Cookie Swapping in the Time of COVID?

November 18, 2020 4:41 PM

Is it feasible to do a cookie swap this year? What say you, lovely mefites?

The MeFi Cookie Swap is a decade-old tradition, accidentally instigated by me, actually brought to fruition by shothotbot, and graciously kept afloat for years by ausdemfenster before she passed the oven mitts to me in 2018.

It is a weird fuckin' year, so I wanted to check in to see where y'all fall on the 2020 Cookie Swap Opinion Scale:

1 - I don't think it's wise to swap cookies with strangers in the midst of a global pandemic and I think the community should postpone until next year.

5 - I'm not going to participate this year, but I'm fine if other choose to do so.

10 - I desperately need to bake/receive random internet cookies to help me push through this hell-hole of a year.

I have no preference and will defer to the hive mind, so please do share your open & honest feedback!

posted by chara to MetaFilter-Related at 4:41 PM (29 comments total)

I am a 10 on the inside, but a 1 in practicality because my GP told me it wouldn't be safe. :(
posted by Kitchen Witch at 5:31 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

I put myself at about a 7. I have a ton of unbaked cookies I made during lockdown and it's highly doubtful we'll have the bake sale at church this year. I love to bake, especially cookies. If anyone wants cookies from me, I'll send them.

I definitely understand why people wouldn't want to get cookies from random people though.
posted by kathrynm at 5:33 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

Personally I’m a 10 on that scale but I work essential retail and I’d understand people not wanting cookies from me. As in previous years I’m going to be baking all the cookies anyway though, so who am I to assume how others calculate risk?
posted by fedward at 5:53 PM on November 18, 2020

Are... mailed cookies a risk factor? This is not a haha funny question, I legit don't know - if I make cookies, can the package carry Covid?
posted by FritoKAL at 6:16 PM on November 18, 2020 [4 favorites]

They're a risk factor for the mail carriers. Not the fomites, the delivering.
posted by aniola at 6:26 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

https://www.wired.com/story/its-time-to-talk-about-covid-19-and-surfaces-again/
posted by aniola at 6:26 PM on November 18, 2020 [2 favorites]

I actually think that mail carrying is probably a lower-risk essential job compared to a lot of 'em, though, and have been relying on my mail carriers heavily, so.
posted by aniola at 6:30 PM on November 18, 2020

You all should probably know about the weekly saturday baking zoom IRL. Especially the 10s and the 1s.
posted by aniola at 6:32 PM on November 18, 2020 [4 favorites]

I'm about a 7-8. I would also understand any other score on the opinion scale.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 7:32 PM on November 18, 2020

I mean, if the card swap and the gift swap is going on, the same risks/nonrisks would apply to cookies.
posted by kimberussell at 5:18 AM on November 19, 2020 [7 favorites]

I'm about a 6 for this year but more for me being exhausted all the time reasons than Covid stuff - I let deliveries sit a bit before I open them and consider that good enough since fomite transmission is really really low risk.

I didn't know about the baking zoom so that's exciting and I'll try to dial in!
posted by brilliantine at 5:58 AM on November 19, 2020

I'm at a 9 on the scale. It'd be a 10 but this morning I realized that I'm committed to three separate by-mail things in December and mayyyyybe I shouldn't be adding one more to the pile. :/
posted by introp at 7:58 AM on November 19, 2020

I'm at a 8. I'd be in if there are other gluten-free people willing to swap, which I definitely admit could be the trickiest part if the pool is limited.
posted by guster4lovers at 6:44 AM on November 20, 2020

I'm a 10 re: safety. I'm a very average baker, I'll be honest. I'm not gonna wow anyone. My goal is not to disappoint. But. I'd really like to connect with some kind people from the internet. IOW I'm in.
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 6:50 AM on November 20, 2020

I was disappointed with the cookies I sent out last year, I got a little ambitious, then got a little pressed for time.. they were okay, but nothing to get excited about. So I'd like to try to do better this year, I'm definitely in.
posted by skewed at 7:45 AM on November 20, 2020

9 over here. "Random cookies from the internet" are one of the best things about this time of year.
posted by damayanti at 2:05 PM on November 20, 2020

8 or so here
posted by polymath at 6:49 PM on November 20, 2020

Since you posted, I keep starting a reply, then second-guessing my opinion and deciding to wait and see more responses and think it over some more. I love cookie swap, and rationally I think it’s not risky. But I still feel a little wary anyway, and though it’s only a little, it may be enough to interfere with my enjoyment of sending and eating cookies. I guess I’m a vacillating 6.
posted by daisyace at 6:06 AM on November 21, 2020

how many people need to sign up for us to do this? if there’s ony a few we can still do it; right? might even be easier to organize idk
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 9:53 AM on November 21, 2020

I’m 9-10. I don’t think it’s any riskier than eating cookies from lovely randos usually is.
posted by jeoc at 4:25 PM on November 21, 2020

Oof y'all. I dropped the ball on this. I meant to get this organized much sooner, but 2020's gonna 2020, y'know?

Anyway, the sign-up link is here: https://forms.gle/XprRtYLVg73QZFrX8

Please sign up by December 9. Thanks!
posted by chara at 6:37 PM on December 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

Done!
posted by kathrynm at 4:56 PM on December 5, 2020

I'm in!
posted by fedward at 5:33 AM on December 7, 2020

Done - but it might be worth asking the mods to push this so more eyes can see it?
posted by FritoKAL at 11:42 AM on December 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

When can we expect swap emails? Just want to be sure mine isn't languishing in spam. Do you need any help?
posted by jeoc at 9:05 AM on December 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

Howdy y'all! I'll send out swap emails today. Sorry for the delay.
posted by chara at 8:11 AM on December 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

My baking will commence this weekend. I'm not sure if I can get them out on Monday though. I'll be able to do it Tuesday morning since I'm off work.
posted by kathrynm at 8:24 AM on December 15, 2020

Mailed today. Hope you like ‘em!
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 5:23 PM on December 16, 2020

I AM NOT LAST TO MAIL. For once. Happy holidays!
posted by fedward at 2:50 PM on December 18, 2020