In the past few trips, we have talked about the joys of bringing fresh food along for the ride. Eating on vacation doesn't always offer great possibilities to eat fruits and vegetables. But carrying around fresh fruit and vegetables, especially from a farmers market, can make a vacation more satisfying, more healthy, and more delicious.
Unless you have your food taken away by mean security guards.
Okay, the security guards weren't really mean, but the policies involved were severely harsh. Of course, if I had known that the U.S. Capitol was so extreme about the rules, I would have come in virtually naked.
Usually, if a place doesn't want you to consume outside food – a very understandable position – you can keep food as long as you don't eat it. The Capitol won't let you keep any bottles or any kind, even if they are empty. They won't let you bring in any kind of food for any reason.
Telling them that you have medical issues won't help. If there was any compassion, there was no outward sign.
The guards point out that you can buy a bottle of water on the inside and drink that. The guards also tell you there is a cafeteria for food.
Everything I saw looked underwhelming and severely over-priced. Settled for a salad on the heavy plates, which factored into the weight, bringing a medium-sized salad to more than $9.
Now if you have a car in DC, not a great option since driving is apparently really horrible, you could put things in your car. But when you are on foot, you lose that option – and your food as well.
And the guards are very thorough. I had to go through twice since they don't tell you that to see the House and Senate, you have to get passes from your Congressman's office. The second time, they found food I had forgotten was in the bottom of the bag. I had a female officer pat my front pants pocket because she thought I had food in the pocket – and this was after I had emptied my pockets.
I had to toss the whole bag of grapes, and my water bottle. I did make one smart move, only bringing one of the pickling cucumbers. A snack that normally took a while to eat, I stood outside the Capitol and wolfed the pickle down to make sure I ate it all before re-entering the building.
Extra diligence at the U.S. Capitol building is completely understandable in our current political times. But the food and drink bans don't seem linked to safety but more about raising money for the Capitol cafeteria. Somehow, asking the validity of these bans seems futile, given the environment of guns and X-ray machines.
In most environments, you will be able to hang on to your food. But if you are entering a place where security seems important, there is a chance you could lose your freshly grown food and your ability to hydrate yourself. So learn from this story and don't make the same mistake. Check in advance whenever possible, and try to hang onto your food.
Fresh food can improve your health, but only if you get a chance to eat it.
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