To Think That Blowing Out Candles on a Cake is Unhygienic?

[LizzieLoo28]

Its my daughters 21st birthday on Friday and we are getting a birthday cake for her, but since Covid came along and all the mask wearing to stop germs spreading, its made me think that blowing out the birthday cake candles isn't hygienic or at least eating a cake that someone blew their germs over isn't hygienic ?

What does anyone think ? Should I put candles on the cake or not ?

Cheers x

Human beings are designed to deal with most germs.

@lljkk

Human beings are designed to deal with most germs.

Presumably that's why no one ever dies from infectious diseases.

Is the sort of thing a fundamental Christian would say - humans are designed to deal with germs, if you get sick or die, it must be god's plan.

We've nicknamed it the 'Corona no blow'

Also, for birthday cards, the Corona, no lick.

For the most part it's just children who blow out birthday candles and they'd be spreading so many germs all over I wouldn't worry.

We put cling film over, then poke the candles through. Candles blown, cling film removed. Hopefully a covid-free cake remains.

*We AlL cArE aBoUt OuR pLaNet"

Fuck me. Stunt cakes.*

Of course you eat the stunt cake too, unless you are really weird. I have been doing them for years, admittedly more for time reasons than hygiene. One stunt cake lovingly crafted but maybe not quite big enough to feed the 30 kids in a class. A limited amount of time (we run all of our own parties so don't have 10 mins to waste cutting, wrapping cake, putting in party bags). Have a tray bake, same recipe, same icing etc, bake, cut up, wrap pop into party bag. Stunt cake (now covered in child's saliva) - take home and eat as a family, any excess freeze and pop in lunchboxes. Any excess energy used in freezing the cake can be offset by having baked the cakes together rather than another one another time for lunches. No cure for the excess calories unfortunately!

Sparklers on the cake. And extra cupcake with candle to blow out brought out as soon as sparkles are out whilst making a joke about being covid safe. Everyone will laugh. You still get the drama of big cake coming out.

It's tradition to liberally bathe your Birthday cake in slobber before serving.

Birthday cake is covered in sugar, a natural preservative that dehydrates and kills germs, hence jams/ conserves. If blowing out candles on a cake was such a mass biohazard, it would have been clear many, many years ago.

On a similarly themed thread about May/ June 2020 when small gatherings began to be allowed again, someone suggested putting the birthday candle in a potato. Thank goodness it never became a trend!

Our immune systems work by being exposed to a range of environmental microbes. Trying to overly sanitise the world does healthy people no favours hence usual seasonal illnesses currently being out of synch with their usual patterns.

Birthday cake please!

I've always been a bit grossed out by saliva sprayed cake. Snuffers are where it's at!

Re. worries whether wishes will still come true - I've always thought you shouldn't use breath to blow out a candle, wrong energy or something.

69 sex, ew

We still have candles but fan them out rather than blow.

@AICM

This has been done for decades and nobody has come to harm.

We haven't been in a worldwide pandemic until now though! The world has changed a bit since 2019.

Meh I'll still do it and eat it. If any guests didn't want to, that's fine, more cake for me

@ApplesinmyPocket

We're getting a bit silly about hygiene now, aren't we. People have done this for years - yes maybe a cold or even flu was transmitted this way occasionally, but maybe not, maybe that never happened even once, who knows?

Humans are tough, really tough. We have good defences (most of us... those who haven't have already thought about situations like this and adapted accordingly). Most of us live into our 70s/80s and beyond while having transgressed, over our lifetimes and in our various environments, a multitude of 'hygiene rules'.

We don't need to think about 'putting clingfilm over a cake' while someone blows candles out. I think someone who worries to that degree would find life easier if they redrew the picture in their head - think of the body as strong, defensive, like a sturdy castle repelling invaders.

Great post.

The way people are utterly terrified of catching a cold is FAR less healthy than actually having a cold

Either fan them out (actually an amusing challenge for the birthday person especially when you have a lot of candles) or stick them into something else (another small cake for family eating only, a wedge of melon, a block of polystyrene covered in foil (cheese with foil would also work).
I would eat family blown out cake but it's more a politeness thing as I would no longer fancy cake blown on by anyone else!

@NannyAndJohn

It's gross, YANBU. No one should be forced to eat a cake covered in Covid.

We've always used the sparkler type things.

A cake covered in COVID 😂😂😂😂

Get a grip. Have a drink. Enjoy life!

Those who are freaking out about spittle being on food as a result of blowing - never go into a restaurant kitchen. Chefs shouting at each other to be heard, constant instructions, your shit yourselves inside out

Mumsnet - the place where anyone who washes fruit or dares to worry about a virus that could strike down anyone regardless of age or health if you're unlucky enough, is considered joyless, over the top and in need of psychological help.

It's the melodramatics, like "strike down" - and FYI you MUST know by now it's not 'regardless of age or health'. Children are highly unlikely to have any ill effects from COVID and it's a bigger risk to obese people. COVID is not indiscriminate

I like your thinking anon12345678901!

Also just popping on to say that anxious parents end up with anxious children. Please be a bit mindful of how your attitudes rub off on your kids before they become nervous wrecks over nothing.

You catch a cold or norovirus. So what. That's life, we get ill, and by human nature it makes us stronger.

@YourFinestPantaloons

Those who are freaking out about spittle being on food as a result of blowing - never go into a restaurant kitchen. Chefs shouting at each other to be heard, constant instructions, your shit yourselves inside out

Restaurants are really quite gross when you think about it, you have to not think about it, cos plenty of chefs and waiting staff have poo under their fingernails. Bleurgh.

There are many things that are a bit disgusting, whether covid has changed views permanently remains to be seen but we are all more aware of the spit issue just now.

Deary, deary me.

It's gross, YANBU. No one should be forced to eat a cake covered in Covid.

You could give the cake a LFT before eating it, you know, just to be sure.

I thought everyone had stopped blowing out candles since covid. I would eat any. Get a cup cake and use that.