Exploding Spice

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LovelyLadyLux
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Exploding Spice

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

On my return trip home we were both up at 4am and to the Airport by 4:30am. Got checked in ok and got my boarding passes, said goodbye to the daughter and headed through security.

Before I continue I have to say that Canada has a long history of serious animosity between English and French speakers. Lots of stories always float about re: tourists going to Quebec getting lost and not being able to get anybody to help them as the French refuse to even try to assist anybody not speaking French. That being said at the Airport ALL signs were in French.

So - returning to my story - I go to Security and lift all my stuff up into the trays on the conveyor belts. I walk through the x-ray thing with no beeps, bongs or dinging. My purse and jacket skim through easily but as I stand waiting for my hard sided carry on to go through I see the fellow looking and looking and backing it up and looking some more.

I only brought a carry on and didn't really have that much in it but he was definitely focused on something.

Another Security Guard is summoned who grabs my case beckons to me to follow and carries my little suitcase over to a table, unzips and starts to paw through. Then he dumps it and continues to look. Finally I ask "Puis-je aider?" (Can I help you?) and he replies he is looking for the glass elaborating that it could explode mid flight sending sharp glass everywhere!!!!

I was standing trying to think if I'd heard him & translated correctly when he finds ONE of THE MOST DANGEROUS OBJECTS TO PASS THROUGH SECURITY ........ a small glass spice jar that Kimberly had given me and I'd wrapped up in my skirt.

She actually had given me two of these - small tiny jars she used to keep her spices in
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I was able to tell him where the other jar was and he was visibly thankful both jars were "vide" (empty) and had to take both of them to show the Head of Security there that all I had were two empty jars. Lots of discussion across the room and back comes the fellow with my two spice jars thus averting an international incident although he did explain to me that both my jars could have spontaneously exploded mid-flight causing damage.

I didn't say a word but that was hard.

Then he started to re-pack for me basically stuffing my stuff back into my suitcase. Part of me was going to tell him I'd do it myself BUT BUT BUT I am fully aware of how touchy the French can be so I thought better of actually saying anything and let him do what he wanted to do as I didn't really want to be detained and end up missing my flight.

While there I had bought an acrylic picture on canvas. It is for over the bed of on the one twins bed here as right now I have a big old floral type picture with a glass front. It is heavy, the glass always reflects back so you rarely see the picture anyway so have been looking for another picture for a long time. Found one that had something of a child theme so bought it and have the artist roll it for easy transport back here.

This Security fellow at the airport actually bent it to shove it into my suitcase. I didn't actually SEE him do it but when I got home here is my rolled picture bent at a 90 degrees 2/3rd of the way up.
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Now I have about 5 dings where he managed to crack the acrylic paint
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IF I had of been in English speaking Canada I'd of easily been able to say I'll re-pack and we could have actually (Maybe) laughed over the exploding spice jars HOWEVER such is not necessarily the case in French speaking Canada. One feature of our society here is that it is absolutely taboo and forbidden on any level to criticize Quebec. Nobody does and it IS earth shattering if you do and the French here will pull the victim cards in a heart beat. All English speaking Provinces still make equalization payments TO Quebec yet their economy is, in some respects, healthier now than the rest of us.

Rant over.........but half kicking myself for not saying something to this man but I know why I didn't.
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