Pop: The Sound of American History

Jayden Coates

Engl 3630

Sec 001

Bonnie Moore

September 17, 2015

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Pop: The Sound of American History

            “Pop, pop, pop” three seconds go by “pop.” I open the microwave and pull the bag of freshly popped popcorn out, grab a bowl out of the cabinet, and dump the popcorn in. Granted this won’t be as good as movie theatre popcorn but at this point I’ll take what I can get. The movie is about to start so I join Seth on the couch; as I stuff a handful of popcorn, without reservation, into my mouth.

 Popcorn the universal movie snack was actually brought forth from Central America about 8,000 years ago. This tantalizing buttery, salty, and fluffy snack stemmed from a strain of corn, with an abnormally starchy kernel and hard kernel walls. It was brought to North American through Whalers who found the corncobs and thought they were cute. After the corn was brought to America the popularity of this fun, popping, snack food spread like wildfire and was available everywhere. However, contrary to modern times popcorn wasn’t available in movie theatres!

 Aside from its enticing smell and amazing flavor popcorn also has another appeal to it and that is its mobility. The first popcorn maker was available in 1885, it was steam powered. The popcorn maker lead to popcorn being able to be made without the use of a kitchen, which was virtually unheard of at that time. Popcorn became a staple at sporting events, fairs, and circuses. But still wasn’t available in movie theatres! “Movie theaters wanted nothing to do with popcorn, because they were trying to duplicate what was done in real theaters. They had beautiful carpets and rugs and didn't want popcorn being ground into it." Says Andrew Smith; the author of Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn. (Smithsonian)

            Popcorn wasn’t really introduced into movie theatres until The Great Depression. At the time people were looking for a distraction from all the troubles, migrated to the movie theaters by the hundreds. However, because of the hard times placed on the American economy and many of those attending the movies popcorn was just a luxury. This, coupled with the fact that movie theatres lacked the space and proper ventilation to hold a popcorn maker, theatre owners still didn’t realize the financial upside to offering popcorn inside there theatre. But still popcorn was present, if theatre owners didn’t see the benefit of popcorn, the street vendors certainly did! Armed with their own mobile popcorn makers and stationed outside theatres, the vendors began to sell popcorn to those attending the movies before they entered.

            Soon theatre owners began to get the drift and began offering, “lobby privileges” to the street vendors. This allowed the vendors to sell popcorn inside the theatre for a daily fee. Slowly but surely theatre owners realized that simply by just selling popcorn and other snacks to patrons, and ending the need to have street vendors providing the popcorn, they would get record high profits; so that is what they did! Soon those theatres without concession sales began to go under, being beaten by those theatres who offered the sale of popcorn.

            By World War Two, popcorn had become a staple in movie theatres, and as the sugar export from the Philippines was cut off to the United States sugar shortages created a dramatic change in the concessions sold at the theatres and popcorn became the major seller. Now over half the popcorn eaten in the United States was at the movie theatre. However, new technology quickly diminished popcorn sales in theatres. This new invention created in the 1960’s was the television. But this didn’t stop the popcorn industry!

            At home popcorn burst onto the scene and quickly became a staple in homes across America. Still today popcorn is a staple in American homes, and favorite snack in movie theatres across America. From its early roots popcorn has shaped the face of American Agriculture and the American economy. As you can probably guess popcorn is one of my favorite snacks and will forever hold a place in my pantry.

Sources

·      Smithsonian: Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/?no-ist

B.O.L.O.G.N.A.

I figured that I would post this story I wrote about my grandpa a few years ago as a freshman in college...

B.O.L.O.G.N.A.

            I open my fridge and grab the bologna and mayo. Carry it over to the counter in my dorm and set it down next to the two slices of white bread. As I spread the mayo onto a slice of bread I can almost taste the sandwich in my mouth. I slip a slice of bologna on the bread and put the other slice on top, creating almost the perfect sandwich. I take a bite and all the hunger and stresses fall away as I picture myself a five year old little girl in Emery County.

