Sunday, December 26, 2010

Will Eating Snow Kill Me?

Holiday Snowfall
Traveling south, we emerge into a winter wonderland.  Every direction you turn, you see white fluffy frosting, pure enough to eat.

So we actually eat it.

I stand by a tree, lean in, and lick like I'm eating from a kind hand.  My children shovel snow into their mouths like it's vanilla ice cream.

I imagine coconut or maybe white chocolate flakes. 

For a moment, I think about pollution, toxic things, and all the germs I'm taking in with every lick.  I've read the websites that tell me I'm eating more bacteria with every taste of snow than if I were actually eating dirt in the yard.  This was last year, when the girls wanted to flavor their snow with syrup to pretend they were pioneer girls like Mary and Laura Ingalls.  I let them, even though I read that you should limit your snow consumption to one cup every 5 years. These websites also claim that I am eating spores from outer space every time I eat a snowflake.

Just now, I think I ate 2 cups of snow.  I'm doomed! 

I couldn't help it.  The sky made a beautiful gesture--an appetizer offered from the trees' arms, like servers' platters at a fancy party--and I bent down and received what nature made.  I am trusting my stomach acid to neutralize what I've just done to myself. 

Living with flair means I eat a little snow. Maybe just one lick.  I just had to.


Roberta @ Silverwalk said...

Of course, you had to! I walked out Friday afternoon into a winter wonderland - which, believe me, is rare here in southeast MO. Large, heavy, wet flakes floated gently down - it was post card perfect. I simply stood and enjoyed - didn't grab a camera as no photo could do justice to the grey snow-painted trees and yards.

Jeedoo said...

Absolutely, living with flair demands that you eat snow. I would if there any here in Florida to eat. Reckless abandon. Overthrow the food police. Take a risk. God did with us!

Mspong said...

haha oh germs, snow, dirt..we've all eaten them. I'm pretty sure that snow was one of my favorite snacks when I was younger. My sister and I would eat snow all the time. It was always so abundant at our home in Central Pennsylvania, who can resist such beauty and deliciousness :) If I had the opportunity I would eat it again.

Mike and Katie said...

We mixed powdered Jello with snow and ate it as a treat. I've definitely had way more than the recommended cup every 5 years.

By the way, my mom brought a jar of honey labeled as buckwheat honey. Without you I would not have known the significance of the buckwheat. When Amanda woke up with a barky cough it was nice to give her a honey licker on a spoon and feel like I was doing something to ease her discomfort.