About this quote

Riordan turns a silly image into a clear warning about careless behavior. The humor works because you can picture the scene and laugh, then suddenly see the risk. That flip from absurd to believable is what makes the line stick. Laugh, yes—but also stop throwing food and make sure no one gets hurt.

When to use it

• At the office potluck after a coworker accidentally flung a wrapped burrito across the conference room and busted a monitor: "Okay, like Riordan says — no more launching food; clean up and keep it on the table."
• After a dorm prank where someone lobbed a burrito and it hit a roommate's laptop during finals: "We just proved the flying-burrito theory. Nobody throws food near electronics again."
• At a backyard barbecue when a kid catapulted a burrito into Grandma's lawn chair and scared her: "That's it — no more food-launching. Those things fly like cannonballs."
• At a college tailgate when a rival fan chucked a burrito into the crowd and nearly hit someone: "Heads up — that burrito's basically a grenade. Don't toss food into people."