Posted on 08/17/2010 4:01:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Remember Popeye? Mr. “I’m strong to the the finish cause I eats my spinach?” The cartoon hasn’t aired in the U.S. for several years now, but I bet you know who I’m talking about.
Apparently, the classic tough guy can inspire kids to eat their spinach, too. A paper just published in the Australian journal Nutrition & Dietetics reports that four- and five-year-olds in Bangkok, Thailand doubled their vegetable intake during an eight-week study that involved watching Popeye cartoons. Of course, it’s hard to quantify Popeye’s influence exactly, because the kids in the study were simultaneously being exposed to hands-on activities like planting, tasting and learning to cook with vegetables. But it’s an interesting idea, isn’t it? (Hopefully he didn’t also inspire them to smoke pipes.)
Back when I was about their age, my family frequented a restaurant called The Ground Round, in Burlington, Vermont, where some brilliant mind had installed a small movie theater in the center of the dining area—the equivalent of a free babysitter. The waitstaff handed out baskets of free popcorn, turned on a reel of old-fashioned-and-thus-hopefully-inoffensive-to-everyone cartoons, and gave the adults a chance to enjoy a few minutes of uninterrupted conversation while their meals were cooking.
That’s where I got my first glimpse of Popeye, and I was fascinated. He was always ripping the tops of cans of spinach, chugging them like a soda, and beating up the bad guys with his bulging forearms. The spinach seemed to be magical; imparting its powers indifferently to anyone—or anything—that ate it. One of the episodes that sticks in my mind involves a fly finding its way into Popeye’s can of spinach and taking a few bites. Suddenly, the tiny bug acquires super strength, enough to start knocking Popeye himself around! (See Fred Grandinetti’s book, Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History, for a comprehensive guide to the spinach-fueled escapades of various characters through the years.)
Now, I don’t remember consciously thinking, “I want to eat spinach, too!” but I never objected to it on my plate as a kid, either. (Of course, my mother’s fresh spinach salads were a lot tastier than the algae-like glop Popeye tossed back.) On some level, maybe Popeye did influence my tastes. It wouldn’t have been the first time: He’s often credited with boosting American spinach consumption by 33 percent during the 1930s. (Although as this paper points out, coincidental factors probably played a role, too.)
Did Popeye have any effect on your eating habits? How about any other cartoon characters–Bugs Bunny and carrots, Garfield and lasagna, etc.?
No, but Fred & Barney made me want to smoke cigars and drink cactus juice.
The lesson to take from this is that pop culture can and do influence behavior.
Didn’t you say watching Popeye made you attracted to skinny chicks named after food?
Can I blame my huge stomach on Wimpy?
I was five when the Popeye franchise abused me. My mom would give bro and me a huge bowl of spinach after a show and we would polish it off. After many years of therapy I am able to convince the ones I love that I am normal .
Popeye ruled!
Though I like spinach, I’m still a carnivore, so I like vegetables on my plate...next to the potatoes and beside the MEAT!!
Spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus and cauliflower sucked as a kid. Love them all now.
Spinach Balls / Makes 36 appys-——nice with drinks.
Or serve as side dish. Seems too easy to be that good.
RECIPE Mix 2 pkg frozen chp spinach (thawed/drained), 2 c Pepperidge Farm stuffing, chp med onion, 4 beaten eggs, 8 tbl melted sweet butter, 1/2 c Parmesan. Form bite-size balls. Bake on sheetpan 375 deg to brown a bit.
NOTE Can do-ahead——freeze on sheetpan.
Defrost 20 min; heat thru 375 deg 20 min.
Wiley Coyote introduced me to a career in EOD teams....
Not only that, but “I yam what I yam!”
Sweet taters, nom nom!
Nice little getaway...ah....
Let us not forget poor ole Wimpy and his hamburgers...
I like my greens fried and mixed with red beans... whoowhee!
My plan was to eat just enough of it to able to refuse subsequent helpings through physical intimidation.
It just isn't worth it to force a kid to eat something he detests who has massive, tattooed, eight-year-old forearms and the ability to speedbag people five times their size and finish off with socking them over the horizon.
Interesting article! My 4 year old boy loves to watch the Popeye DVDs that we bought him and he loves to eat spinach. It works!
Spinach all alone....YUK!!
Roll into a bread. Bake in oven
Change ingredients to suit your taste.
Sounds good!
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