Someone was not having a very Merry Christmas Eve at the airport a couple weeks ago. Rebecca Hains of Massachusetts tried to fly home from Las Vegas with a vanilla-bourbon-frosted cupcake stored in a jar. But airport security agents confiscated the cupcake, claiming they suspected the frosting of harboring dangerous weapons-grade terrorism gel, or something like that.
Point is, they said her "container" of "gel" -- more than the 3 ounces allowed by airline rules -- posed a security risk. The Internets laughed at the idea back when the story first broke in December. But just today, TSA had the gall to post about the incident on their blog, and get this: They still defend their decision! Is this the Federal agency that killed Christmas, or should we be bribing TSA agents with cupcakes?
Okay, first of all, I still don't understand how TSA can consider frosting a gel -- there is no gelatin in there. No agar agar. Take it from someone who has labored over a homemade buttercream: It's a paste, a wondrous, frothy, sugary paste. Not a gel.
I think those of us in the more-frosting-is-better camp of the cupcake debate know that sometimes carrying home a cupcake in a box just doesn't work. If you've got uber-frosting, your cupcake actually needs its own secure carry-on container. And yes, that might mean a glass jar with a metal lid.
But the real issue here is, TSA agents are kind of cranky, don't you think? I mean, who takes a cupcake away from a schoolteacher? WHO DOES THAT??? Does someone need a cupcake of their own? Is that what this is really about? Because that I can understand. You're working on a holiday, everyone BUT you has treats. Cupcake Rebecca probably should have just taken a couple extra cupcakes for bribes. Or on second thought -- maybe the TSA is on the less-frosting side of the cupcake debate. Ooh, which would totally make them almost as evil as the terrorists. I'm totally joking about that! Don't take my cupcake away, TSA agents. Or my passport. Wait, are you putting me on that scary list of suspicious passengers? I didn't mean it!!!
Do you think copious amounts of cupcake frosting could pose a security risk on an airplane?
Image via zigazou76/Flickr