Shawna and I watched The Narrow Margin last night (here's the trailer). All in all, a really good movie (although, I think Shawna thought it was a little silly or something), but there was some really weird dialogue:
Anne Sinclair: He's very excitable.
Det. Brown: You're probably feeding him wrong ... Too many oats.
Then later in the film, Anne Sinclair is ordering breakfast:
Anne Sinclair: Waiter ... We'd like some orange juice, oatmeal, and milk for the boy.
What the heck? The "too many oats" comment was odd enough, but when the script had Mrs. Sinclair ordering oatmeal for her really hyperactive son, I was curious (one mention of something odd is a fluke; two is an agenda). A quick Google searches didn't yield anything to explain this, but I wonder: did people used to think oatmeal caused hyperactivity? Because searching for "oatmeal hyperactivity" yielded this link to The Hyperactivity Hoax by Sydney Walker III:
"We gave him some oatmeal," VanOrnum said. "The oatmeal had this 'magical' effect." The little boy didn't need a lifetime of medication; he needed a good breakfast.
As a big oatmeal fan, myself, I couldn't agree more. Here's my recipe for oatmeal:
Andrew's "Fancy" Oatmeal:
Yield: 1 serving
- In a saucepan, heat 1.5oz Gosling's Black Seal Rum (Cruzan Blackstrap also works well, if you want a beefed up molasses flavor) along with around 2T raisins over medium high until the alcohol boils off (you'll know because you can stick your nose in the steam without crying from the alcohol).
- At this point, follow the package directions for one serving of oats, but replace water with milk (or cream). Don't forget to add a dash of salt (if the instructions don't mention it). Also, you may need to cook an extra minute or two.
- Your oatmeal probably won't need any sugar (thanks to our friend, Mr. Rum).
Anyway, enjoy this in good (mental) health.