Reese Witherspoon unwittingly set off an avalanche of on-line discourse after posting a video of herself making candy treats out of freshly fallen snow, igniting a debate about whether or not snow is fit for human consumption.
The Legally Blonde actor shared a TikTok during which her and her household scooped snow into two giant mugs earlier than including chocolate syrup, salted caramel syrup and a splash of cold-brew espresso to make what she dubbed “Chococinnos.”
“It’s so good,” she proclaimed after taking a chew.
But lots of Witherspoon’s viewers have been doubtful concerning the recipe, significantly concerning her use of recent snow, sparking a flurry of feedback.
“No no no.. snow is not made to eat.. u can get seriously sick,” one particular person wrote.
“Can you put snow in a clear cup and let it melt? I just want to see if it’s safe to eat first,” one other requested.
Some viewers got here to her defence, nonetheless, together with one one that wrote: “Fallen snow can be very dirty from the air and wind but who cares. You only live once. I remember eating snow as a kid.”
Many commenters who recognized themselves as Canadian additionally shared that that they had eaten snow with no issues.
After fielding dozens of feedback questioning the security of consuming snow, Witherspoon made a follow-up video to defend herself.
“There’s so many people on here saying that snow is dirty, so we went and took snow from the backyard and we microwaved it and it’s clear! Is this bad? Am I not supposed to eat snow?”
In a two extra follow-up movies, Witherspoon added that she was within the “you only live once” camp in the case of consuming recent powder and famous that not all of the water she drank rising up was filtered.
“We drank out of the tap water. We actually put our mouths on the tap and then sometimes like in the summer, when it was hot, we drank out of the hose, like, we put our mouth on the hose, growing up,” Witherspoon recounted. “Maybe that’s why I’m like this.”
Snow, like rainwater, can choose up contaminants and pollution within the air because it falls to Earth. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, precipitation “can carry bacteria, parasites, viruses, and chemicals that could make you sick.”
Then why do generations of Canadians proceed to get pleasure from recipes like snow ice cream and maple taffy, which each make the most of freshly fallen snow?
Most folks have a very good immune system and don’t eat sufficient snow to make them sick, Dr. Jennifer Johnson from the Mayo Clinic informed Accuweather.
“For most people, eating a small amount of fresh snow (a bite or two), or catching snowflakes on their tongue, is unlikely to cause serious problems. People who have significant health conditions and very young infants should be more cautious,” she added.
The stage and forms of contaminants that seem in snow additionally range relying one’s area, and whether or not the atmosphere is rural or city.
John Pomeroy, a water sources and local weather change scientist on the University of Saskatchewan, informed NPR that its finest to attend just a few hours right into a snowfall earlier than gathering snow to eat. That’s as a result of the form of a snowflakes acts as a kind of web that catches airborne pollution.
The longer snow falls, the extra air pollution is filtered out of the air by the snowflakes. After just a few hours, the newly fallen snow ought to have fewer contaminants.
“It is well-known amongst snow chemists that fresh Arctic snow goes very well with 15-year-old single malt whisky,” he added.
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