Think Before You Munch

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Sunday afternoons are usually my only free time to relax, and during the summer I’m as happy as a clam if there’s an A’s baseball game on. This last Sunday I plunked myself down on the sofa for some quality “veg out” time. The A’s were playing; I had my box of Crunch ‘n Munch and a large glass of iced tea — perfect.

I was happily munching away when I noticed an unusual piece of toffee-coated popcorn. It was an exact replica of a human brain, but obviously a much smaller version. The color of the toffee made “the brain” seem even more realistic. It even had the squiggly membranes and a line down the center dividing it into halves. After turning the “brain” around and inspecting it thoroughly, I popped it in my mouth and continued with my relaxation.

It wasn’t until two days later when I mentioned the “popcorn brain” to my co-workers that I realized I may have eaten a tidy profit. I’ve come across dozens of stories over the years of people raking in a pretty penny for a piece of toast with the image of the Virgin Mary, a potato chip that looks like Alfred Hitchcock’s profile or some other food oddity. My popcorn brain might not have been that rare, but it might have been a lot of fun to put it up for sale and see what kind of bids it attracted.

I mean, a hot Cheeto that resembled Michael Jackson doing his famous moonwalk, according to the seller, did sell for $35.18 earlier this summer.

Maybe next time I find something weird I won’t be so quick to dispose of it and will list it. The entertainment value alone would be well worth the 15-cent insertion fee.

I may not even have to wait too long to see what other fun food I come across. I could buy “bread stamps” and make my own religious toast.