Bailey Tries… Popcorn and Milk

So, this one started with an Instagram posted that turned into an experiment of sorts. Originally, I saw a post on random facts that said milk and popcorn was eaten as a breakfast food in the 19th century. This had me intrigued because why? But if you really think about it, most cereals are just some sort of grain that’s been cooked to make it palatable. Yes, we add sugar and marshmallows for fun but the origins of cereal are basic. I’ve even heard my family discussing eating rice with sugar for breakfast, so why not popcorn? Let me go on and say that I hate cereal. Like I don’t get the appeal of eating soggy stuff in milk and if I'm being super honest, I'm not real crazy about milk either but I tried not to let that influence my opinion.

As I began researching to see if this was even true, I found blog post after blog post discussing how this was an iconic moment from “Farmer Boy” which is one of the “Little House on the Prairie” books and my reading arch nemesis in elementary school. For that story, check out my New Year, New Books post from 2019. Apparently, I was so scarred by trying to read this book that I’ve completely blocked out this moment but from what I’ve read the scene revolves around the fact that you can put a cup of popcorn in a cup of milk without it spilling over which makes sense because of the porous nature of popcorn. This led me to want to test not only the popcorn as breakfast idea but the glass test as well. Then, I figured while I was at it I might as well test a variety of flavors of popcorn with milk because I’m a professional, dangit! Here’s what I discovered…

The two glasses in one situation pretty much works as long as you pour slowly so the popcorn has time to absorb the milk. I was a little overly enthusiastic but once absorbed, everything settled into one vessel. Now, as far as a taste experience, texturally it was exactly what you would expect...soggy, milky popcorn. This doesn’t bother me too much because I don’t mind weird textures but I know this would be a major deal breaker for some. I think if you did less milk and more popcorn instead of trying to do the whole equal parts experiment, it would be better. From a flavor standpoint, I tried butter popcorn, regular salt popcorn and cinnamon honey butter popcorn. Unsurprisingly , the sweet option tasted the best because it is the most cereal-like in flavor but I have to say, I didn’t hate any of the options more than I hate regular breakfast cereal. So, if you like trying odd foods or you’re reading the “Little House on the Prairie” series, then this might be a fun little experiment for you.