Lifestyle
Bringing Thanksgiving food on a plane? Here is what you should know
The Transportation Security Administration has listed Thanksgiving foods that can be carried through a TSA checkpoint.
Transportation Security Administration
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Transportation Security Administration
Did your friends ask you to bring some cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving dinner? Thinking about bringing home dad’s famous mac and cheese that has the secret ingredient that makes it melt in your mouth? Or how about your mother-in-law’s candied yams that have been a family favorite each year for over a decade?
That shouldn’t be an issue if you’re flying, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The agency says most foods can be brought through TSA checkpoints while others will need to go through a checked bag.

Traveling by train? That shouldn’t be a problem. Amtrak allows riders to bring their own food and drinks onboard at their seats or private sleeping car. However, you can only eat food and drinks bought in the dining and lounge cars while in those cars.
Here is what you need to know about traveling home with your favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
What you should carry on the plane and check with your luggage
The following items can be taken through a TSA checkpoint:
- Cooked mac and cheese in a pan.
- Cooked or uncooked stuffing in a bag or box.
- Sweet treats and baked goods such as homemade or store brand cakes, pies and cookies.
- Green bean casseroles and other types of casseroles.
- Yams, potatoes, green beans, squash and other types of fresh vegetables.
- Chicken, ham, turkey and steak, which can be frozen, cooked or uncooked.
Foods that TSA says should be packed with your checked luggage include sparkling cider, cranberry sauce (homemade or canned), maple syrup and gravy (homemade or in a can or jar).
And if you plan to take your food on the plane as a carry-on, make sure your dishes that have liquid meet TSA’s 3-1-1 rule, which mandates that it must be 3.4 ounces or less, fit into 1 quart-sized bag and it is one bag per passenger.
When in doubt, TSA says to consider this: “If it’s a solid item, then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.”
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said flyers can also double-check on the agency’s website if the food they bring can go through a checkpoint.
“There is a special tag for ‘what can I bring.’ And you can put what you want to bring into the search feature and it will tell you whether you can bring it in your accessible property through the checkpoint or whether you can bring it in your checked baggage,” he said during a press conference Thursday.
Fliers can also text “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872) and get an answer regarding their holiday dish, he said.
Make sure you can keep it at the right temperature
Your grandma’s green bean casserole won’t be any good to you if it doesn’t stay preserved at the right temperature or spoils.
Leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours of being served or kept hot at or above 140 degrees or cold below 40 degrees in order to be safe and prevent food poisoning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. USDA advises to throw away food that’s been out more than two hours at room temperature because “bacteria that cause foodborne illness could have reached dangerous levels.” The agency also suggests cutting leftover turkey into small pieces and putting them in shallow containers so it can cool faster and evenly.

If you want to chow down on some deviled eggs during a long flight, layover or train stop, you might want to reconsider and wait until you get to your destination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all leftovers should be reheated to at least 165 degrees before eating.
Amtrak staff are also prohibited from heating your food in their ovens, handling it or storing it in their refrigerators.
TSA allows ice packs as long as they are frozen solid and not melted when going through a screening checkpoint. Frozen ice and ice packs must also meet TSA’s 3-1-1 rules.
Be considerate of others traveling with you
While the smell of the food you share among your family and friends may make your mouth water, foods such as deviled eggs and chitterlings may not be as aromatic for others.
According to a YouGov survey released in June, 68% of U.S. adults say it’s unacceptable to eat strong-smelling food while on an airplane.
“If … somebody comes in with smelly, greasy food and that’s unpleasant to the person sitting next to him, or the person sitting next to him is uncomfortable watching them chow down, that’s a problem,” Scott McCartney, former Middle Seat columnist for The Wall Street Journal, previously told NPR.
Keep that in mind while sitting next to someone on the plane and you want to open up that container of collard greens before takeoff.
NPR’s Joel Rose contributed to this report.
Lifestyle
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Deidre Hall
For half a century, Deidre Hall has taken on every kind of disaster in the drama-packed town of Salem, Ill., as a star of “Days of Our Lives.”
There was the time — actually, it happened twice — when her character, Dr. Marlena Evans, was famously possessed by the devil and even levitated.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Or the time a serial killer, who was actually Marlena under hypnosis, seemed to kill several beloved characters. The long-running show’s storylines have become legendary, and in March, while promoting “Hail Mary,” actor Ryan Gosling even gave Hall a shout-out, admitting he was a fan, praising the hard work of soap opera actors and calling her an “OG acting inspiration.”
But Hall’s real life in Santa Monica is much quieter than her character’s, and she likes it that way.
