Where to buy microwave popcorn

Oh really cool idea Showem. Really helpfull.

Don't you think that if melting butter was really that easy people would already be doing it? As far as we know only seven nations have butter melting capabilty. Of course some of the non-ratifiers of the LBPT may have already developed this technology or at least be part of the way there.

Yes, I might have to resort to such primitive measures. I do have memories of the days back when I was in America, we had 4 TV networks only (one being PBS, not FOX), and people use to pop popcorn on a stove top. We use to be poping popcorn for 20-30 minutes to get enough to last 2-3 people the length of a whole movie. No "instant" stuff back then, just the magic of heat, shake, wait, reload...

Quite archaic, I know, but it looks like that's what I'm going to be doing if I want popcorn while here in this land of beer and pastries! (Beer is ok, I hate pastries in general, haven't tried one here, but I'm sure they are good here too, if you can stomach the sugar overload).

I don't know who said "they should." I don't know of a reason anyone should... I was making an observation, I didn't even want the stuff. Who said they should? I missed that, it seems like a spoiled and pushy perspective.


Kay, I'm not really sure why they should. I'm not even sure why you want to find a reason they should?


But I thought you were implying they shouldn't carry it? Why do they have it if you're sure they shouldn't carry it?

I'm looking for buttered microwave popcorn, because I want it. That's why I'm looking. At no point did I insist that it should be in every store, or any store. But I had heard rumor that people had seen it, and I started asking where. And I've been searching for it since. I'm making the effort to find something, that may or may not be there, based on some rumors.

At no point did I say anyone should carry it, or that there is a high demand for it. Nor do I expect to find it, although I would be happy if I did.

I'm out looking for something I want. I would guess the people who run these stores could care less what I'm doing with my free time on a Saturday afternoon... And I doubt anyone would believe I'm trying to insist they do.

I know this is sarcasm, but ... the reality of it is very few people know how to melt butter to pour over popcorn, without turning it into those little soggy crumpled chewy kernels. I knew how once, but it's been at least 20 years since I did it.

That's sarcasm, right?

Maybe it's because I'm too young to have experienced the time where you had to melt your own butter, but I don't know how to melt it without turning the popcorn soggy...

Actually, no, it's not. Since your not sure, I'll try to explain.

If you go to an American movie theater and order popcorn, they give you a big bucket of the stuff. The popcorn is made in a fairly expensive machine where it has constant stirring, complete temperature control, and comes out unburnt, only when fully popped, with little to no unpopped kernels coming out of the cooker. Then they scoop it into a bucket for you. It's a bucket made of some hard paper, almost cardboard, with a light waxy coating.

The stuff is GREAT. PERIOD. It is the BEST popcorn. But, for years and years it was almost impossible to reproduce at home.

There was a small advance in the 1980's when they started selling these "personal air poppers" that used hot air (basically, a hot hair dryer upside down) with an automatic feeding funnel. Not all of it went in at once, and the stuff that was done came out. This prevented burning of the popcorn, and eliminated some of the unpopped stuff from getting in the finished product.

But the butter was still an issue. The stuff they sell at the theaters and pour over popcorn is not really hot melted butter. They don't run down to the local market, buy a few pounds of dairy butter and melt it and then pour the whole mix over your popcorn. It's some oil of some sort, I'm sure they don't want you to know because I'm sure it's as unhealthy as sin.

But you could do it with real butter, but it's tricky. You have to melt it with a bit of salt, and then let it separate somehow. Even fully melted real butter gets an oily layer up top (or bottom, I don't remember which), and a cloudy layer. Margarine does the same, depending on brand, to more or less extent. And at some magic temperature, one of the two layers can be poured on the popcorn and just SOAK the stuff with flavor, but leave it BIG AND FLUFFY.

The problem is, what usually happens is the butter hits the popcorn, and the popcorn soaks it up like a sponge. It shrivels up into little soggy balls that are chewy and disgusting. Most people just deal with that, they mix those little soggy kernels in with the big fluffy unbuttered stuff, and consider it "butter flavored." It is, in fact, butter flavored popcorn, but it's shyt.

There were a few nitch brands in the late 80's that came prepacked with flavored oils that promised not to do this nasty bit to your kernels, and offer big fluffy popcorn with real flavor. But that didn't last long, because...

