Would you be grossed out by homemade baked good in care package?

[BusyTraybake]

I am helping my sister put together care packages for her wedding. She is paying for the wedding party to stay in a posh hotel for a few nights. We are going to leave little care packages on the bed. I have an exceptional brownie recipe and was going to leave a trio of favours in the box. But sister’s SIL says she would never eat a homemade treat due to hygiene reasons.

obviously I will be clinically clean and wil even wear a hair net as I couldn’t think of anything worse than someone finding a hair.

Who is being weird?

I would definitely eat your brownies. I love home made cake and your brownie recipe sounds wonderful.

Unfortunately many people on Mumsnet seem to live in a weird parallel universe where you can't eat anything made by an actual human being as it might make you ill.

I have only ever met one person like this IRL. Years ago when DD was still at primary I was temporarily between jobs so was able to go to some PTA coffee morning thing. I like baking so took my own contribution then sampled other peoples delicious offerings. I noticed that some people had sent in boxes of bought cake but thought, fair enough maybe they don't have time or are not confident bakers. However, I preferred to stick to the homemade.

At the end there was loads left over so they were selling them off and I bought some to take home, as did we all. One of the women I was with bought up the boxed commercial cakes. She said, before anyone even asked, that she wouldn't consider eating cake made by people she didn't know. At the time I thought her exceptionally weird, and still do really, but I have been on Mumsnet long enough to realise there are some other people out there who are like that.

I think people would be surprised just how "clean" factories are.

People are so weird not eating homemade food lol

I find it amusing how defensive the "gobble anything " ilk is. Why do you feel the need to insult those of us who are more careful about what we choose to eat?

@BettyBardMacDonald because your lives must be quite restricted, and I don’t know anyone who has been ill from a home made cake, but do know people who have had food poisoning from a restaurant

What happened to turn a simple goody bag into a "care package"?

I'm fine with homemade baked goods as long as I don't have any reason to believe that they were prepared in a filthy kitchen by a filthy cook. It doesn't usually cross my mind to worry about it, and I love a bake sale. This is perhaps odd, because I am someone who won't share water bottles or share a drink from the same glass and who carries hand gel with me everywhere long before the pandemic happened.

My friend had a book launch last week. We got a cute paper bag containing a planner, pen, bookmark, cookie (labelled with the name of the character in the book who makes them) and a mug. I didn't realise this was a care package. (It wasn't).

A care package is what you give to someone who's ill or had a rubbish life event. Not a wedding guest or a book launch guest.

@Ilovecleaning Care packages are to goody bags what staycations are to UK holidays.

Thank you 😊. Goody bags are really nice. I just thought the term ‘care package’ was so right-on. And it did make me think of some old lady having her Care Package put in place before she’s discharged from hospital 😀. Language is fascinating 🎁

I find it amusing how your language is so derogatory about people who have a different view, “ilk” and “gobble anything”.

And you all others defensive 🤣🤣😆😆😆😆.

Do you have many friends, you know ones that buy you presents etc?

Exactly! They’re always “clean”, no doubt about that is there! 🤔

It’s a really lovely gesture so go ahead and give them to your guests
its up to them if they will eat them, such as trying to cut down on sugar or whatever
Very nice of you

Have you ever seen food being handled in a factory (when not being filmed) or in a commercial kitchen? Your idea commercial food is safer is very distorted- there are hygiene rules for these places because SO MANY cases of poisoning have happened over the years- domestic cases are very rare by comparison. your sister's SIL is making decisions on the basis of made up prejudice, not facts.

You're not actually being 'more careful' on objective measures, you're just falling victim to your own biases.

Definite crossover between restricted eating and "massive salads" and dainty performative under eating and shunning homemade on grounds of hygiene - hence the use of terms like gobble/scoff.

A hard no from me as I wouldn't eat it and what on earth is a wedding care package? Never heard of it only for elderly sick people

Do you know how to filter and read just OPs posts? You would’ve answered your own question then.

@TheKeatingFive

We're doing as we see fit. Objective measures are irrelevant.

What hogwash. Our lives aren't restricted at all.

Illness and poisoning aren't a concern, as I have stated before. Aesthetics are.

I'm never desperate enough for a biscuit or brownie that I'd eat any old thing some rando plopped into a sack and left in my hotel room.

It seems very sad looking from the outside in.

To over focus on one area that is objectively of minimal concern (hygiene) and lose out on the substantial benefits of enjoying other people's good will/hospitality and appreciating delicious home made food.

Your choice, naturally. It just seems a bit tragic to me.

Gosh would never even occur to me to be squeamish about home baked goods. I am always thrilled if a colleague brings in some made goodies. I would always gravitate towards home made over commercial any day.

Your terminology is really unpleasant, why?

I myself am coming at this from a cultural view. In my culture, hospitality is all and people will be offended if you refuse, unless for allergies or illness. It's a food= love culture. That has stayed with me.

It's not about being desperate for a snack.I don't even eat sugar but if somebody bakes me something, i will eat it.

@TheKeatingFive

We have enough pleasures in our lives that abstaining from unsolicited baked goods isn't "sad" or a tragedy.

If the brownie is left in the hotel room, the giver won't know its fate either way.

And most people could benefit from finding ways of bolstering social connections that don't involve flour, sugar and other carbs.