French podcaster Samia Basille loves going to the movies. And she enjoys popcorn. But she doesn't think the two should ever be combined. (Many other French people feel the same way.) When Samia spent a few months living in New York, it left her wondering: Why do Americans insist on chowing down on popcorn while watching a movie? This simple question sent her on a quest to understand the history of popcorn in both the U.S. and France, and to see if she could be convinced that noisy, messy popcorn is acceptable at the cinema. What she encounters along the way leads her to question her preconceived notions about popcorn, movies — and herself.

Samia’s the host of the new podcast Star System.

Check out this episode of A People’s History of Kansas City for more on the American history of popcorn.

This episode was reported by Samia Basille. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Special thanks to Mackenzie Martin.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

• "Loud" by Bira
• "Iced Coffee" by Josh Leininger
• "Hennepin" by James Buckley and Brian Bradley
• "Marimba Feels Good" by Stephen Sullivan
• "Trippin" by Erick Anderson
• "On The Floor" by Black Label Productions 
• "National Waltzing" by Justin Asher
• "DeSplat" by Paul Fonfara

Photo courtesy of Emma Morgenstern.

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