1 . Herman Rawi from Malaysia uploads TikTok videos of him tasting all kinds of food. But the video of him eating snow on Jan.28 is the only one that comes with a cautionary warning.

Having to battle hot weathers on the equator for most time of the year, almost all of Malaysians love cold dessert. Perhaps this is why Herman tends to lack self-control when he sees snow. During his recent trip to Yamagata, Japan, he filmed himself eating a ball of snow. “A reason — I had terrible fever, cough, runny nose and body aches for eight days,” he wrote in the video’s description.

Herman claimed, “I used to eat snow during the winter when I studied in the UK years ago. I would often go for the freshest snow at an undisturbed place and never fell sick.”

While you may assume snow that’s freshly fallen and collected in an undisturbed area is free of any harmful substances, don’t be so sure. According to meteorologist Mary Scarzello Fairbanks, snow isn’t all that pure. “It’s formed when water-drops freeze around some dust in the air, forming an ice crystal that continues to collect water vapor and form a snowflake. When the snowflake falls, it will also collect things hanging in the air, including dirt and even bacterial particles. If it’s windy, snow could even mix with dirt kicked up from the soil before settling,” he said.

A 2015 study published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts even demonstrated how snow could mix with gasoline exhaust 2. This all means that, theoretically, your snow ice cream could have some pretty disgusting “flavorings”.

Eating snow in an emergency is another matter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against snow snacking for anyone who is trapped, such as hikers, because it can lower one’s body temperature. In cases where there is a water supply issue, the CDC says it’s safe to take collected snow and boil it to kill some harmful bacteria.

3 . What better ways to start to the winter months than to nestle up with a podcast(播客) or two? Perhaps you could feel inspired by some of the amazing women hosting shows. There will be plenty of indoor hours in the day to try them out!

Hormonal

Hormonal is a brand new, weekly podcast, hosted by author Rhea Ramjohn and produced by female health app, Clue. The first season aims to solve the mystery of hormones, shedding light on the different ways in which they impact our lives.

Encyclopedia Womannica

Encyclopedia Womannica is a relatively new offering that certainly packs a punch. Host Liz Kaplan was inspired to do this while musing on(沉思) her school history lessons, which she remembered as not really containing women. It aims to resolve that issue by teaching listeners about important women who have made an impact on the world — but have not necessarily been recognised for it.

The Broad Experience

This podcast runs in 20-minute episodes (一集) which tackle some of the toughest issues facing working women today. Just tune in to Ashley Milne-Tyte, reporter and teacher. Topics include being a professional woman without kids, the difficulty of delegating colleagues, and even sexual harassment(骚扰).

Afford Anything

Afford Anything is a podcast that offers up an interesting concept: you can afford anything, but not everything. It’s run by Paula Pant as an extension to her book Escape, and the career she’s built on advising other people on how to make the most of their time, energy and money.