“Jayden, Tanesha, wake up!” my grandmother calls from the kitchen. Tanesha and I walk into the kitchen still groggy and more like zombies than like actual mortal human beings. My grandma stands over the stove as she fries two eggs. Toast pops up from the toaster next to her; she quickly grabs the toast and lightly butters it as if to be in a race against the cooling toast. She then opens the cupboard and grabs two plates, slaps a piece of toast and an egg on each of them, and slides them across the table towards us; just as my grandpa walks in the back door. “What time is it?” Tanesha asks. “4.a.m.” my grandpa answers in an almost chipper voice. “The horses are saddled and into the trailer” he says. “So you better hurry and eat breakfast cause were burning daylight” as if to be imitating his favorite actor John Wayne.

My grandmother walks to the fridge and pulls out the mayo and bologna. She spreads the mayonnaise across two slices of bread and then puts a piece of bologna on top followed by the other pieces of bread. My grandpa grabs some soda and water and puts them in a cooler full of ice. Me and Tanesha quickly finish our breakfast and run to our room to get dressed. We walk back into the kitchen, the sound of our spurs strapped to our boots clank and chime together echoing throughout the house, just as my grandma throws six bologna sandwiches into the cooler full of ice and pop. “Were ready!” we both yell as we walk towards the front door. “Alright lets go” my grandpa yells back at us. We run out the door with our grandparents shortly behind us carrying the cooler. We jump in the truck and head towards Cedar Mountain.

            As we arrive, multiple familiar faces great us. Trucks and trailers line the side of the dusty path. Horses stomp the ground as if to say let’s go we’re ready, just as my grandparents un- hook the trailer from the truck. An hour later the sound of cows mooing and whooping and hollering from the riders fill the chill morning air, just as the sun peaks over the mountain. Tanesha and I riding side by side are a few steps behind our grandpa, and being followed by our grandma in the truck. As the day progresses the sun continues to get hotter and hotter and the dust begins to pick up. Tanesha and I do our best in our part of keeping the herd together. Every so often little calves stray from the herd and we would take it upon ourselves to drive them back.

Noon hits and we have a little less than 2 miles to go before we get to the spot we will eat lunch. As Tanesha and I look ahead we notice that we are about to walk down what seems to be the steepest, and most jagged hill, if you could call it that, on the mountain. As start down the narrow steep hill my grandpa looks back and says “Loosen up and let the horse go, he knows what he is doing he can see the rocks, don’t worry.” “Okay whatever you say,” Tanesha and I hesitantly answer. Just when it seems like the trail will never end we slowly get to level ground and where we are going to stop and eat lunch. My grandma taking the long way around with the truck slowly pulls up, and the dust settles right as she steps out of the truck. My grandpa helps her lift the cooler full of drinks, ice, and bologna sandwiches out of the back of the truck. They set it down right as Tanesha and I quickly run over and attack the cooler. We tear into the sandwich bags as if we hadn’t eaten in days. As I take that first bite, all the hard work and dust of the day seem to fade away and my hunger disappears.

Just then I seem to wake up from my day dream and realize that I’m sitting in a dorm room in Logan, Utah. My math homework lies on the desk half-finished as I sit and think about the day dream I just had and about those many bologna sandwiches, day long cattle drives, and life lessons. I realize just how they influenced my life, let me discover my passion for agriculture, and ultimately how they brought me to Utah State in order for me to chase my dream of being an Agricultural Educator; and to pass the passion I have for Agriculture on to my future students’.   

I sure miss you grandpa!! 

No Regrets

I have always been the kind of person that wanted to live my life with no regrets. I wanted to be the person that, when asked what my biggest regret was as I lay on my death bed, answered “nothing, I have no regrets! I lived my life the fullest of its extent, I loved endlessly, gave unselfishly, and served others the way God would have wanted me to!” The more I think about this idea of no regrets the more I come to the conclusion that, no matter how comforting of a thought that it is, It is highly unrealistic and unattainable! As humans, Gods greatest creation, we are bound and even promised that at some point in our life we will be faced with tough and sometimes even impossible decisions. So wouldn't it only be logical because of our nature as imperfect human beings that by the end of our lifetime, we are destined to have some sort of regret somewhere along our own rocky paths? What if we could live without those regrets, what if someone magically found the key that would help erase those regrets?! That would be awesome right! No regrets for anyone! A life free from the traps we as humans bind ourselves to! I don’t know about you but I know that someone has already found that key!

