YumSugar

Do You Smuggle Food Into Movie Theaters?

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:15:40 PDT

When I made microwave popcorn the other day, it sparked a conversation in the office about sneaking food into movie theaters.

Considering the majority of you like to eat popcorn at the movies, I'm wondering how many of you sneak in your popcorn? While I've never done the deed, I have plenty of friends who do, because store-bought popcorn is a fraction of the cost of movie-theater popcorn. I will admit to occasionally having snuck in my own candy and water, though. Fess up: Do you sneak food in, too?

What Do You Snack On When You Go to the Movies?

FitSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:30:00 PST

It is high movie season. All the Christmas movies are out. All the Oscar hopefuls. So many movies, so little time. More than what you are going to see, I am curious about what you eat when you watch whatever it is that you watch.

So tell me . . .

Source

When You Go To the Movies, What Do You Indulge In?

partysugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 03:17:17 PST

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage

The Good Men Project — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:30:42 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Mark Tyrrell offers eight relationship tools to make your marriage work.

"All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble." - Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it'll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

Teenage Dating in a Twilight-Hunger Games World

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people.

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

But when marriage doesn’t work it can feel being manacled to a maniac, marooned with a misogynist or nailed to a nag. And I don’t care what the studies say, that’s not healthy. You may hear couples say stuff like: “We are making our marriage work!” but how do we do this?

Making it work.

We pay lip service to “working on the marriage” but what is the work we need to do? Marriage vows such as “to love and to cherish” and “forsaking all others, for better or for worse” don’t really tell us how to make it work, although they give us a clue.

Fortunately a ton of research has been done on what to do and not do to make your marriage, or any intimate relationship work. Follow the guidelines here to become “good at marriage."

Tip one: Be romantic but keep it real.

We are all (force?) fed romance in movies and novels. The handsome man gets the beautiful woman. But what I wonder is what happens after our romantic couple ride off into the sunset together? What do they do exactly? Bicker? Moan at one another? Start to ignore each other?

After all that romance, our beautiful couple is bound to have massive expectations of their life together. But when rose tinted expectations clash with day to reality, watch out!

Romance is vital in any relationship. Always seeing the best in your partner helps to keep things intimate and love should be expressed. But if you have been raised on Mills and Boon Romance novels or feel-good movies, then your own romantic expectations can work against the sustainability of your long term relationship.

When day to day life fails to live up to the giddy, heady lust-filled days of the pre-settled down romance people can become angry, even blame one another: “This wasn’t what I signed up for." They find it hard to take the rough with the smooth because they never really figured there would be any rough.

Expectations not diluted with at least a dash of realism can be a royal road to relationship ruin. Your partner may be an angel, but they have feet of clay. You must learn to love those feet or at least accept them a bit!

Get the rest after the jump!

The Dictator: Ruled by Tasteless but Funny Jokes

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:23 PDT

Full disclosure: I laughed out loud many times during The Dictator, knowing full well that I should have been offended instead. But what you see is what you get when it comes to Sacha Baron Cohen, and after movies like Bruno and Borat, you already know whether you'll be able to find humor in film about a horrifyingly ignorant world leader who's as naive, racist, and prejudiced as they come.

I know that sounds hard to swallow, but there is a big difference between The Dictator and Cohen's previous work: this time, it doesn't even feel remotely real. Whereas Borat and Bruno are made to taunt and embarrass what appear to be unsuspecting, everyday people, there's no mistaking The Dictator for what it is: a total farce that comes complete with actors you've seen before. It may sound obvious, but having Cohen's Aladeen interact with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, and John C. Reilly makes the whole story easier to digest - and much easier to laugh at in spite of yourself.

To see what else I enjoyed about The Dictator, just

At the core, The Dictator is really a fish-out-of water comedy, just taken to staggeringly inappropriate levels. Aladeen has ruled his North African country, Wadiya, since he was a small child, and in many ways, he's never grown up. While he's busy ordering execution for anyone that rubs him the wrong way (including the engineer that couldn't make his nuclear weapon pointy enough), his uncle Tamir (Kingsley) is the one that's really making the decisions about how the country should be run. Predictably, Tamir turns on Aladeen and seizes power during a trip to NYC, leaving Aladeen lost, penniless, and unrecognizable on the streets of the Big Apple.

The Dictator then turns into a bizarre romantic comedy, as Aladeen befriends a crunchy protester named Chloe (Anna Faris), who he initially mistakes for a boy. Chloe gives Aladeen his first job in her organic whole foods store, which opens a Pandora's box of jokes about the irony of a world leader wearing a hairnet. Meanwhile, Aladeen hatches a plan to bring down his uncle, and somewhere along the way, you start rooting for the same guy that suggests aborting a baby because it's not a boy.

