Key Takeaways
In 1994, at the age of 10, I’d get off the school bus and head straight for the microwave. It was my after-school ritual—a bag of Cousin Willie’s white cheddar popcorn and two straight hours of 90210 reruns (homework can wait, I need to know if Kelly is going to pick Brandon or Dylan!). Those were simpler times. While so very much has changed since then, my love for Cousin Willie’s popcorn has remained as steadfast as Kelly Taylor’s love for… herself.
What Makes Cousin Willie’s Popcorn So Good?
In the world of snacks, there are chips people, pretzel people, and popcorn people; and I am firmly in the popcorn people camp, in the especially devout cheese popcorn subgroup. From Orville Redenbacher’s sprinkle-over cheddar microwave popcorn (which apparently no longer exists!?) to a fresh bag of Smartfood, I’ve never met a bag of cheese popcorn I didn’t like.
I love Cousin Willie’s the most because of its subtle parmesan-y flavor, with a nice round nuttiness that telegraphs: real cheese within. And thankfully, unlike a lot of other cheese popcorn brands, it doesn’t coat the fingers in cheese dust, which, while objectively delicious, is also kind of gross, especially on the hands of my children…