You see, i’m also a firm believer in the notion that all things happen for a reason and that there is no such thing as coincidence. I believe this so much so that I have it tattooed on my body ( right shoulder to be exact, its quite cute!). The thought of living with no regrets and that everything happens for a reason go quite good together realistically and logically! It all lies within the trust we place with our Heavenly Father. If we place undeniable, unshakable, unwavering trust with God then living a life with no regrets would be easy. However I would be lying if I told you that I have always been good at putting that much trust in God or that I am good at putting that much trust into God right now in my life! But as I live my life each day I realize more and more that God knows what he is doing and has a plan for each and everyone of us, perfectly tailored to guide us as individuals back to his presence! I’m grateful for the plan that he has designed for me and am extraordinarily grateful for the people he has placed within that plan! 

I promise you that God believes in you and knows each of the things you are going through each day, you do not face those difficult or impossible decisions alone, he is with you every step of the way! He leads you and guides you each and every second of every day! He will not let you make a mistake (simply because there are no mistakes)! His hands are upon you so do not be afraid of living your life to the fullest, loving endlessly, giving unselfishly, or serving others with all you have! I will not promise you that it will be easy or lack pain, nor did God promise that, but I know that it its worth it! It is my challenge to you to look at your own life and recognize those moments within each day that God is present! Find moments that you regret and ask yourself why you regret them! Put your trust in God and let him lead you the way he needs to! Believe that everything happens for a reason and I promise your life will change dramatically! Also know that I am with you in your journey too! I am constantly analyzing my life and trying to recognize the moments within each day that God is present! It has changed my life and I know that it will change yours! 

Be Grateful, Love Endlessly, Trust always, and Give selflessly! 

Until Next time, 

Jayden

I Care About You

When I was little I never dreamed that I would ever want to be a teacher or that I would ever start a journey that eventually would lead me into the classroom. Like I have said many times I decided that teaching was what I wanted to do when I got into high school. Once I really started examining career deciding what I wanted to do became an easy task for me simply because I love Agriculture, I love Agricultural Education, and I love The National FFA Organization so what a better career choice for me than to be an Agricultural Educator. 

However, I don’t believe there was a singular defining moment of when I officially decided to teach it was more of a collection of little moments that dictated this decision. One of which came my freshman year when I had the opportunity to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis Indiana the theme for that year was “step up stand out”! I spent four days watching as FFA members and Ag teachers across the country stepped up and stood out within various areas of the agricultural industry. It was then that I realized that the National FFA Organization was huge and that Ag teachers were inspiring, impacting, and changing students’ lives all across the nation! Another reason why I chose to teach Ag was because of my own Ag teachers I often use the quote “Heroes are often the most ordinary of men” by Henry David Thoreau when describing my advisors. They truly changed my life. They opened the door of discovery to me, they gave me so many opportunities to succeed both then, now, and in the future; they set the example for me, and ultimately they gave me a goal to reach one day.

But the point of this blog isn't to tell you about the time I decided to teach or even the reason why I decided to teach. You see the porous of this blog is to reach out to my future students. I recently read an article ( see the link at the bottom) written by a teacher to his students. This article has inspired me to write a similar one. 

Often times while I was in high school and now in college I felt as if my teacher/ professor didn't care about my success; not saying that all of them were bad cause I had a few great teachers and still do! When I was in a class taught by a teacher/ professor that seemed like they didn't care I was often frustrated and gave up easily with the work I was asked to do! If they didn't care neither did I! When my senior year came I started making a list of all the things I wouldn't do as a future teacher, the list included things like making sure my students had the chance to take adequate notes, not setting them up to fail from the get go, and the most important one was to make sure my students knew that they were important to me and that I cared about them and their success. 

As I have started college and even while I was in high school I always made decisions based upon my future students, and today was no different. I received a phone call from a community member telling me about a job that they thought I would be interested in. I immediately met with him and started thinking about my future students and what this job would bring for them. Why you ask? Because I care about them. Everyday I find myself thinking about them and hoping that I will be the teacher that they need! I wonder what they will look like, act like, talk like, and even learn like. I wonder about whether they will be successful, what they will grow up to be like, and if I will be able to help them. I hope for their success, I pray for them in their struggles, and ultimately I think about their futures. It's crazy that even though I haven't met them I know that I am going to love them for the student and person they are and will be; I hope for them, pray for them, and think about them. I know that they will make me a better teacher and overall a better human! I know that I will learn from them more than they will probably ever learn from me! Even though I haven't yet set foot in my own classroom I appreciate my students and know that this is the career for me. 

