Eating for two

During the evening meal, the subject of the latest stores delivered to the ship, was raised.  Usual complaints about the lack of certain favorite foods and the like.  I complained about the lack of fresh milk.  For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, don't bother, it's putrid stuff.  Somebody mentioned their were no crisps, only cracklins.  I know crisps from the inordinate number of brits I've worked with over the years, but was at a loss for cracklins.  It was suggested that I try a bag, so I got up and snagged one out of the cabinet.  I tried a bite and then pulled out the little desiccant packet of silica and tossed it aside, saying the packet probably tasted better.  A navigator sitting across from me suggested it WOULD taste better since your supposed to sprinkle it on the cracklins, explaining it was the spice packet.  I begged to differ and handed him the packet.  He turned white and explained the cracklins he eats at home come with a little bag of spices.  He thought the packets were salt and had sprinkled them on his cracklins.  I told him it was silicone and he was likely to grow breast implants.  He was not amused.  Turns out that despite the skull and crossbones on the package, the silica is harmless, even if coated with Cobalt (II) chloride, which is common among desiccants.  Gotta love those lessons learned at the expense of others;)