That's when Microwave popcorn came along. Magic in a bag. Big and fluffy, and as much butter flavor as they can legally sell without being sued for health risks. AMAZING STUFF. Not as good as the movie theater, but a heck of a lot better than most people can make at home, PLUS, it's FAST. It's 2-3 minutes to artery clogging gratification.

Ever since, the microwave brands have become numerous, and the market share for microwave popcorn in America has excessivly dominated the market. Very few people want to put the time and effort into regular pop-it-yourself stuff anymore, because it's more work, and usually not as good. The microwave stuff is EVERYWHERE. It's in vending machines in office buildings. It's popular, for a reason, it's a superior product.

The omnipresence of microwave popcorn has about as much connection to it being a superior product as Formula 1 car racing has to driving around the Mittlerer Ring. Mc Donalds is everywhere and it is a product but it sure as hell ain't superior.

Anyway, I've been making popcorn at home for years using, and I am ashamed to admit this, a normal frying pan. I know that I should buy a pocorn popper developed using space technology and endorsed by Buzz Aldrin but I let it slide and now I have to wait until there is some form of unsuitable cooking utensil amnesty.

I'm not even going to begin to tell you what I melt the butter in. Think of the children.

Melt the butter, pour it over the popcorn, toss the popcorn to get even distribution, eat. You can put all sorts of fancy schmanzy stuff in the butter while you are melting it if you want.

Ok, I'm not going to argue semantics, "superior" as a term is subjective and unprovable.

Ok, replace "superior" with "more highly desired by more people than any other competitive product." Demand, like it or not, McDonald's wouldn't be everywhere if there weren't so damn many people willing to walk by other restaurants, (including other fast food restaurants) to go into a McDonald's.

I'll have to give it a shot, maybe European butter and/or margarine is different... But if I get soggy shriveled up little balls of popcorn, I wont' be doing it twice ;-)

Don't use margarine. That is the path to the Dark Side.

In my opinion, your "observation" had all the makings of a complaint, not least because it was just one in a long list of posts in which you were complaining about the lack of other foodstuffs. Just look at the following excerpt:




I never said they shouldn't carry it at all, I said that if demand was low there was no reason why peanut butter should be found in every single supermarket. As it happens it's a niche market so the product in question can be found, but in small quantities and in some places only.

Could you sign me up for the amnesty, please? Thanks.

Ok, I get it, you can't distinguish between a complaint of one guy not finding popcorn he likes after going to several stores, and a demand that supermarkets across Germany start to carry Peanut Butter.

Wait, are you complaining about my complaining? Does that mean, in your eyes, if a complaint is a demand, your demanding the forum ban complaints? Wait, that means your comments as well then too, doesn't it?

Yea, I complained I can't find it... And I like it... If you just want to complain, you can start your own thread maybe, that isn't titled "Microwave popcorn, Where to buy it in Munich" but rather "complaining about complaining and if a complaint is a form of demand." Otherwise, I'd like to stick to where to find popcorn.

There, you see, truth will out.

Badlanz- I do understand you and your partner are new to Munich, and I do appreciate your ventures to get everything from home, but, its just not always gonna happen. Good luck in your ventures to find the perfect popcorn or peanut butter, but remember we do not live in the US anymore, so we need at some point to assimilate or get family to send care packages!

Carm, this is not directly at you specifically, it's a general rant... I see what your saying, and appreciate that, it seems that everyone is eager to point out this isn't the USA.

Does this mean that questions about anything there is in the USA are not welcome in Germany? Where does it end? Sure no popcorn, but "Coke Light?" What's that... My god, they do have air and water here, don't they, wait, this isn't America, it's a different country, we better check with the US Embassy about that...

I'll be honest, this "your not in the USA" crap every time someone can't answer a question is absolutely retarded. Maybe the big fuck-off signs in German everywhere aren't a tip off that it wasn't the USA? Maybe we didn't remember at all the fact the we left our friends and family 1000's of miles away, better check with Toytown so they can remind us it's Germany here, almost forgot! Maybe we didn't notice that long plane ride across the atlantic, just totally passed out and woke up here, better post on Toytown, cause we forgot where we were... Maybe we forgot, and thought Munich was the capatol city of the 51 state of the USA called Germany... Better check in with toy-town, else we will forget, Germany isn't America.

