Goodness. I would love to say I am surprised but I am sooo past that point with humanity.

The TSA checker at LAX Terminal 7 seemed to think so; luckily his supervisor did not.

And yes, I had a can of SPAM (Bacon-flavored, to be exact) in my backpack. It's a Hawaiian thing.

You admit that? ;) :D

Good friend of mine from Guam would have done that too - same principle as the Hawaiians. :)

Koreans also love SPAM. I've been eating the stuff since I was a kid and still eat it on occasion (SPAM Light, though - gotta be at least a LITTLE health-conscious). My dad explained to me that the American GI's would give them cans of SPAM to eat when they were migrating south during the Korean War. Apparently, Koreans grew to love the stuff and it's been popular in South Korea ever since.

Always when I travel via Dubai to Bangkok I buy Caviar at Dubai airport.
This fresh caviar is then packed in a cooler box with ice packs which is placed in my carryon, As I’m in the duty free area this is not a problem.
But when I arrive in Bangkok I have to check-in again for my domestic flight.
You have to see the eyes from the x-ray monitor screener when she sees my bag. :D
1 Computer in the carry on
2 Lot of toiletries and not in a separate bag
3 and the caviar in the cooler with the ice bags.
You can understand that my bag is always flagged up for extra inspection.
There they are very interested in the caviar and the ice bags and most of the time I have to explain what caviar is.
When they are finished looking disgusted I’m on my way to the plane with all my stuff. :)
Never had I had any problem with taken it with me.
I think that this would be impossible if I would be flying to the states. :p

I am pleased to report that we got an order of Maggiano's lasagna through security at BNA yesterday without incident.

This forum makes me sad for humanity...but it's not the forum, it's what the forum reports on. This forum and Photography is not a Crime.

given the 'average'* human body contains about 40 liters of water - how on earth does the TSA allow ANYBODY through the checkpoint?? :rolleyes::p:rolleyes:

*given how few 'average' shaped persons I have witnessed in the USA - that figure may be considerably higher.

It's an old thread, but "pasta is a liquid" stands out for me as possibly the dumbest thing airport security (and I'll note that this time, it's NOT the TSA) has ever done. Not the meanest, not the most illegal, not the most immoral, but in the category of "dumber than a bag of hammers", this one takes the prize. :p

""Pasta is a liquid" is a clear sign of a ominous trend towards thinking by TSOs. Thinking, especially creative or critical thinking, is against TSA policy.:p Please remember to check your thought processes before you start your shift."

From the 2011 revised TSA handbook.

There was a problem at security and the supervisor handled it appropriately. How is this threadworthy?

:rolleyes:

A clueless TSO wants to ban dried pasta because it could become a liquid if you add water to it... Don't you find it kind of a humorous logical stretch? Isn't there a huge class of materials that the same :-:logic:-: could be applied to, that pass through check points on a frequent basis?

Perhaps you don't see how humorous this really is?

I bumped the thread because in my case, I believe the "problem" (a can of SPAM in my carry-on) shouldn't have required a supervisor's attention. In all fairness, I am glad the TSA checker took the time to ask his supervisor instead of insisting that I discard it. I found it far more humorous than upsetting and certainly didn't verbally abuse anyone over it. It's just one of those strange and random things that one encounters these days.

Folks, it is probably a lot simpler an explanation for the idiotic response from the TSA agent.

1. Agent NOT allowed to make decisions.
2. Agent MUST follow guidelines.
3. Agent sees NO OTHER reference to "pasta" in guidelines except "pasta sauce = liquid" and is compelled by system to say "liquid" because it is the closest identifier he can lock into system.

Maybe it's even simpler...the screener was hungry for Italian.