Popcorn

Pop. Pop. Pop-Pop. Pop-Pop-Pop-PoBANG!

“Was it supposed to do that?”

We peered into the pan anxiously. “Well. It seems alriWaaahhhh!” We screeched as the oil in the bottom of the saucepan spat unexpectedly.

The popcorn making was obviously not going to plan. The remains of two horribly disastrous popcorn making attempts had carefully been secreted beneath a bush in the garden, the pan (somebody else’s) was blackened permanently on the bottom and we had poured so much burnt oil into the potted plant in the corner of the kitchen that it was already visibly beginning to wilt.

“I don’t remember this being so difficult,” I frowned. “What on earth are we doing wrong? Oil? Check. Popcorn kernels? Check. Medium heat- not too high, not too low? Check."

"Maybe if we put more oil in?" Phillidia suggested.

The result was better, but still not up to form, what with half the popcorn kernels refusing to pop and those that did pop staying hard, crunchy and somewhat indigestion inducing. Not even Paul, who is literally a walking stomach and will eat anything, wanted that popcorn.

We surveyed our efforts dolefully.

"Maybe we should get Adrian from upstairs?"

We looked at the charred bottom of the (borrowed!) saucepan. At the now much depleted reserves of popcorn kernels. At the plant which was not only wilting at terrifying speed, but whose leaves were turning brown.

I nodded. "I'll go and get him."

And so we looked on in disbelief as Adrian, in one attempt, not only produced double the quantity of popcorn in half the kernels we used, but produced popcorn that was perfect- fluffy, hot and satisfyingly edible. The popcorn was, unlike our dismal attempts, wolfed down in a couple of minutes, with requests for more.

Maybe I'll just stick with the microwave-in-a-bag failsafe popcorn in the future...