‘Nasty, vile, want to unsee’: Mum sparks debate over multi-use of ‘family sick bowl’

Social media is split

Are you guilty of this habit? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An author has sparked an online debate after revealing that her family’s ‘sick bowl’ and cake mix bowl are one and the same.

In a tweet posted on Sunday, which has garnered 122,000 likes and over 11,000 retweets, Sarah Turner wrote: “My kids have just discovered that the family sick bowl and the cake mix bowl are one and the same.

“In my defence, this was also the case when I was growing up … but now I’ve said it out loud, I realise I need to break the cycle. I won’t be taking any further questions.”

Social media was quickly flooded with responses to the mother-of-three’s disclosure.

“This is so relatable and I feel like my family is the same..... I threw up in the cake mix bowl two days ago and made pancake batter in it the day after,” wrote one user.

“Don’t see a problem with that,” wrote another. “I use the same bowl for some cleaning when I don’t want to take a bucket, for sick days or for storing a big batch of cooked macaroni. We wash it each time in the dishwasher. Ready for its next mission.”

Others expressed their revulsion and commitment to “never eating at another person’s house again”.

“Imagine these people are the ones that bring home-made brownies and cakes to work,” wrote another. “Be careful who you eat from. Acting like there’s a bowl shortage. News flash you can own more than one bowl fgs”.

Another wrote: “You can literally get a bucket for $5 at Home Depot. Nasty, vile, want to unsee.”

Some questioned the desire to share unfavourable information about themselves with the world.

“Every month, a specific demographic decides to tell the internet information about how unhygienic they are… unprovoked,” wrote one user.

“Every day, someone comes on here and willingly says something that you would have to break multiple Geneva Conventions to get me to admit,” said another.

According to the Food Standards Agency, care should be taken to keep all utensils and dishes clean before preparing food to avoid cross-contamination.

It states that harmful bacteria can be removed by cleaning with warm, soapy water or by using disinfectant cleaning products.

However, it adds that simply washing with soapy water does not kill bacteria.

“To kill the bacteria you need to wash the surfaces at temperatures above 70°C and maintain that temperature for some time,” it states. This temperature is too hot for your hands without the risk of serious scalding.”

On social media, others have suggested simply using the toilet or purchasing a cheap bowl or bucket for sickness, rather than using the same bowl for cooking, in an effort to avoid infection.