Popcorn, a favorite snack of movie goers (at least in the U.S.) and popular since Amerinds introduced the food to Pilgrims, can actually kill you.Main Entry: pop·corn
Pronunciation: 'päp-"korn
Function: noun
: an Indian corn (Zea mays praecox) whose kernels on exposure to heat burst open to form a white starchy mass; also : the kernels especially after popping
True story. It was very early morning on New Year's Day, 1997, when my friend, who I will call George (not his real name) woke up with severe abdominal pain and a raging fever. His wife rushed him to the local hospital. The Emergency Room personnel reacted quickly and contacted their chief surgeon who arrived barely in time to save George's life.
Can you guess what happened?
William, whose consumption of popped corn decreased sharply after learning of George's ordeal.