Come on people, it's flipping POPCORN, some people are acting like I'm about to spit in the face of the German people and start burning flags and shit... I just asked if there was a non-sweet version of MicroWave popcorn here.

Wait, I forgot, it's not America, right, people don't have the right to complain? Better shut up, I might get locked in a prison cause I asked for something and was disappointed to find it wasn't here, because, it is Germany right? And it's not America...

My god people, lighten up... it's flippin' Popcorn. If one stinking American (me) gets excited by hearing he can hike 15 minutes down to the train, to take a 20 minute ride into Munich, just to buy a bag of MicroWave popcorn, and then whines a bit because he can't find it, it's not the end of the fricking world. Even I, the complaining American (who get's reminded every 3 minutes on Toytown it's not America) don't take it THAT seriously.. It's just a dissapointment.

My gosh, someone saw I complained, right after I loudly and blatenly did complained! And then, after I admit it, they want a button or a gold star for proving it? What the hell? Do you get a reward if you turn me into the German PopCorn Complaint police too? Why are you soo worked up about it?

I swear, some people on this forum seem to get so thrilled about saying "Your not in America, you're in Germany" and "I saw you complain" that I think they must be getting sexual thrills over it. What the hell? You don't get gold stars for pointing out the bloody obvious.

Now either you have SEEN popcorn, and can contribute productively to this thread, or you MISS popcorn, and can share... Or you can make a witty joke, hopefully popcorn related, and it's interesting. But why the hell would anyone think it's anything but attention-whoring to point out the bloody obvious?

Ah, was it ever in?

A little over the top reaction maybe?

*bangs head on table*

Dunno, maybe. But it's hard to go over the top on this, isn't it? I'm sure it won't be 24 hours before someone feels the need to say "your not in XYZ, it's Germany." At which point, I'll think I haven't gone far enough.

I mean, the first bloody post on the topic was an awareness that Germans don't eat nearly as much popcorn, it's going to be a challenge to find the kind I like if it's here at all... How long did it take before someone said "this is Germany" as if it's a news flash?

The part that people don't seem to get is, "we're humans, humans like stuff, sometimes enough to go out of their way for it." And maybe, "we're humans, humans complain sometimes if they wish things were different."

The really scary part is the complete inability of some to distinguish between a complaint and a demand, as well as the inability to distinguish between a question and an expectation. That's just plain shocking...

But none of it gets me popcorn, over the top or not, it's all sorta irrelevant, no?

Ermmm, i amd several others have given you lots of places to get microwave popcorn have we not?

Why you still whining about it?

Nope, haven't found one place with buttered microwave popcorn. Sweet, yes, but that's not what I asked about.

So, I'm sorry, but no, I've tried several suggested places. Shopped at the recommended stores, did NOT find it. Did you not notice that I actually said what I did find at each store that was suggested?

I am discussing popcorn because I still want it.

I'm whining about the fact that everyone seems more excited to say "this is Germany" than to either talk about Popcorn, or to just admit it's not here... That's completely obnoxious behavior, and to say I'm whining about anything, it's mostly about that.

As far as popcorn goes, I'm becoming a non-believer, I just honestly think "Butter Flavor" Microwave Popcorn isn't here in Germany. I can accept that, doesn't mean I'm thrilled by it. But when someone says they saw it, and I a weekend day looking and don't find it, I'm a bit disappointed. Strange your shocked by that.

Sorry Badlandz.. YOU seem to be the only one thats Harped on about "Being in Germany"

Why have you come here? You obviously arent happy here..

Maybe you should let someone else do your job... and leave Boring old Germany to those that like it here..!

G

It's not Germany I have a problem with, it's the people on Toytown who think saying "this is Germany" is the answer to all the questions of the world.

I'm quite happy here, in Germany, occasionally a bit culture shocked.

It's the people on this forum that get to me. If you didn't see the "your in Germany" comments, I can make you a list and PM it to you, I think most people see them. "You obviously aren't happy here" is a pretty judgmental statement, you don't know me at all, how happy I am, or what I think of Germany. I've mentioned a half dozen issues on this forum, usually only even bring stuff up when there is something that's a bit of a culture shock for me... "You obviously aren't happy here" it's bait, not taking it... No popcorn attached to that string.

