Living: A Familiar Munch Goes Gourmet

With mid new flavors available, U.S. popcorn sales explode

It used to be an oleaginous mulch that clogged the incisors at movie theaters. Today, like pasta, pizza and the humble potato, popcorn has gone gourmet. Or, at least, wild. Now, with a few of the dozens of new flavors available, it is possible to have an entire dinner composed of popcorn. After the cocktail hour (piña colada flavor with sour-cream-and-onion popcorn for hors d'oeuvres), the finger-fed meal features New England-clam-chowder popcorn, barbecue popcorn for entrees, fruit salad composed of strawberry, grape and cantaloupe popcorn and, for dessert, chocolate-fudge popcorn.

In between meals,...