This is my favorite tea story yet! Had to share it with you guys.
So, I visited some family in Minnesota last week. My grandmother gave me a cylindrical tin of green mango tea. It is the Tazo tea kit, with a little tin infuser on the top. My grandpa gave me half a pound of Cambazola cheese as well. The tea was given right before we were leaving, so I tossed it into my carry on. I was going to eat some of the cheese on the plane, so it was also in my carry on.
We get to the airport, and we are going through security. I have walked through the metal detector, my shoes are on the conveyor, right behind my carry on. And they stop the belt. An announcement is made. "Supervisor to security check-point one, please." Hm. It would be really nice to have my shoes now....being barefoot in the airport is no fun, really. The TSA woman swivels the monitor around, to show some of the other TSA-folk milling around. I can tell from the shape that it is my bag. But what in the WORLD is that blue thing in the middle of my bag?!
And then I laugh. It's my Tazo Tea Tin!
So, they get the supervisor out there. They swab it down, checking for explosives residue, I guess. Then they carefully remove the bag from the belt, and a stern woman turns to me and says "Who does this bag belong to?" I pipe up, "That's mine!" Luckily, I get my shoes at this point in time.
So, they go through my bag, open the tea, smell it, check out my cheese, smell it (luckily I ate the really stinky cheese the day before!). The woman walks back over to me with all of the things, and gives me a stern talking to about how I pack my carry on. Apparently, a tea tin, half a pound of cheese and an mp3 player all bundled up together looks just like a BOMB!
Jun 19th, '08, 04:57
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twistedinside
Great story! My friend had a similar experience with a foil wrapped baked potato they thought was a hand granade.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
oh my goodness...this story is great! I'm picturing your tea tin and mp3 player sitting snuggly togehter in your carry on and then picturing it coming up on the x-ray screen. Then the sleepy TSA agent perking up and going 'Whhhhaaaaaatttt? is that.?"
Well, at least they didn't take it away! I hope you're going to enjoy your 'contraband' tea soon.
Well, at least they didn't take it away! I hope you're going to enjoy your 'contraband' tea soon.
Jun 19th, '08, 13:32
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Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
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Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
That is too funny...I bet that did look a little scarey, TI makes a pipe bomb and tries to carry it on. Riiiight. Well, at any rate, I am glad to see they are actually looooking.
Coming home from Vegas and the Expo, I was determined to only carry on so I could zip to my car at 6 AM. (by the way, never schedule a flight for early Monday morning. In Philly, they were lined up to the Liberyty Bell waiting to check in)
I had sooo many foil wrapped samples and 2 kyusu stuffed in my bag....but went right through the scanning. How many kyusu do they ever see. I thought for sure they would take a hard look.
Coming home from Vegas and the Expo, I was determined to only carry on so I could zip to my car at 6 AM. (by the way, never schedule a flight for early Monday morning. In Philly, they were lined up to the Liberyty Bell waiting to check in)
I had sooo many foil wrapped samples and 2 kyusu stuffed in my bag....but went right through the scanning. How many kyusu do they ever see. I thought for sure they would take a hard look.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
I would suggest the chapter on airport security from J. Bovard's "Terrorism and Tyranny" if you want to get a chilling look at how profoundly ineffective TSA screening is, and how boneheadedly palliative as well. Nail clippers and tea get confiscated, but when tested by FAA authorities, over 40% of smuggled handguns make it through. Not to mention four air marshals forgetting their handguns in airplane bathrooms (none of them got fired for it) - or the TSA attempting to confiscate a WWII veteran's Medal of Honor because it had 'sharp edges' (he was in his 80's at the time, no less) - and none of the screeners knowing what a Medal of Honor was... *sigh* ... as well as TSA screeners routinely caught 'confiscating' jewelry and watches. And the over 400% rise in sexual harassment cases since 2001, TSA screeners 'groping' attractive women. And who gave a stern talking to - to whom, exactly? Sounds like that scenario was all backwards - the folly of reason in the midst of a cold war.
Google 'Joe Foss TSA' to get a feel for how inept these idiots are. Or see http://www.gadling.com/2008/01/24/loade ... -security/
I have no problem with them checking for bombs... but giving you a 'stern talking to'? That's just rankly offensive, considering the source. Whoof - I need a cup of tea...
Google 'Joe Foss TSA' to get a feel for how inept these idiots are. Or see http://www.gadling.com/2008/01/24/loade ... -security/
I have no problem with them checking for bombs... but giving you a 'stern talking to'? That's just rankly offensive, considering the source. Whoof - I need a cup of tea...