Just Plain Nuts

Recently, on a cross-country flight, the attendant came on the PA to announce to the passengers that no peanuts would be served. Given that peanuts are about the best of what you get these days, that was a real blow. No amount of pretzels could fill the void.

The reason? A passenger on the flight had peanut allergies.

There was hardly time to ponder what life must be like, being so sensitive you'd be hurt by trace bits or smells loosed into the cabin air from other people's peanut consumption, when the substitute pretzels arrived.

A quick review of the contents revealed a hidden surprise, a label warning:

"made on equipment used to handle nuts and nut by-products "

I wonder if that nuttiness, once-removed, had any effect on the poor allergic, unidentified passenger?

Actually, until today, I was sure that the alleged passenger was just an excuse for running out of nuts. But then comes an article from the Daily News, featured on Yahoo.

Apparently, the Feds are considering banning peanuts on commercial airplanes. They attempted this once before but were shut down by the courts. Maybe they will get their way this time. And maybe the airline I was on was willing to inconvenience 100 passengers to keep just one passenger from itching and sneezing, in an attempt to stave off such draconian legislation.

Who knows what will happen at this weird nexus where genuine medical disorder meets perceived entitlement, bureaucratic zeal, and litigation?

Not me, but one thing I do know: the processed food manufacturers in this country better stop making every snack food 'on equipment used to process nuts' or we tired travelers won't have anything to sop up the alcohol on those long, long flights.