I am grateful that God knows what he is doing and that he gives me opportunities to help my future students! I'm grateful for my future students and hope that one day they will know that I care about them! 

P.S. here is the link to the awesome article/ blog post I mentioned above!
choiceshttp://affectiveliving.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/what-students-really-need-to-hear/

"Oh so you wanna be an Ag Teacher, thats cool..."

I'm an extrovert, everyone (well most people) knows that about me, so being the extrovert I am I enjoy striking up conversations with random people. Every conversation starts the same; Me: "hey my name is Jayden nice to meet you!" Person: "Hey Jayden my name is... nice to meet you too!" further into the conversation... Person: "So where do you go to school?" Me: "Utah State University" Person: "What are you studying?" Me: "Agricultural Education" Person: (not very enthusiastic) "Oh cool..." and then the conversation continues from there. 

To many of you that would see like a pretty average conversation, but to me its anything but average! You see I hate it when these conversations happen... Maybe I'm taking things personal, maybe i'm reading to much into the less than thrilled oh cool that the other person gives me, or maybe that other person just doesn't understand what agricultural education is (this last one is usually the case) but to me that "oh cool..." makes me angry. Why? because it is as if that person doesn't care or thinks that being an ag teacher or even a teacher in general is the bottom of the job pool for society. Its as if being a teacher doesn't mean anything and that those who are teachers are just teachers because they can't take it in the real world... however the actually story is quite the opposite!! 

Ever since I could remember my family has been involved in some part of the agricultural industry. From the time I could sit up on my own I was on the top of a horse following behind my grandpa as we moved cows across Cedar Mountain in Emery County, Utah. When I was eight I started showing livestock at the local livestock show. Shortly after that my grandparents invested in a flock of breeding ewes and a ram so that all of the grand-kids could have stock-show lambs for all of our stock shows. Then there I was the first day of freshman year; nervous, scared, but very excited. I was so pumped to start high school and to finally be a full-fledged teenager. I had waited for this moment my whole life and couldn't believe it was finally here. Little did I know that my high school experience would be one big roller-coaster ride of failures, successes, disappointments, and victories; a roller-coaster ride that would lead me to the beginning of an incredible journey. The bell for first period rings, as I make my way to the Ag Building eager to start my first high school class, Animal Science. “Guys, Take a seat I’ll be with you all in just a second” a voice calls from the office in the back. That moment is where my life would start, in that smelly dusty Ag classroom with that booming voice yelling from the back office. Shortly after that I zipped up that blue corduroy jacket for the first time, and then I was completely hooked! 

Up till that moment in my life if someone were to have asked me what I wanted to be my answer would have been a pediatrician. Being an Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor was the furthest thing from my mind. I was dead set on making a ton of money and helping a ton of little kids, and I think my mom was dead set on it too! But something in me changed that year and I know it has everything to do with that voice hollering from the back office on the first day of my freshman year of high school. The voice belonged to my Ag teacher and FFA Advisor, Mr. Bob Gowans.

Now I know that  being an Ag teacher and FFA advisor is something most people would never aspire to be. It requires a ton of extra time, work, and energy. I know that in my high school career there were tons of instances where my own Ag teachers spent countless extra hours with me, for example the time Mrs. Shields drove 160 miles with me in order to pick up my show lambs. Or the countless hours both Mr. Gowans and Mrs. Shields spent talking me through all of life’s problems after school. Let’s not forget the four years worth of trips to National and State conventions, where I truly learned just how amazing Ag teacher are around the country, or the many summer Ag tours around Utah and the rest of the nation. All of this in order to give experience to me and the rest of their students.

I often use the quote “Heroes are often the most ordinary of men” by Henry David Thoreau when describing my advisors. They truly changed my life. They opened the door of discovery to me, they gave me so many opportunities to succeed both then, now, and in the future; they set the example for me, and ultimately they gave me a goal to reach one day. Yes, I know that I won’t find a cure for cancer, develop an alternative fuel source, or even develop a better strain of round- up ready corn. But yeah I'm an Agricultural Education student and guess what despite what society thinks i'm doing something worth more than all the money on the planet and better than any job you could give me; by me being an Ag teacher I am changing the world one student at a time and for that I’m truly happy to put in as many extra hours as I need especially if it means making each student a better person is some way! I'm doing what I love and loving what I do and to me, yeah, that is pretty freaking cool!!

