The Years Have Just Streaked By

Don’t know if you’re the sentimental type, but this spring marks the 30th anniversary of the streaking phenomenon that flashed across the United States. The disrobing seemed to have originated among college students in the South as a protest against the Establishment, or a cold climate, or maybe both. Anyway, it didn’t take long to reach L.A., which of course offered year-round streaking weather.

Three students who sprinted in the nude past the visiting Vienna Symphony Orchestra that spring were given probation by a Pasadena judge, who quoted an old English saying: “Do anything you want, but don’t do it in the streets or you’ll frighten the horses.”

Also that year, a naked man ran onto the stage during the Academy Award ceremonies, affording David Niven the chance to mention the intruder’s “shortcomings.”

A reader wrote to The Times that year that he had been streaking every morning for years because his newspaper delivery man rarely threw the paper near his door. Sir, I hope we’ve straightened out the problem by now.

Postscript: I couldn’t find any record of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra visiting Pasadena since the streaking incident.

Mondegreen of the Day (legal division): “I’ve been in law enforcement and security most of my life,” said Ken Moore, the latest contributor to our salute to miscommunication.

“Two mondegreens that came back from a secretary who didn’t understand my dictation were: ‘Surgeon seizure’ for search and seizure, and ‘parrot trooper’ for paratrooper.” It’s a battle to find good help these days.

Guide to Adventurous Dining: Moore’s “surgeon” mention reminded me of a menu typo involving the medical profession (one that was printed in the non-bestselling book, “The Best of Only in L.A.”). I’ve included it among today’s specials du column (see accompanying), which also include:

* A lobster that could pose splashing problems for a diner.

* An eatery that seems to specialize in the preparation of insects (perhaps the termites are chocolate-covered)

* And a contribution from Leslie K. of Sun Valley: a king-sized ham omelet. Or is that pawn-sized?

miscelLAny: Aiding our search to find the highest-priced gasoline in the area, Ted Hartwell of Encinitas says that two stations on Claremont Drive in San Diego were charging $2.59 for unleaded regular and $2.79 for premium.

It was no coincidence that I read an Associated Press report that San Diego has the highest gas prices in the country: $2.17 for regular, about 34 cents above the national average.

San Diego long ago adopted the slogan, “America’s Finest City.” Maybe it’s trying to keep the riffraff out.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATimes, Ext. 77083; by fax at (213) 237-4712; by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012; and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.