Making air travel safe, one ridiculous restriction at a time.

On a recent visit to San Francisco, I dropped by Ghirardelli Square for one of their amazingly good hot fudge sundaes (containing, of course, the vanilla ice cream they're famous for). A sign caught my eye: Transportation Security Administration rules prohibit air travelers from bringing Ghirardelli's hot fudge on board as a carry-on item.

One might question this. If there are terrorists out there who are using fudge sauce as a weapon, well, now, that's terror. What's the strategy: fatten up the passengers so they can't get out of the plane?

In all seriousness, you have to wonder: why chocolate sauce? A quick glance at the TSA website suggests that it's permissible if it's carried in a three-ounce container. Now, I ask you, is that anywhere enough chocolate to satisfy a traveler on a cross-country flight? Haven't these guys ever heard of PMS?

I mean, really. On this most recent flight, they served a choice of cheese steak or cream of asparagus soup. Doesn't it seem like hot cheese whiz or a steaming bowl of creamy soup would do a lot more damage than some room-temperature fudge sauce?

Ya gotta wonder.

(Interestingly, while Googling "TSA," I discovered it's also the acronym for the Tourette Syndrome Association. Just coincidence, or a sly reference to the spontaneous swearing heard at airport security?)