Can you travel with Jell-o?

Published 9:36 am Monday, August 21, 2006

By Staff
In the editorial cartoon found on this page, you'll see an artist rendition of what you aren't allowed to take on airplanes these days.
I'm not one to fly off to exoctic places. Shoot, I don't even fly off to non-exotic places. It's not that I mind flying. I've done it twice in my life. It's just that I don't have much desire to get too far away from home. If I can drive there in a couple of hours, I'm good. No flying necessary.
But for those folks who do fly, the security is getting a little aggravating. We're all for security in airports and wouldn't want the guards to take a break when our co-passengers are boarding the plane.
It's probably worth the extra time the added security requires just to know you're safe. But, somehow, the process needs to be a little more streamlined and a little more concise, so that Goober the Security Guard will know exactly what can and can't be taken onto the plane.
It seems that the big issue right now is a concern over liquids being taken onto a plane. The news has made it somewhat clear that things like mouthwash, toothpaste, deodorant, eye drops and such are not permiited on board a plane. Even hair gel was added to the list.
The question I have now is this: If I'm going to go to a family reunion in California (don't laugh, I do have an uncle who lives near Bakersfield), can I take my famous Jell-o mold?
According to the new guidelines, I may have to leave the mold at home. How disappointing for family members who are used to having some form of jiggling sweetness at the end of the dessert table at the grand family reunion.
So I guess it all comes down to safety. For safety's sake I can't take my dippity-do with me on the trip so my naturally curly hair will be frizzed out beyond belief in that dry desert heat. I can't take my mouthwash, so you won't be able to stand within a few feet of me while we discuss old times. I won't be able to take my eyedrops with me, so you might think I've been on an all-night drinking binge since my eyes will be very red from the trip. I won't be able to take my deodorant, so that few feet away because of the mouthwash elimination will become a few yards.
So if you expect me to arrive at the family reunion with frizzy hair, bad breath, red eyes and body odoralong with the humiliation of showing up WITHOUT the ever-famous Jell-o mold, forget it.
I'll stay on the ground and wish my family lots of love from a couple of thousand miles away and eat my Jell-o in peace.
Lisa Tindell is a news writer for The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 867-4876 or by email at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com