So I picked up this adorable little jar of really natural organic caramel sauce when I was in New York City last week. Got home from cute little kosher grocery store, looked at the receipt and saw that I had paid $10.99 for it. Ouch.

I promptly tasted it and decided it was worth keeping. Brand is The Date Lady (www.ilovedatelady.com), and it has three ingredients: dates, caramel extract and sea salt. That’s it! Awesome, really. I looked forward to serving it with non-dairy desserts and feeling good about it.

On another NY shopping trip, I bought a couple fruit carving tools – v-shaped kiwi cutter and cool swirly melon baller thing.

So I go through security on the way home and of course they pull me over to examine my bag. TSA guy asks me if there’s anything sharp in my bag. Oh shoot – I realize they’re going to take away my carving tools. I feel kind of stupid, but I tell him that I have a carving tool and I prepare to be disarmed. He says, okay, I just want to be sure I don’t poke myself when I’m going through your bag.

And then he pulls out my caramel sauce, slowly unwraps the bags I put it in for protection, examines the ounces listed on the jar, and says, this is too big. You can’t take this on the flight.

I say you’re kidding. That’s an $11 dollar bottle of caramel sauce. Take my $3 carving tool. Take my make-up, my mint gum, take anything, but don’t take my caramel sauce. Okay, I didn’t say all that. What I asked is, is someone at least going to be able to enjoy it? To which he answered brutally – no, we throw it out.

Ouch. Again.

Is it just me, or is there something seriously wrong with our TSA?? Wait, that was totally obvious and always has been. I’ll end with something more clever…

As you fly the friendly skies, know you’ll be safe from caramel sauce, large Greek yogurts, full size tubes of toothpaste, and fancy bottles of wine. But definitely watch out for those ice cream toppings. They can be lethal, even with only three pure and natural ingredients.

If anyone in New York and the surrounding areas is reading this, please go out and buy some Date Lady caramel sauce. Pour it over your ice cream or cheesecake, into your latte, or just pour it right into your mouth (if it’s been that kind of day). And think of me.