Two Boston doctors brought, by their admission, “probably two and a half times as much as we’d need” of baby food on a recent flight from Chicago Midway Airport to Manchester, N.H. The TSA agent told them it was above the official limit and confiscated it. The parents argued that in light of record delays, winter weather, and stranded-on-the-tarmac stories, they wanted to be fully prepared. The TSA officers told them they’d need a doctor’s note to bring that much food on board—but, um, from another doctor who wasn’t one of the parents.

Dr. Soni said he was raising the objection publicly because “I feel the message needs to be put across. I don’t think the T.S.A. has the training to exert judgment on what the nutritional needs of a baby are” for a 2 ½ hour flight, not to mention a possible long delay.

Dr. Soni stressed that he and his wife have no quarrel with the T.S.A. officers, but would like to see a rule allowing parents more discretion. He also suggested that airport shops inside the security zones consider selling baby food.

Hell, why don’t we just open supermarkets on the other side of the security checkpoint? Only then will our fear of death be fully defeated, when we can strip nude in the front of the airport, emerge from a cleansing security bath on the other side, and then go on an overpriced shopping spree to re-supply our lives with meaning.

“Bringing Along Baby Food? Not Too Much, Rules Say” [New York Times]

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