Buy the brownies and bring some wine. And have some fun.
And feel better, Little Penguin!

Well, if it were up to me, I would think of it this way: even if I were sure I could bake them safely, some people would see that I had a cold and shy away from my contribution. And others might partake for the sake of my feelings even if they were uneasy about it. So it would be more comfortable for everyone if I brought something store-bought.

Also if you’re not feeling well, it’s probably better to save your energy.

There are times when I know I have to give it my all, and so I dose up on meds, carry a bundle of Kleenex, and tough it out. But this wouldn’t be one of them.

I would make a trip to the bakery. I avoid handling anyone else’s food when I’m sick. Also, your fellow book club members will see that you have a cold and won’t want to eat anything you’ve prepared.

Sorry you’re doing poorly, Penguin. Feel better soon.

Thanks guys. I think i’m sleeping my way out of it.

Just wash your hands.

In terms of germs, wash your hands while handling everything. That’s the rule in my house when someone is sick, wash hands before touching the kitchen, which includes just opening cabinet doors and the fridge. We almost never give each other an illness.

You are probably not very contagious if you have had a cold all week, assuming what you are calling a cold is actually a cold.

For me, your brownies are “sick” whether you baked them or not if you touched them with germy hands, because I tend to be over the top about getting sick. You still touched the package, So for paranoid me how are the brownies taken out of the package? I don’t expect you to answer that, I just have that running through my head if I’m at the party.

Are you touching serving spoons and drink bottles at the party that I am going to touch also?

If you’re sniffling and sick I’m worried about you getting me sick regardless of the food. I’d ask you how long you’ve been sick, and then I’d feel ok about it. More than 3 days I tend to not worry.

Since you are feeling under the weather it’s probably easier for you to just buy something though. I’ve become more and more lazy about these things. I often am invited to potlucks, and I actually cook about ⅓ of the time lately.

^How do you ever go out of your house with those worries?

@chyna Most people aren’t sick. It’s just when the sick is in my face so to speak I try to take precautions if it’s reasonable.

Like I said, if I know you’ve been sick over 3 days I’m not really worried anyway. The OP worried about getting others sick, or making them uncomfortable. I would trust her to be conscious about it, and I would eat her brownies, knowing she thought about it. If she washed her hands I think that’s sufficient.

The whole thing about touching serving spoons, I’m just saying realistically if she is touching everything then the brownies are no different than anything else they will eat. I’d eat, knowing that, because it’s either don’t eat at all, or just go ahead and not worry about it and eat everything.

I was just explaining the reality of the germ issue, not that I overly obsess about it when confronted with the situation. If I can eat at Golden Corral and Sweet Tomatoes (both buffet) then obviously I’m not overly obsessed with touching a serving spoon.

<Clears throat>

We have staff for that

I know I’m a day late, but it it were me…I’d not only NOT bake the brownies, I’d likely stay home, too. I just really hate socializing while I’m not feeling well.

Hope you’re feeling better today!

^Agree! But I would make the brownies for myself.

Let’s all make brownies as a gesture of solidarity with @janbb!

Excellent points, @chyna and @canidmajor!

I didn’t bake the brownies and brought bars in a box so @JLeslie wouldn’t freak out at my having touched them. I’m not snotty any more but my sinuses still hurt. It was good to get out. Not so much fun going to a memorial service for a 49 year old woman tonight.

Lol. Ok. I’m the one who said it’s almost the same difference to me if you bake them or bring a box, if you are eating also and touching serving spoons and drink bottles, etc, but ok I’ll take the hit. No one really understands what I wrote I think.

Don’t be silly, @JLeslie, we all understood exactly what you wrote, and why you wrote it.

@canidmajor Ok, maybe it’s just @chyna. She tends to think I’m paranoid, and that I give too much medical advice, and that I’m mean to Christians, so maybe I got a little defensive. I don’t think she was joking. I think she thinks I have paranoid crap in my head about germs constantly, and walk around with gloves on or something.

I think @janbb probably was joking.

Again, don’t be silly. I have often mentioned your paranoia, and you have chastised me for that in the past. Don’t give @chyna all the credit!

And unless you receive presents and mailings from @janbb, of course she’s joking.