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Mom Serves Dessert Made With Her 2YO At Office Potluck, Colleague Reports Her To HR
Kids aren’t for everyone, but that’s no reason to hate on them. Often, a child’s sense of wonder at discovering something for the first time can be both poignant and endearing, whether you’re a parent or not.
One Redditor faced backlash after she prepared a potluck dessert with her two-year-old. Apparently, her anti-child coworker thought was a jerk move, especially since she couldn’t have any. Now the woman has turned to Reddit to ask if she is, in fact, a jerk.
More info: Reddit
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Woman was having a potluck dinner at her work, so she and her two-year-old prepared delicious brownies with caramel
Image credits: freepik / freepik (not the actual photo)
When the woman put the dish out, she added a sign telling people her son helped make it
Image credits: Kampus Production / pexels (not the actual photo)
Her coworker who doesn’t like kids approached her and told her it wasn’t fair since she couldn’t have any
Image credits: Secret-Departure1215
Her coworker told her the dish wasn’t made in a safe way and called her a jerk, now she’s wondering whether or not it was a jerk move
OP begins her story by telling the community that she recently had a potluck dinner at work. She decided to make a decadent dessert, something she let her two-year-old son ‘help’ her with. When she served the dish that night, she added a sign saying that her kid had helped her prepare it, just so people knew.
She adds that one of her coworkers is anti-kid and has even complained to HR in the past because OP’s kid was around at the end of the day for a short while. OP goes on to say that this colleague approached her that night and told her it was unfair to serve a dish she couldn’t have any of.
OP told her she just made the dish and didn’t care who would and wouldn’t eat it. The colleague responded by telling her that the dish wasn’t prepared safely and that serving it wasn’t OK. The woman says she thought making the sign was enough to let people make up their own minds, but her coworker called her a jerk.
OP added that she thought her colleague was making a mountain out of a molehill, but then turned to Reddit to ask if she was a jerk in the sticky situation.
Image credits: Ebru Yılmaz / pexels (not the actual photo)
OP’s colleague might have gone too far by calling her a jerk, but “potluck paranoia” is a thing, and she’s not the only one suffering from it. While a potluck is a great opportunity to taste a wide variety of foods, it also may create an opportunity to share foodborne illness.
For some, these communal meals can create a feeling of potluck paranoia, because they’re not certain that safe food preparation and proper sanitation methods were used. Other guests might have food allergies and could be concerned about the unknown ingredients of the food being shared.
In an article for The Denver Post, Los Angeles publicist Nilou Salimpour-Davidov sums up her feelings about potlucks this way: “I think they’re good for one thing: to minimize your calorie intake. They make me lose my appetite.”
Dr. Roshan Reporter, a medical epidemiologist with the LA County Department of Public Health, acknowledges that potlucks can be risky. Although the department gets far less reports of food poisoning from potlucks than it does from restaurants, she says those numbers increase around the holidays, when potlucks are in season.
So, just which diseases can you be exposed to from tainted food? The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list campylobacter, salmonella, and E. coli as the top three most common types of food-borne illnesses, among others.
Back in 2019, a woman live tweeted a saga involving her coworker and a bag of raw chicken wings. The hopeful coworker brought in his own deep fryer to prepare them on-site. Needless to say, the woman was not satisfied with his prep process. The ordeal went viral and started the whole potluck discussion once again.
What do you think of the coworker’s reaction? Was she being too mean, or do you think she has a case? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
Redditors sprang to the woman’s defense, saying the coworker was the jerk and that kids aren’t allergens
Image credits: Lee Myungseong / unsplash (not the actual photo)
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What do you think ?
Ashlie Benson 1 year ago
I like how everyone reading this just assumed the 2 year old was a wild and crazy kid who was playing in the toilet water with raccoons before helping. My nephew has always helped my sister with cooking, it's something he enjoys. They wash his hands, and she teaches him to cook as she's cooking. I don't understand the big deal. Am I missing something?
Becca not Becky 1 year ago
You're not, but the people grossed out by a toddler are missing the fact that adults can be just as gross, if not worse.
Load More Replies...
anne chan 1 year ago
This colleague shouldn't eat at a potluck at all if she's concern about hygiene, because even adults can be unhygienic. That is something you never now if you eat outside. Even if you go to a restaurant, you don't know if their kitchen or staff are hygienic or not. Than she can better only eat food she made her self.
brittany 1 year ago
exactly i used to work with a lady who nver washed her hands after using the bathroom. i know bc we'd end up each needing a stall, she'd go in, do her business, flush and leave. nasty
Load More Replies...
V Martinez 1 year ago
Legit question. Sometimes you hear how stuff is cooked off because of the heat temps. If the kid touched the food before it was cooked, wouldn't those germs get cooked/baked off? If he didn't touch the food after it was done, it would be ok? Sorry, I'm not much on cooking/baking, so no idea on the science of it all.
arthbach 1 year ago
V Martinez, yes, if the child had brought along any interesting germs or viruses to the food, the cooking process would have killed them.
Load More Replies...
Spencer's slave no longer 1 year ago
Good grief. People are so precious. It was a chocolate caramel dessert, not half raw cooked chicken wings. The co-worker who complained is a Jobsworth. Did she refuse to eat everything or just OP's dessert? My grandkids cook and bake at home and with me and we're all still alive. Some grown a.r.s.e people need to get a life.
