I manage to hold up airport security on almost every trip. The other weekend, it was a half-gallon Ball canning jar with raw, whole gold beets. "I'm gonna have to run this through again," the agent said, pulling the half-gallon- and quart-sized jars out of my backpack while the other agent does a full pat-down. Who stuffs half-gallon glass jars into a backpack, packs suspicious-looking footswitches, opts out of the tube scanner and gets a hair pat-down? Apparently me, although the agent didn't seem surprised. He's probably seen weirder stuff.
"So it was you with the beets!" said a man on the plane. Oh yes, yes, it was. I think airport security is fun, but then I'll realize that I'm at the airport, and that everyone's real goal at an airport isn't to chat up airport security, but rather, to get on a plane.
What's the weirdest or most seemingly suspicious thing you've had to bring through airport security or customs?
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Comments - 2
Along the same (edible) lines, I somehow thought it normal to transport a not-so-smallish wheel of Parmesan cheese back to the states in my backpack (since I had been in Parma, Italy). It doesn’t go bad quickly… why not? It was the real deal! Ended up getting some funny looks but worked out just fine.
Casey
said on May 26, 2012 at 7:47 amI thought they stopped me because I had small sewing scissors and a bunch of needles, but it turned out that my metal can full of pennies was the offender. I have yet to see another airport employee look so discouraged.
Another time they asked me if I knew of any liquids in my bag but they had to look anyway. After they pulled out my Misfits lunchbox, I knew. They opened it to find a small swarm of vintage ink jars, full of ink along with the rest of my calligraphy supplies. The attendant gave me a sort of motherly look of understanding, telling me to put them in my checked baggage next time.
Lastly, not quite the same as a plane but similar. My mother came with my friend and I when I was 14 as our “chaperone” to a Green Day concert. Her knitting needles were confiscated at the door :D
Danae
said on June 8, 2012 at 11:54 pm