[Sca-cooks] Re: Fruitcakes Are Dangerous (and so is sugar paste)

[Maggie MacDonald]

At 05:05 AM 12/24/2003,Elise Fleming said something like:
>When I traveled to the Cooks' Convention in Colorado Springs to teach a 
>class on sugar paste, I had a sealed-from-the-factory bag of commercially 
>labeled gum paste mix as well as a large blob (1-1.5 lb.) of gum paste 
>already mixed up and in a ziploc bag.  Both were in my checked 
>luggage.  While waiting to board the plane, a man came up to me and asked 
>if I was who I was, and then just what was it I had in my luggage, 
>please?  I told him.  He said that was what they thought it was since I 
>had books of gum paste design and photos along with the other items.  He 
>left and I figured everything was okay.  When I finally opened the bag in 
>the hotel room I discovered that some *%#@! had _slit_ the bag of gum 
>paste powder.  The powdered sugar had infiltrated everything in the 
>suitcase - books, clothes, fabric of the lining - everything.  I had about 
>half a bag left.   No one said they'd done anything.  None of the idiots 
>had put the damaged bag into one of the empty ziploc bags that !
>were next to it.  Sugar paste plastique!
>
>Alys Katharine

*grumble*  I lost an entire large container of Malaysian cinnamon to the 
TSA this last summer. While travelling to visit friends/family in the 
ozarks I packed my small tackle box of spices.  Everything was fine on the 
flight out. On my return flight some rocket scientist decided that the 
cinnamon looked suspicious. I found 3 of my 4 suitcase latches 
shattered/missing, the cinnamon had been opened and the lid not put back 
on. It wasn't even inside the tackle box!! It was all over the entire 
interior of my suitcase, coating the small tent, the bedding, the clothes, 
shoes, everything.  BAH!  The minor amusing point in all of it was that 
they never even touched the 10 inch chef knife that was in the duffle bag 
being shipped with it.  (but still, BAH!)

Regards, and cheers,
Maggie MacD.