Nikole 1 year ago
Yeah, my mom makes blueberry muffins with one of her grandson’s at least twice a month (the other isn’t watched by her anymore as he started kindergarten, and they’re my brother’s kids, fyi). He “helps”. I have no issue eating the muffins. She was a preschool teacher for 30 years. My dad, on the other hand, has finally been shamed into not wiping his hands on kitchen towels after handling raw chicken.
Load More Replies...
Kurt Ramsey 1 year ago
All of you are missing the point. The offended colleague is absolutely right to report this woman to HR. A better response would have been to call the police. Served a dessert she made with her 2 year old?!?! Cannibalism is just wrong people!
Per-Ole Sjuve 1 year ago
I'm dissapointed it wasn't made with a 2 year old at all. "Mom serves dessert made with her 2 year old" and then i learned it was "with help from...".
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago
Yeah, 3 and 4 year olds have different fat content and will mess up your brownies something fierce!
Load More Replies...
Cora C 1 year ago
??? your phone or keyboard or refrigerator door are all covered in bacteria. They are way dirtier than kid's hands.
Sarah Ellison 1 year ago
The amount of help the child probably provided was stirring and cracking eggs. It's not like mom would have let them stick their hand in the batter, honestly. And to all the people who voted that letting the child help raises hygiene concerns, that's the kind of stuff that builds your immune system. As has been pointed out, ALL food at a potluck has risk of being germy because the average person isn't making their meal in a hyper clean kitchen while wearing gloves 🙄
antoinette maldari 1 year ago
Wow...I really don't understand all the hate over potluck office treats. I think home grown, where food is prepared, with care and love, may be better than something coming from a fast food joint where the worker couldn't care less who is eating their food. And how much can a 2 year old really "help"?
FreeTheUnicorn 1 year ago
Putting the sign only makes me suspicious, but eating anything that someone else has prepared has some risk. Personally I am more grossed out by the other pot luck attendees and how they handle the food than the cooks, but its all ciste benefit analysis.
Ashlie Benson 1 year ago
I like how everyone reading this just assumed the 2 year old was a wild and crazy kid who was playing in the toilet water with raccoons before helping. My nephew has always helped my sister with cooking, it's something he enjoys. They wash his hands, and she teaches him to cook as she's cooking. I don't understand the big deal. Am I missing something?
Becca not Becky 1 year ago
You're not, but the people grossed out by a toddler are missing the fact that adults can be just as gross, if not worse.
Load More Replies... anne chan 1 year ago
This colleague shouldn't eat at a potluck at all if she's concern about hygiene, because even adults can be unhygienic. That is something you never now if you eat outside. Even if you go to a restaurant, you don't know if their kitchen or staff are hygienic or not. Than she can better only eat food she made her self.
brittany 1 year ago
exactly i used to work with a lady who nver washed her hands after using the bathroom. i know bc we'd end up each needing a stall, she'd go in, do her business, flush and leave. nasty
Load More Replies... V Martinez 1 year ago
Legit question. Sometimes you hear how stuff is cooked off because of the heat temps. If the kid touched the food before it was cooked, wouldn't those germs get cooked/baked off? If he didn't touch the food after it was done, it would be ok? Sorry, I'm not much on cooking/baking, so no idea on the science of it all.
arthbach 1 year ago
V Martinez, yes, if the child had brought along any interesting germs or viruses to the food, the cooking process would have killed them.
Load More Replies... Spencer's slave no longer 1 year ago
Good grief. People are so precious. It was a chocolate caramel dessert, not half raw cooked chicken wings. The co-worker who complained is a Jobsworth. Did she refuse to eat everything or just OP's dessert? My grandkids cook and bake at home and with me and we're all still alive. Some grown a.r.s.e people need to get a life.
Nikole 1 year ago
Yeah, my mom makes blueberry muffins with one of her grandson’s at least twice a month (the other isn’t watched by her anymore as he started kindergarten, and they’re my brother’s kids, fyi). He “helps”. I have no issue eating the muffins. She was a preschool teacher for 30 years. My dad, on the other hand, has finally been shamed into not wiping his hands on kitchen towels after handling raw chicken.
Load More Replies... Kurt Ramsey 1 year ago
All of you are missing the point. The offended colleague is absolutely right to report this woman to HR. A better response would have been to call the police. Served a dessert she made with her 2 year old?!?! Cannibalism is just wrong people!
Per-Ole Sjuve 1 year ago
I'm dissapointed it wasn't made with a 2 year old at all. "Mom serves dessert made with her 2 year old" and then i learned it was "with help from...".
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago
Yeah, 3 and 4 year olds have different fat content and will mess up your brownies something fierce!
Load More Replies... Cora C 1 year ago
??? your phone or keyboard or refrigerator door are all covered in bacteria. They are way dirtier than kid's hands.
Sarah Ellison 1 year ago
The amount of help the child probably provided was stirring and cracking eggs. It's not like mom would have let them stick their hand in the batter, honestly. And to all the people who voted that letting the child help raises hygiene concerns, that's the kind of stuff that builds your immune system. As has been pointed out, ALL food at a potluck has risk of being germy because the average person isn't making their meal in a hyper clean kitchen while wearing gloves 🙄
antoinette maldari 1 year ago
Wow...I really don't understand all the hate over potluck office treats. I think home grown, where food is prepared, with care and love, may be better than something coming from a fast food joint where the worker couldn't care less who is eating their food. And how much can a 2 year old really "help"?
FreeTheUnicorn 1 year ago
Putting the sign only makes me suspicious, but eating anything that someone else has prepared has some risk. Personally I am more grossed out by the other pot luck attendees and how they handle the food than the cooks, but its all ciste benefit analysis.
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