Popcorn!

When the Great Dental Odyssey started in the fall of ’14, one of the first things removed from my approved food list was popcorn. Nuts, chips, crackers, and anything that was hard or shattered into little pieces that might get trapped under my glued-in retainer were also on the list. Bagels, pizza crust, and things that required gnawing or tearing, and large sandwiches that put stress on my jaw joints also disappeared from the menu. I had not been a big popcorn eater, except for Moose Munch (TM) when it appeared for a few weeks in December. But of course, me being me, as soon as the dentist said “no,” I wanted it.

The prohibition lasted until the crowns had been put in place. I confess, last winter I got a small package of Moose Munch and ate it after removing my “holding pattern” retainer, then brushed and put the retainer back in. It wasn’t really good for my jaws, but the dentist didn’t notice.

“If thou wouldst sin, sin boldly, and repent yet more boldly.” Martin Luther

I got the crowns on a Wednesday. I passed a check-up and initial tweaking on Thursday. A week and a day later, I hit the gourmet popcorn shop and bought two mini bags. One hot cinnamon and one white chocolate followed me home. They cost the better part of $10 but oh, were they worth it.

I got spoiled by the semi-locally made cinnamon popcorn sold near Flat State U, which must have been made with a lot more cinnamon oil than is standard, because man oh Manischewitz, did it sing. And woe be unto he who got some jammed down between his teeth until the candy coating dissolved and took the oil with it. Dang, I loved that stuff. I only got one bag a semester.

I’m not really a popcorn fan. But tell you what, those two bags were some of the best things I’ve eaten in a very long time. They lasted almost a week. The white chocolate was a lot richer than I thought it would be.

And they were very good.

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