I'm not saying that The Dictator is sophisticated by any means, or even groundbreaking as a comedy. Cohen spares us no expense of crude humor that pushes the envelope (and literally takes us inside a woman's birth canal), and if you're not a fan for Cohen's brand of humor, you'll probably walk out of the theater before you even get there. But if you've ever found his antics to be funny before, chances are you will again - even if you're slightly embarrassed to admit it when the credits roll.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Buzz Lines: What's Your Favorite Quote From Dude, Where's My Car?

Maggie Pehanick — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

It's hard to imagine a stoner comedy called Dude, Where's My Car? would leave such a lasting impression, but with its alien strippers, space-time continuums, and incredibly persistent drive-through workers, it's become an endlessly quotable flick. Fun fact: the title of the movie itself (probably the most recited line from the film) was grabbed from a scene in cult hit The Big Lebowski, so it was probably destined for quotability from the start. What are your favorite lines from Dude, Where's My Car?

"Shibby!" - Jesse and Chester
"And then?" - Chinese Food Lady
"Dude, what does mine say?" - Chester

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox Films

Not So Fast: 4 Ways Post-Workout Snacks Lead to Weight Gain

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:48:51 PDT

After finishing an intense workout, refueling is a must to restore water, electrolytes, and energy. But if you're not careful the snack you choose could end up undoing the good you've done, leading to extra pounds on the scale. Before grabbing just any old snack after working out, learn how the wrong choice can lead to weight gain.

Chowing on a minimeal: A post-workout snack is just that - a snack. And unless it's mealtime, what you eat after an average workout should be around 150 calories. Since healthy foods like trail mix can be high in calories, measure out a serving instead of mindlessly chomping straight out of the bag. If you're looking for some ideas, here are 10 post-workout snacks under 150 cals.
Chugging a sports drink: Liquid calories are still calories, and if you gulp a 120-calorie bottle of Gatorade along with a snack, calories really start to add up. For workouts under an hour (or low-impact activities), good old zero-calorie H2O is the perfect way to rehydrate.
Choose wisely: While you could really go for an enormous brownie after your run, it's not the best way to refuel after a workout. Your body needs carbs and protein, and if you choose a sugary or high-fat treat, you'll be hungry for something else soon after, which means consuming more calories. High-fat and sugary foods are also not the best choices when it comes to repairing the muscles to prevent soreness the next day.
Rewarding yourself with food: I'm all for rewarding fitness goals, but edible rewards are risky business. Hitting the ice cream parlor for a waffle cone or local café for a plate of cheese fries may sound like heaven on earth, but constantly using high-calorie foods as a way to pat your fit self on the back means tons of extra calories consumed. Find other healthy ways to reward your efforts, such as getting a pedicure, buying a new fitness top, or hitting the movies with your running buddy.

Source: Flickr User mary_thompson

Our Favorite Food Moments in Film

Laura Marie Given — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:43:16 PDT

In some movie scenes, it's not the actors that steal the show - it's the food. We're looking back on some of the most memorable food moments in film, from the sugary world of Willy Wonka to the baby corn in Big. Take a look, then share your favorite food scenes in the comments below!

May the Fourth Be With You - and Cake Too

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:14:46 PDT

Today is May 4, the unofficial holiday that Star Wars fans have proclaimed Star Wars Day. If you encounter anyone wearing fanboy paraphernalia this Friday, make sure to greet them properly by saying, "May the fourth be with you." It will give you instant geek cred.

We made a Star Trek cake for Captain Picard's birthday, so of course we had to make a sweet treat for May 4 too.

To replicate this fabulous and fairly easy Star Wars cake, take a look at my decorating tips.

4 Simple Tips to Encourage Your Kids' Creativity

Laura Marie Given — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:06:21 PDT

Painting and drawing are great artistic outlets, but creativity means more than simply diving into a box of crayons. To encourage your kids' creativity in other areas, it's best to step outside the box and introduce them to fresh, new activities and environments. Whether it's a quick cooking date or a day spent out on the town, we've come up with four simple tips to help your little ones exercise their imaginations:

Invite them into the kitchen. Make a space for your kids in your cooking routine and teach them about different spices or food combinations. Let them create their own recipes, have taste tests, and bring them to the farmers market to introduce them to new foods. Giving them a glimpse of what goes into their meals is a great way to stimulate their curiosity and maybe even kick-start a new passion.
Turn off the TV and turn up the music. Whether it's during arts and crafts or while your kids do their homework, try switching the focus away from TV and computers. Instead, play different kinds of music that the lil ones may not be used to - from classical compositions to indie ballads to the Beatles, listening to something different can spark their inspiration in new, unexpected ways.

Keep reading for more creativity-boosting tips.