Movie night at my house may never be the same. And that's a good thing, because it's not about the movies, it's about the popcorn.

We always fought over which movie to rent. I was perfectly happy with anything featuring John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. I also approved of some comedies, especially older ones that were actually funny. My wife likes Nicolas Cage; I hate that guy. My kids like horror movies and anything containing the word "Jackass."

Even with all the squabbling over the movies themselves, we would all — eventually — agree on something to watch, and then complain about it after it ended. But the real drama on movie night wasn't on the screen, it was in the bowl, the popcorn bowl.

I'm a bit of a popcorn purist. I like to pour actual popcorn kernels into hot oil in a pan on the stove and gently shake the pot as the corn pops. When it's done, light and fluffy, I add a little salt and I'm good to go.

My daughter wants to put a paper bag of popcorn in the microwave, hit the button and pace the kitchen for two minutes until it's done.

In a perfect world, my wife likes my popcorn, if I'm willing to melt a little butter to pour over the top. Short of that, she's perfectly happy to settle for a portion of my daughter's microwave bag. My son will eat anything we put in front of him, as long as he doesn't have to make it.

The issue is the microwave popcorn, and specifically, the butter flavoring that covers it. My daughter favors the extra-heavy-duty, mega-slurp "movie theater-style" butter flavoring. I think the stuff looks, smells and tastes like runoff from a toxic waste dump. And, however you prefer your popcorn, you can't convince me that you actually think it tastes like butter.

The faux butter splatters all over the microwave, invades the pores of your hands so they smell like a theater snack bar for three days, and the odor permeates the house. I don't even like to smell it, let alone taste it and, now, despite my daughter's protestations, it appears I may have a point.

ConAgra Foods Inc. has announced that it will change the recipe on its Orville Redenbacher and Act II popcorn brands to eliminate a chemical that is used to add "butter" flavoring because it has been linked to a lung ailment contracted mostly by workers in popcorn plants.

The chemical, diacetyl, has been linked to a life-threatening disease commonly called popcorn lung. To be fair, it appears that the condition results from long and heavy exposure to the chemical and federal health officials haven't found any evidence to suggest that a bowl of popcorn on movie night poses a health risk to consumers — at least not from the chemical.

Still, I'm hoping the move signals a trend away from artificial flavoring in all its iterations. Let's get rid of bacon-flavored "bits" for our salads and cheese-flavored anything. And let's not stop with food. Let's take the "lemon" out of furniture polish and make possession of scented candles a crime.

If you want your house to smell like lemons, slice a few fresh ones. If you want cheese in your food, grate a little Gouda, and if you want butter on your popcorn, try the real thing. That will make both the popcorn factory workers and the cows happy.

— Contact Star columnist Bill Nash at bnash805@aol.com.