Rebel jerk.

Sometimes I wonder how a free people who are supposed to be able to handle themselves responsibly could let things get this far.

"Do Not Eat."

Thanks.

And here I thought it was a breath mint, a little something at the bottom of the bag to freshen up after wolfing down all that jerky.

Silica gel packs, included in everything from jerky to vitamins to new shoes, are nontoxic, so munch all you want! Well, probably a poor idea, since they are made of sand and quartz and included to absorb moisture. They may also include a dye that could be sickening.

There's a part of me that wants to chomp on one just because they said not to---that Fred, he's a rebel---but I've resisted. So far.

But aside from us renegades, who needs to be told not to eat this stuff? Babies don't have the sense to not eat objects, but they can't read anyway. So there goes Baby, eating away at the jerky, and he comes to the silica packet. Well, he can't read, can he? In it goes!

What about blind people? Aren't they entitled to eat jerky? Should the warning be written in braille?

Why don't they put that same warning on other things? It appears we can't be trusted to figure this stuff out. God knows there are plenty of things you shouldn't eat---bowling balls, shoe polish, nails, pipe fittings. Some of them, like the cotton in pill bottles and the lid on yogurt, also come in food. Shouldn't they be labeled DO NOT EAT?

On another topic, if I got a few hundred boxes of these packs, and piled them around the house, would that lower the humidity in the summer?

Well, that's basically what DampRid is for, and I've put a few of those around with no noticeable effect, although I expect it would work well in small spaces like boats and closets and bathrooms and cellars. But not the whole house. So I guess using however many Do Not Eat packets wouldn't help the house either.

Another advantage of DampRid is that it doesn't come in food, so I won't consume it in my feeding frenzy. I haven't noticed the words DO NOT EAT on the side of the tub, so I haven't been tempted to go at it with a big spoon. Yet.

Yep, I'm a rebel and I'll never ever be any good.