We get a lot of people coming thru Security now with lunches. Which is fine. They all go through the x-ray machine. And we see every bottle of water and soda too. Those of course get flagged. "Sir/Madam you can't take the drink inside. I can walk you to the exit where you can drink it in the airport lobby and re-enter security again. Or you can take it out to your car, give it to a loved one in the lobby who came to drop it off, you can mail it home to yourself, or you can voluntarily surrender it here." THUD as it goes into the trash barrel.
So bring your food, just wait until you get past Security before you buy your beverage in one of the Airport shops.
I've never been offered an escort to go deal with it. I can't picture that with the long lines we have here. The beauty of a smaller airport. There was no line when I was in Richmond last week, and the TSA officer even thanked me for my cooperation as he took my applesauce cups.
Another change (in my experience) - here in Seattle, I carefully did what I thought was right, put all the right things in the gray trays on the conveyor belt. Folded up the stroller an put it up there too. Waited to get waved through the detector. As I was waiting, the TSA officer all of a sudden said to me, "Those things aren't going to push themselves through." Confused at first, I suddenly realized that he was berating me for not pushing my own stuff on the conveyor belt into the Xray tunnel. I quickly did it, but was very surprised. I had always gotten the sense that doing THAT is what would have gotten me a talking to every other time I have travelled.
Are travellers supposed to push their stuff through the Xray conveyor belt now, David?