When I think about living in a world without food, and I mean a place in the future wherein food has become "obselete" thanks scientific advancements, I get a little queasy.  In case you haven't noticed, I happen to care very deeply about food, and I take great delight in eating tasty meals.  The thought of losing such culinary delights as grilled cheese, tiramisu, or (God forbid) pizza terrifies me in the way that losing a friend or family member terrifies me, though the thought of living in a world without dirty dishes or post-indulgence regret makes my feelings about a life without food a little more complicated.

 

The idea of living without food has been presented to me in a number of avenues, and now, with the creation of meal-substitutes like The Ultimate Meal and Soylent, it's quickly becoming a very real possibility.  I have to admit, I'm a little surprised by my current feelings about these sorts of ideas, and I imagine that I may try incorporating them into my diet some time in the near future.  In order to work through my thoughts on crafting a diet that's adequately practical and delicious, I look to my relationship with my current boyfriend.  I find that he best represents this current dilemma, because he would willingly eliminate real food from his diet, though he can't resist scarfing this popcorn down like it's last meal any and every time.

 

My complete essay on my future with food can be found here as a PDF.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• At least 2-3 tablespoons oil (I usually use more, probably around 3-5).  My favorite type to use for this recipe is a blend of coconut and canola, though they recently stopped carrying it at my local grocery store.  Bottom line: use an oil that can tolerate high heat, and remember that olive oil is NOT one one such oil.

• About 1 cup popcorn kernels

• 3-4 tablespoons chopped garlic.  Use more if you're a garlic lover, less if you're not.

• About 1/2 stick butter

• Your choice of hard, sharp cheese, grated.  I find that white cheddar or Parmesan works best.

• Salt & pepper, to taste

 

NOTE:  you'll also need a large bowl with a lid.

 

Directions:

 

1. Add oil to a large pot on high/medium high heat (this can be tricky -- on my old stove, I always needed to keep the heat a little lower or the popcorn would burn, but this isn't the case with my current stove).

2. Add popcorn kernels and cover.

3. Once pops slow, say to about 5 seconds between individual pops, remove pot from heat.

4. Add butter to a small saucepan on low heat.

5. Once butter melts completely, add garlic.  Cook on low, stirring constantly for about a minute, or until fragrant.   Remove saucepan from heat.

6. Add about half of popcorn to a large bowl.  Top with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, grated cheese, and about half of garlic-butter mixture.

7. Add the rest of the popcorn to the bowl and top with more salt, pepper, cheese, and garlic-butter.

8. Cover bowl with lid, and shake vigorously to distribute ingredients.

9. Keep extra cheese on hand in case you'd like to add more later.