blanket

A good time was had by all. Walter walked away with three mini-Oscars, one of which was for guessing the most winners: 19 out of 24! There was Oscars bingo. There was trivia. There was speculation about who had "work" done.

But there was one more necessary thing, because otherwise it wouldn't have been an Oscars party. 

You guessed it.

There was plenty of popcorn!