This could have me arrested in Kenya...

As we were walking through the playground, Zahra looked up at me and said, "Mom, that boy eat snow!", as she scrunched up her nose in disapproval.

My eyes lit up at the thought of another first I was going to be able to witness. "Try it!" I told her. She looked at me like I was crazy and said "Nooo!"

Until, her little friend dipped his mit in the snow and licked a tongue full off.

She reached down, filled her mit full and took at big mouthful. I was able to capture it on my iPhone.

She ate her little heart out. Then when we got home, she had to eat her way to the door. This is when I explained the snow eating rules - only from fresh fallen snow with no tracks. (And heaven forbid, stay away from the yellow stuff!)

I swear she would have stayed outside for an hour eating snow had I not make her come in for lunch.

While this is a very normal activity for our Canadian kids, my Kenyan friends at home will be horrified. Scrunching their faces up, doing a little shiver dance in their seats, turning their faces away from this picture of snow in her mouth. YES - I can see you all right now!

They do not eat or drink anything cold for belief that it will make them sick. Cold = Cold. If they develop a sneeze or a runny nose in the afternoon, they relate it to the cold juice they drank in the morning.

I know this sounds ridiculous to us, who would not dream of drinking juice at room temperature (Beer? Yuck!) or not having ice in our soda, ice cream, refrigerated milk etc. But, for whatever reason, somewhere down generational line, someone came up with this theory and it still remains a traditional belief. It does not matter how you explain the science behind viruses, they will still remain steadfast in their belief. Some even believe they are 'allergic' to the cold.

We were able to corrupt a couple of our Kenyan friends and talked them into Ice Cream, and cold Beer, but at the end of the day, the preference was still 'warm'. Which makes perfect sense as they were not raised with and do not live with refrigerators.

Dan and I fight over fruit temperature, he wants them refrigerated and I want them room temperature. It all comes down to what our parents did and what we are used to.

However, my Rafikis.... I maintain my position here with this cold/sick business. If Zahra even comes down with as much as a sniffle or a sneeze, I will let you know. (But I pretty much guarantee you she will survive this 'snow lunch' without any side effects. :)