Last month, my wife's office — most days a haven of dreamless industry — was shaken by what came to be known as the Trail Mix Incident.

An American employee had brought the snack in as omiyage (a souvenir). Twenty packs in a box: a mean promiscuity of chocolate, raisins and nuts, menacing waistlines all over the section.

"Our DNA said no," my wife explained coolly. "We just knew this wasn't delicious."