One of IFC Center's fascistic popcorn machines

Inspired by last week's Times feature about IFC Center's eerie gourmet-snack tendencies, Cinematical's Karina Longworth provides an interesting breakdown of how purveying flavored popcorn butter might suggest some more insidious class concerns:

I know what you're going to say - "Jesus, it's only butter - lighten up already." Sure, it's only butter - but it's NOT only butter. As far as I'm concerned, this is a huge issue of classism. When you order a bucket of popcorn at the IFC Center, you are immediately asked if you'd like "rosemary or truffled topping" - as if that was a totally normal question. Essentially, then, when you walk into that complex it is assumed that you have an answer to the question "rosemary or truffle?", and such an answer could only be based on previous culinary experience. This is absolutely absurd. Movies are suppossed to be the great communal cultural experience of our time - appreciation thereof should have zero to do with whether or not you can afford a meal at Da Silvano.

Longworth goes on to argue that such "obstinate concession counter snobbery," combined with the ongoing projectionists union quarrel spilling onto Sixth Avenue, could eventually cement IFC Center's reputation as "a fundamentally anti-populist arts organization."

Great points all, but let us be honest: Crummy movies are going to stifle the joint way before rosemary butter ever will (and Cablevision will never play ball with the union). That said, in case you cannot afford a meal at Da Silvano, you can always slum it at the Waverly at IFC restaurant, which—if recent theater visits are any indication—is one of the establishment's more, um, underused features.