Nobody forced you to join TT or stay on TT . . .

Very good BadlandZ, now let it go. Stop taking the bait and move on to a new topic.

Now i'm definitely gonna be there tomorrow, you can address your complaints directly to me, cigar in hand.

Is that a threat? Like, "can't answer the questions, so call him a complainer. If he points out my errors, I'll just be nasty and blow cigar smoke at his wife because I heard she doesn't like smoke."

Pick on her... brilliant... [adminabuse]prick [/adminabuse].

You honestly think your going to win this somehow, huh? Try to scare us off, if we don't go now, your the big man. If we do, you plan on trying to goat us on. Got your bases covered, huh?

That's pathetic, if your looking for a fight because you can't stay on topic and need to result to physical violence, I'm sorry that's just pathetic. Do you practice [adminabuse] being an asshole, or did it come totally naturally to you[/adminabuse]?

Me?

Did i make any threats? Was i abusive and call someone names?

I merely said i will be there and you can tell me about how crap this place is didn't i ?

We all meet over beers a lot and complain about bloody Germans/the KVR/life in general.

OK, look boys. This topic was microwave popcorn, not who's right, who's wrong, who whines, who doesn't know where they are, etc. Obviously by the turn of this thread, that tells me there are no more suggestions as to where to find the popcorn BadlandZ seeks. So let it go. You already got your words in on another thread that was promptly closed, so don't bring it back here.

And BTW Dave, you're welcome to come tomorrow night if you'd like to kick back some beer and fish 'n chips. But if you're going to come only to be antagonistic, I don't need you there, and please stay home. Thanks.

K... I guess I took it wrong. Sorry.

I like the Germans, lifes got it's moments I'm sure I'll find something to talk about there, I don't have a clue what KVR is, but more importantly, Do they have popcorn there?

Hang on.. you cant organise an event then ask someone not to turn up!!

Uhm, yes. I just was hoping the popcorn thing hadn't turned ugly... (like those sticky burnt pieces in that bloody "sweet" microwave bag) I fear I misread it.

If they're sounding like they want to just show up to start problems, I can politely ask that they keep it at their own home, as I did. However, since it seems he was misunderstood, I welcome him to come. You notice, originally I said first that if he wanted to come have fun with some beer and fish n chips, he was welcome to. Let's not jump to conclusions here G.

It's actually not a problem, i don't need an invite to go to my local that i habituate on sundays anyway.

Prob solved?

Whatever dear. Show up if you'd like. I will be there, it's an invitation. 'Nuff said.

I prob will be there as i normally am but will sit at the bar as i smoke cigars.

Just one genial request? Please don't ever " whatever" me? It's the one Americanism that really makes my blood boil.

Hopefully we can argue sensibly about popcorn or any other Munich related topic tomorrow and share a beer whilst doing it.

I miss lots of junk food from my home country. Popcorn though? Popcorn as in, popped corn? I don't miss that myself, but if I did, I would not worry, as any 5 year old child can make it, even when they're high on crack.
Butter makes it soggy? Erm, no, it doesn't really. Margerine though, containing lots more water, would. MArgerine is evil, and should never be used for anything, not even a lube. Evil.

weird what people miss.

Pop it in olive oil and you don't need butter.

DR is right. I use melted butter over ACTII lightly salted and it doesn't go soggy at all and I don't use any special techniques other than melt in microwave and pour on popcorn.

Margarine, especially the "light" variations will though.

Orville Redenbacher's and Act II are available in many stores in Berlin. I usually go to Karstadt/Wertheim. Some Rewe stock them too. Price is €2,19 per box (3-pack or 300 gr). Push comes to shove, there's always the Galerie Lafayette or the American food store, but they charge a bit more. What's annoying is, everywhere I go, they always run out of the butter or cheese flavour. I don't like the salted or sweet variety. And German microwave popcorn is just disgusting.

It's a new year since this thread was started. I just got back from ewesah and forgot to stock up on micro popcorn. Does anyone know where to get the smaller portion bags that are lowfat/cholesterol?

FF