Don't Try This at Home

One evening last week I was in the mood for some popcorn. I like fresh popped corn the best, not so much the fresh popped microwave ready corn. I didn't feel like getting out the pan and oil, so I thought I would pop some in a bag in the microwave. I have done it many times before. You put 1/3 cup of kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, spray it with oil (non-stick spray) if you like, fold the top a couple of times, pop it in the microwave like you would microwave brands, and pop. My problem was that I was out of paper bags. I thought why not skip a step and pop it in the bowl. Then I can just go straight to eating it. I put the corn in the glass Pyrex bowl with a little oil, covered it with a cloth, and put it in the microwave. After the normal 2:10 time the corn had just started to pop. So I put it in for a couple minutes more thinking that perhaps the bowl held some heat and this way may take longer. I started smelling smoke and thought I must be burning the popcorn. I stopped the microwave and opened it up. The towel was catching on fire and smoldering. I took the bowl out with hot pads and placed it on the counter. Suddenly the bowl exploded. Well that was the end of my popcorn craving. I went in the livingroom to watch The Waltons without my popcorn fix, leaving the mess on the counter to cool. A little while later I heard #2 in the kitchen, "Oh! You made popcorn!" Crunch, crunch. "Don't eat the popcorn! It might have glass in it!!" "Should I spit it out?" One wonders how he got to be so smart.