“When I bought my house in Santa Monica, I didn’t realize how great it would be to live near Montana Avenue,” says Hall, 78, about the popular shopping spot. Every day, she walks to the main street with her golden retriever, Riley, and enjoys Pilates, art and good food along the way. “The owners of the Farms Market even keep dog biscuits, so guess where the dog wants to go every time we walk — the Farms, of course,” she says, laughing.
When she isn’t filming the daily soap opera, which airs on Peacock, Hall enjoys raising monarch butterflies, exploring the shops and restaurants on Montana, and hosting movie nights at home with her two sons.
Here’s what a perfect day in L.A. looks like for her.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
7 a.m.: Breakfast and dog walk
I usually kick off my day with a protein shake, feed our golden retriever and take her out for a walk. She’s a phenomenal girl. When we adopted her, her name was Riley, but I did think about naming her after Mrs. Hughes from “Downton Abbey.”
10 a.m.: Church and garden time
After I walk the dog and go to church, I like to spend some time in my yard. I’m not a natural gardener, but I really enjoy it. I started raising monarch butterflies because my identical twin sister, who played my twin on the show, planted a butterfly garden. Monarchs are amazing because they are transitional. Every year, they travel from Mexico to southern New England, but it’s getting harder for them. Their numbers have dropped by about 80%. To help, I plant milkweed, which is what they need to survive. I buy my milkweed from the Staghorn Garden on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Julie, who owns the nursery, is delightful and has a wide variety of milkweed. The monarchs always seem to find my garden. Julie was raising some caterpillars too, and she cared a lot about them. We talked about how important it is to help the butterflies. That’s why I do this. Sometimes I get milkweed with eggs already on it, and Julie knows her butterflies are going to a good home.
1 p.m.: Walk to Montana Avenue for some lunch
I live near Montana and love taking long walks, going to Pilates and trying out the great restaurants nearby, like R+D Kitchen and La La Land. I’m a big fan of the waffles at the Courtyard Kitchen. Just a few days ago, I had a chicken salad on raisin bread with an Arnold Palmer, and it was delicious. It is right on Montana and has a nice outdoor seating area. It’s one of my favorite spots. La La Land always has a long line in the morning, which is perfect if you want coffee. They serve coffee, doughnuts, croissants and avocado toast. There’s plenty of outdoor seating, and you can even bring your dog.
2 p.m.: Peek inside a clock shop
There’s a small clock shop on Montana Avenue that’s closed on Sundays, but if you walk by, you’ll see all kinds of clocks — standing, table and wall clocks. The owner is great at fixing them. Once, I bought a wall clock from MacKenzie-Childs, but it didn’t work. And I was really upset because it matched everything else on my countertop. I brought it to the owner and said, “I love this, but I can’t make it work.” He fixed it right away. His name is John, but I call him Geppetto. And we all know why. He really does have a magic touch.
2:30 p.m.: Visit a neighborhood art gallery
Ten Women Gallery is run by 10 artists, all of whom show their work there. I was drawn to some watercolors there, bought a few cards and spoke with one of the artists. She told me, “You seem to love watercolors,” and mentioned that the artist who painted them, Pamela Harnois, lives in Los Angeles and teaches nearby. I got Pamela’s name and found out she taught at the Brentwood Art School. I was so inspired by her gift that I started taking private lessons with her on Saturdays. That gallery is where I discovered my love for watercolor painting.
3 p.m.: Grab some ice cream at Rori’s
The other day, my longtime girlfriend wanted to get ice cream and told me, “We are walking to Rori’s Artisanal Creamery.” It’s a small shop on Montana near Lincoln. They make everything themselves, using local ingredients from grass-fed cows with no added hormones. The place is family-owned and probably has the healthiest ice cream you’ll find. They switch up their flavors often, but my favorite is the salted caramel.
6 p.m.: Family dinner and movie night at home
R+D Kitchen is always packed, so my sons, who are 31 and 33, do the cooking. They come over, and together we make salads and cook dinner. There’s a neighborhood grocery store called the Farms, off Montana, a small family-run place that has everything we need. Everyone knows each other there, and people bring their dogs. We try to have movie night every Sunday. Sometimes the day changes, but we always make sure to have one night a week where we cook a meal and sit down as a family. Keeping that tradition has become really important to us. My sons are great cooks, which is funny because they definitely didn’t get that from me. [Laughs]
9 p.m.: Take Riley for one last walk and visit neighbors
After dinner, I take my dog for a walk. It’s a great way to meet neighbors. We always go around the same block. We’ve met so many people, and since she’s a golden retriever, she loves meeting everyone.
10 p.m.: News, knitting and bedtime
I am a news junkie, so I usually watch whatever is on the news before I go to bed. I have a long-standing passion for knitting. Lately, though, the news would make me drop a stitch.
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