Tony Turnbull of the Times dropped this headscratcher on us the morning: “Cooking with your Mouth:  Why using a knife for chopping your carrots is so last year.” Like the story of drinking – very expensive – “raw water,” eating food that has been prepared in someone elses mouth sounds a bit more likely coming from the Onion, than the more conventional media.  And, as he pointed out deeper in the story, the video of the “cook” was in fact a spoof.

But in case you are wondering why it might have been a bad idea in any event, here is a bit on what can come from ones mouth to yours:

Infectious diseases can be spread through saliva or shared foods and drinks. When a person accidentally consumes microbe-contaminated items, such as saliva, the swallowing action of the tongue wipes the microbes against the back of the throat, allowing the microbe to enter the body. Infections, such as mononucleosis, caused by Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus are examples of infections spread via oral transmission from virus-containing saliva. Other infectious microbes that spread through saliva do so by sticking to the inner surface of the cheeks and mouth, the tongue, or teeth. An example is the bacterium Streptococcus, which can cause an array of infections, including gum disease strep throat. As a result, microbes that are found in the saliva can generally be found in other parts of the respiratory tract, including the nose and throat. Therefore, even colds and flu (and other respiratory infections) can potentially be spread through the saliva. Certain other infections causing ulcerations in the mouth can also be spread through saliva, such as cold sores (herpes virus) and hand, foot and mouth disease.