Peggy said, “Twelve.” We were at a movie theater. We had just placed an order at the refreshment stand. I looked at her and said, “What?” “The attendant just counted twelve squirts,” she said. I stopped day dreaming and looked at the attendant who was still squirting butter onto my popcorn. I said, “That’s good.” I took the container with both hands. I don’t recall walking to my seat. The warm smell of butter and salt filled my nose . . . my lungs . . . and my head. I don’t remember the movie, but I remember the butter . . . and the popcorn. Actually it was more like popcorn floating in butter soup. After I ate all of the popcorn I still licked my fingers, and yet . . . I threw the rest away.
The warm smell of butter and salt filled my nose . . . my lungs . . . and my head.When I was a child I remember clear bags of white margarine. There was an orange-ish red dot of coloring that we had to massage until the oleo took on a strange looking color. I don’t recall liking it. Now, butter on the other hand was something else. My mother grew up in the mid-west. She would cook a steak until it was black and dry and then put a pat of butter on it to give it some moisture and taste. There is nothing like steak butter.
Corn on the cob was an excuse to get a pat of butter into my mouth while taking a bite of corn.Even when the butter scare was going on I still ate butter, but now that professionals know that butter is a good thing, I still eat butter. I just don’t eat a lot of it. I like the saltiness, the coolness, and the flavor. Corn on the cob was an excuse to get a pat of butter into my mouth while taking a bite of corn. I also like fried potatoes with a little butter on them when served. Mashed potatoes are worthless without a little pool of melted butter to attract a large spoon. Although I talk a lot about butter, like the Greeks I believe in moderation. Corn on the cob is limited to a few times in the summer, generally BBQs on the deck. For my current view on butter, I like to rub an ear of corn with a lime wedge, add a little sea salt, grind some course ground pepper over the ear and then rub a cold cube of butter along the kernels before placing the ears on the grill. Then I generally don’t add any more butter. Fried potatoes are served a little more regularly, but then I use two or three small baby reds or Yukon Golds. Mashed potatoes and butter in our house is rare, usually just Thanksgiving and Easter.
I still order buttered popcorn, however. I love the Grand Cinema, where they still actually use melted butter on their popcorn . . . but I only get the small member bag of popcorn.
Good toothy bread IS an occasion of sin.Good toothy bread IS an occasion of sin. But with the price of a good loaf of bread in the five dollar plus range, we buy good bread only a couple of times a quarter. I sometimes think that Heaven is a bakery with rustic breads and enough butter to last.
“Despite having been demonized in the past, butter (especially from grass-fed cows) is actually pretty healthy. That being said, there is no reason to go out of your way to eat more of it.
Butter in small amounts is fine, but it may cause problems if you eat way too much (for example, by adding a few tablespoons to your morning coffee). Plus, it is not as healthy as extra virgin olive oil, which is the world’s healthiest fat.” – https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-reasons-why-butter-is-good-for-you
We mostly use spreadable butter these days unless we have guests over or it’s holiday time. Then we offer both spreadable butter and regular cubed butter. We like Land O’ Lakes spreadable butter . . . made with olive oil if we can find it or canola oil. Recently we found a great deal on Finlandia Spreadable butter; comes from small family farms in Finland. $1.99 for 15 ounces. We don’t freeze butter, so we probably just have enough for several months.
I do sometimes sing a folk tune . . . to ease me off to dreamland . . . “Butter, I remember butter . . . we were just like lovers . . . we were quite a team.” – Megon McDonough, founding member of Four Bitchin’ Babes
We, grandchildren, were handed a mason jar with fresh cream just scooped from the top of the fresh milk. We were then expected to shake it until we had butter while watching Bonanza on a Saturday night at Grandma’s house.
I once thought that it would be a sign I had finally “made it” in the world when I could buy my own butter from the grocery store!
To this day, I dislike the taste of margarine and will forego some other grocery item to afford some butter.
I keep my butter at room temperature on the counter. Just a small amount, so it will not go bad. It is quite spreadable.
On the counter? Too readily available for me . . . plus I go both ways. I like both soft and cold. Soft on fragile bread and a cold pat (just starting to melt) on pasta and fried potatoes.
Thanks for sharing, Ginny. Please, keep reading and writing. I love comments from my readers.
Don
Jerri,
So, you had a bonanza of butter? I like it. Thanks for reading and writing. Was salt added to the cream or not? How long did it take to make butter in a mason jar? Did anyone every take a photograph of the family butter mill? Please, share if you have anything. Keep reading AND writing!
Thanks. Don
Hi Don,
Sorry, no photos that I know of. Since I was only about 8 or 9, I don’t remember how long we had to shake the jars before there was only butter and a clear liquid left. Grandma may have salted some of it or not…lol!
Btw…just fyi…I grew up not too far from Ponders. My Grandpa bought the land from about where 94th and STW was to about where 100th and STW is now. My family built 4 houses on that land. I can’t vouch for the original size of the parcel because apparently, he had sold some pieces before I was old enough to remember. I do know there were 4 houses though: Grandpa and Grandma’s, his Father and Mother’s, his sister, Gloria and her husband, Nuge (up on the hill), and one of his other sisters, Carmen. When I was young, we had chickens, geese, rabbits and a couple of dogs or so. Before I can remember, there were apparently, cows, a bull and a couple of horses.
I went to Southgate Elementary, Hudtloff, then CP…as did my Mom, sisters and brother. Anyway, we might enjoy a real conversation sometime…or not. But I’m open to that.
Keep writing…I look forward to it.
Jerri,
Coffee later in the month would be nice. Park Lodge, Navy Base, Hudtloff, Mann, and Clover Park ’64. I just sent a friend request on Facebook. Keep commenting . . . it’s so interesting reading other local viewpoints.
That’s probably not real butter from a cow on movie popcorn.
Jean,
You’re right most aren’t real butter at theaters, but I don’t think the Grand Cinema would like to its members!!!
Thanks.
Don
Not only real butter but how about garlic butter? I get the Irish garlic butter at H&L or Albertsons. One stick at a time usually lasts a few weeks and is good on baguettes in some dishes and I also put a dollop in some soups like minestrone or wedding along with a small squirt of basil paste. Hmmm good!
There are so many tasty ways to enjoy butter, the real kind.
Joan,
Thank you for reading AND for writing. I think an article on flavored butters just got on my writing to do list. Savory butters and sweet butters could set up little taste treat. I had forgotten how good garlic butter on fresh bread tastes. Thanks for reminding me. The dollop in soup sounds perfect. Please, continue to read and write.
Don