Simple Randomness

The Price of Movie Popcorn - Monopolistic Behavior?

Ok, I’m not gonna get all ‘economist’ on you, so don’t worry. Heck, I had to take basic economics twice in college, so I’m no expert by any means. But after thinking more about the different strikes going on and my guess that the price of movie tickets going up, it made me think about my favorite movie going treat: popcorn!

I am a popcorn lover. In fact, when I was in high school I believed that these were the 4 basic food groups: nachos, skittles, cold cereal, and popcorn. And I did my best to have at least one serving of each every single day. In fact, I remember back in those days that I couldn’t imagine myself going to a movie without having popcorn with it. It just seemed improper not to have popcorn. Then, after a few years of being married I started to actually realize the price that I was paying for my favorite treat at the movie theaters.

Does anyone else agree that the price of popcorn at the movie theater is outrageous?! I mean seriously, the price of popcorn at the theater is almost as much as the ticket (if you get a large anyway). Now, compare this with the price of bag popcorn you can get at the store. You can get a box of 3 bags for a little over a buck! Remember, I’m not an economist, but isn’t this what we call monopolistic behavior?

Yeah yeah, I understand that the theaters probably make most of their money on the treats. Whatever. Does this mean that they are going to go on strike, too? That would be hilarious, the theaters go on strike because they want a bigger cut of the ticket price. Then we’d really see the price of movie tickets skyrocketing and Hollywood would really be messed up.

It was a sad day when I had decided to stop eating popcorn at the theater, but it’s a decision I stand by. I just can’t see the point in buying stale popcorn for $5. So sorry movie theaters… not gonna do it.

What is the Connection Between Snow and Oranges???

So I was eating an orange this morning, then I looked out the window and watched the snow come down.  This made me wonder, “Why is winter the season when we eat the most oranges?”  It seems kind of ironic if you ask me.  When I think of oranges, the LAST thing I think about is snow.

Oranges remind me of Florida.  And when I think of Florida, I think of nice, sunny, beautiful days at the beach or something like that.  So when I’m eating an orange and thinking about driving very slowly so I don’t die, it’s almost depressing.

Maybe we eat oranges in the winter in order to give us hope that in the near future we’ll have nice sunny days again.  No beach unfortunately cause I live in Utah, but at least nice sunny days.  But I can also see how this could be a very very depressing thing.

Another question I have about oranges is when did Santa start handing them out?  Are oranges supposed to represent happiness and cheer?  If so, I must say that I worry about those people that suffer from SAD (seasonal affectivness disorder, or whatever it stands for.  You know, seasonal depression) because I bet everytime they look at an orange they almost break down and cry.  Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.

Well, either way someone is going to have a problem.  So, I’ll just keep eating my oranges thinking about those sunny days in a couple of months when I won’t have oranges to eat.

Going Off Candy!

Ok, so one of my themes this year is to get in the best shape of my life.  So as one of the goals that will move me towards that end I’m going off candy.  Honestly, my wife and I have made this decision several times in the last couple of years.  I think the best we ever did was 5 months.  Our current goal is to go for the next 3 months.

So here’s the plan:

• no buying extra junk food candy for myself at any time in the next 3 months
• if there is cake at a family party, eat in moderation (no seconds, and only small portions!)
• I’m also going to cut out non-diet soft drinks (unless I just have to get some caffeine to keep going - the subplan there is to get enough sleep so this isn’t a problem)

It’s a simple thing really, and after all of the junk that I ate the last two weeks I’m very encouraged to make this step.  Anyone else want to join in the fun?

This is quite the change for me, and I’m planning on making it a long term change this time.  In high school it was very common for me to eat a pound of skittles a week.  You think I’d get sick of them, but they are still my favorite candy.  But I’m willing to give them up!

The Completely Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

I know that I’m a little late on this one, but I had an idea about a month ago and I’m going to have to pull it off in the next year or two.

I am officially sick of always eating the same thing at Thanksgiving. Yes, it’s good and I really do like the turkey and mashed potatoes, I just think that Thanksgiving could use some variety! So what I’m going to do every now and then in the coming years is have a 100% Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. One year maybe I’ll go Japanese and have a lot of sushi and other Japanese style dishes. Maybe it will be all Italian food, just a bunch of different pastas and such. But the idea would be to have a Thanksgiving dinner that is based on other nations’ foods.

Ha, here’s an idea: an all microwave TV dinner Thanksgiving! Ok, probably not a great idea on that one…

So who’s with me?! If you have any other ideas for a great Non-Traditional Thanksgiving feel free to share it!

I Love Nachos!

Just a quick plug for my favorite food: NACHOS!!!  I think I’ve been a fan of nachos since I was 12.  I don’t remember the day that I discovered this wonderful dish, but I’ve been hooked ever since.  In fact, my second job was working for a nacho store in the mall.  All we made was nachos and wraps, and while I worked there I sure did eat a good share of nachos!!!

In fact, one way that I judge a Mexican restaurant is by the quality of their nachos.  For a lot of places, that’s the only thing that I buy is nachos.  Does this make me a fanatic?

Here’s a list of my favorite nacho places in no particular order, and I know that some of these are going to be only for locals in Utah where I live:

• Bajio (especially with the Lime Chicken…YUM!!!)
• Cabo Grill (Don’s Nachos…very good!)
• Del Taco (the Macho Nacho!)
• Beto’s (used to be one of my favs…not so much lately)
• Taco Time (they’re ok, but not the absolute best)
• Mi Ranchito (monster plate of nachos!!!)

So there you have it.  And by the way, Taco Bell doesn’t count.  The only thing I eat there is the Chalupa!

Homemade Donuts

Back on Halloween a friend of mine introduced me to homemade donuts. Technically its a way of cheating, but I still call them homemade. Since having them on Halloween I have done this with my wife twice and I must say that I am convinced that these donuts are the best that I’ve ever had (yes, even better than Krispy Kreme).

So here’s what you do: get a pack of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits. Open up the canister (this always makes me jump ) , rip a hole in the middle of the donut, and then put it in hot oil. Let one side cook, then flip it and cook the other side.

Place the donut on a plate covered with napkins or paper towels to absorb the extra oil, then top it with your favorite frosting and enjoy! My personal favorite is cream cheese frosting, but my wife is a big fan of chocolate. I need to try strawberry sometime…

Simple recipe, but man are they good! Give them a try and you might just agree with me that they are better than any other donut you’ve ever tasted!