On a recent winter day, while everyone else was sheltering inside from the cold, Reese Witherspoon and her family were busy shoveling snow from the roof of their car to create an iced coffee recipe she later described as "snow, salt, chocolate".
The 47-year-old actor shared her snowy day moment on TikTok, which quickly racked up more than 5 million views and thousands of replies.
It turns out there are two kinds of people in the world, at least in the comments section of Reese Witherspoon: those who eat snow and those who find the idea offensive.
Witherspoon's recipe calls for two cups of fresh snow, a splash of caramel, a cup of chocolate sauce, and a splash of cold brew coffee—and honestly, it does look pretty refreshing.
The "Your Land or Mine" actor also seemed happy with the end result, but she soon found herself posting three follow-up TikToks addressing the snow-eating problem.
Reese Witherspoon's Snow Recipe Sparks Controversy
After reading Witherspoon's iced coffee recipe, one person wrote: "Can you put the snow in a clear cup and let it melt... I just wanted to see if it was safe first. Eat,” while another person frantically typed, “No, no” No, snow is not for eating. You may become seriously ill. "
Meanwhile, other commenters chuckled. "I laugh at everyone because I grew up eating snow," one person wrote, while another said, "I look forward to a few bites of it every year." Others seemed to see no reason to worry.
In a follow-up video, Witherspoon tried to reassure viewers with a quick home science experiment, scooping more snow from her backyard, heating it in the microwave, and watching it. "It's clear," she said. "Is this bad? Can't I eat snow?"
In a second video, the actor noted that where she lives it only snows once a year, so she has adopted a "you only live once" mentality.
Then, in a third video, she explains that she didn't grow up drinking filtered water, so she thinks "dirty" snow is okay. She also added that the chocolate was "very good".
Is it safe to eat snow?
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, associate professor of clinical medicine at Huntington Health Center in Pasadena, Calif., and chief medical advisor to Sleepopolis, said it's okay to eat fresh snow, but you do need to be careful when purchasing it.
"Make sure the snow comes from a clean place and is free of possible contaminants," he tells Bustle. This means there will be no snow on roadsides or high-traffic areas such as sidewalks. Dirty snow can contain things you don't want to ingest, such as road salt, pollution from vehicles and factories, and even dirt or animal waste, he said.
Still, eating snow is more of a hygiene issue than a serious health risk, he said. At most it may cause mild discomfort or mild stomachache.
bottom line
"If the snow looks or smells funny, don't eat it," Dasgupta said. That means no gray snow, no salty snow, and definitely no yellow snow.
But in general, fresh, clean flakes — like the kind on the roof of Witherspoon’s car — are probably safe to eat. So if you want to make delicious chocolate for yourself, go for it.
source:
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, Chief Medical Advisor, Sleepopolis, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Huntington Health Center