Respect is Given not Earned!

I titled this blog post with that statement for a reason... I have heard tons of adults, teenagers, and even kids tell me, when ever I ask why they are so disrespectful, that their respect needs to be earned and that they don't just give people respect. However, contrary to society's beliefs I don't really think this statement is true by any means. I learned many things my first year of college but three of the most important things I learned I heard everyday for the first week and those three things are... 1. Treat others with respect even if you don't like that person, 2. Always say thank you to those you help you, and 3. Always ask yourself am I doing the right thing! Today I received two phone calls today both of which came from adults that I consider my heroes and both of whom I have an very high level of respect for...

The first call came in at about eleven a clock this morning, as I answered I was greeted with a shaky voice as if the person on the other end was holding back tears, the conversation went as follows: "hey were you and Austin (one of my best friends) out running around last night?" to which I replied "Umm no I was in bed by 8 and me and Austin haven't talked in a couple days, why whats wrong?"... before I go on let me give you a little bit of a back story this person had just recently (and by recently I mean less then a month ago) bought a new 2013 dodge ram truck... back to the conversation... "Well I have a few ewes that are lambing so I stayed the night at my dads house in order to watch them and while I was there someone egged and poured chocolate syrup all over our new truck and I was just making sure it wasn't you"... my first thought was "why would you think it was me!" and my second thought was "are you freaking kidding me, what is wrong with people!" The conversation lasted about ten more minutes and was filled with many more frustrations and venting.

Those phone calls are the reason why I bring up this subject tonight!! You see I'm sooo freaking sick of watching the people I love, admire, and respect get hurt and upset because people in today's society think that they need to treat people with hatred and disrespect in order to gain something! I'm sorry to say but you don't gain ANYTHING by treating others like this!

I have taught or preached rather to hundreds of high school students that every single person on this earth has infinite potential to achieve great things and to change the very foundation of this world! That every time you degrade, put down, or bully someone else it is not okay and that what you say and do sticks with that person for their entire lives!! Disrespect and hatred is more then just a harmless prank between friends or even a problem with one or two people, it has invaded every aspect of society today! It is more then an issue, it has become an EPIDEMIC!!! You see people are DYING because others don't understand what kindness, compassion, sympathy, grace, and empathy are anymore! Hatred and ignorance have become normal and I don't know about you but I cannot handle it any more!! I'm sick of  every time I read the news paper, get on facebook, or watch the news I hear about another teenager end their own life because of the actions of others!! I'm so sick of people turning their heads and pretending this isn't an issue! I don't know about you but I grew up in a home where respect was given freely and taught in every success and failure we had, and where service, kindness, and compassion were and still are apart of every aspect of our lives!

I was taught that my respect should be given to every single person I come in contact with and that regardless of how important how important I become I will never have the right to make someone else earn my trust!!

So no! No, I do not agree that your respect should be earned because respect is and should be given to every person you come in contact with!!

You and every other person have the potential to accomplish all your goals and dreams and to change the world today... but it's up to you whether or not you let both yourself and others accomplish this! You hold the key to a world of happiness and change, my question is this are you going to use that key you were given by GOD to help unlock and open the door to change??

I AM!

"Somebody Must Be Praying For Me"...

Wow I haven't wrote for a long time!! Don't worry i'll catch you up! Have you ever had one of those moments in life when everything just falls into place and things couldn't be more perfect? I don't know about you but whenever I drive I get these epiphanies if you could call them that... Just simple thoughts that blow me away and truely make me aware of everything around me. So as I was driving around the other night I realized just how perfect my life is going right now and how lucky I am! I couldn't help but feel such a huge amount of gratitude. Most people would go with the common saying of "I must be doing something right" but I had a different thought all together... "somebody must be praying for me" because I know that I couldn't have done any of this without God and without some prayers on my behalf. I've been selected to represent Utah as the National FFA Officer Candidate at this years National Convention, i'm serving Utah State University College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences as the 2013-2014 Student advocate, I have an amazing summer internship with the Tooele Agriculture Program and FFA Chapter, I have an amazing group of friends, and an amazing family! So to whoever is praying for me thank you, grandpa thank you for always watching out for me up there, and God thanks for answering the many prayers on my behalf! I'm one lucky girl!!

Jay