Some of y'all never drank water from the hose out back... and it shows.
Reese Witherspoon took to TikTok to defend eating a dessert made of fresh snow after fans voiced their concern over her winter indulgence.
Last week, the Oscar winner shared her excitement over the snowfall that comes "maybe once a year," and celebrated by concocting a special dessert to mark the occasion.
The video begins by showing a person scooping snow into two coffee mugs, with Witherspoon explaining:
“We got a ton of snow over the past few days, so we decided to make a recipe."
Witherspoon then played barista, topping off the mugs with chocolate syrup, caramel sauce and some cold-brew coffee.
After digging in... with 'er spoon... the Big Little Lies star voiced her delight in the finished product.
"These are so good!"
She pondered a few ideas before ultimately deciding her creation would be named "snow salt chococcino."
You can watch below.
And though Witherspoon was obviously ecstatic over her tasty frozen treat, several people in the comments were not.
In fact, many voiced concern over the actor eating freshly fallen snow, warning that it's not safe for consumption.
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
One commenter recommended the actor place the snow in a clear cup and observe it in its melted state to ensure it's clean, and she obliged, explaining in a follow-up TikTok:
“We microwaved it and it’s clear."
“Is this bad? Am I not supposed to eat snow?”
You can watch that video below.
Witherspoon responded to a couple of other comments, as well.
One fan noted that, yes, snow can be dirty, but "you only live once."
The actor put herself in the same "category," sharing in another video:
"You only live once, and it snows like maybe once a year here."
She also added that it was quite tasty, to boot.
"Also, I want to say something."
"It was delicious. It was so good."
Though several people expressed their worries over the snow not being clean, Witherspoon did not seem concerned.
In her final video on the matter, Witherspoon explained that she didn't grow up drinking filtered water. Plus, she noted that she doesn't even know how one would filter snow.
"Okay, talking about the snow not being filtered."
"I didn't grow up drinking filtered water. We drank out of the tap water."
"We actually put our mouths on the tap, and then sometimes, like in the summer, when it's hot, we drank out of the hose."
"Like we put our mouth on the hose growing up."
She continued:
"So, filtered water?"
"Maybe that's why I'm like this."
Witherspoon concluded:
"So what you're saying to me is I have to filter the snow before I eat it?"
"I, I just can't."
"I can't filter snow. I don't know how to do that."
You can watch the final installment below.
While some fans remained unsure about the consumption of snow, many viewers agreed Witherspoon should just enjoy a treat that she rarely gets to experience.
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
Of course, many added she should just be wary of the yellow stuff.
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
@reesewitherspoon/TikTok
And the experts would agree.
Staci Simonich, a professor of environmental and toxic ecology at Oregon State University, told NPR:
“I would not hesitate for my children to have the joy of eating a handful of fresh fallen snow from my backyard."
She added that while snow can contain environmental contaminants, "concentrations are low and the amount of snow eaten in a handful is small, so the one-time dose is very low and not a risk to health.”
So, in the words of pediatrician Dr. Laura Martin who advised, “The safest snow to consume will be the whitest, fluffiest top layer of fallen snow, furthest away from the ground":
"Moderation is best."
