Increasing number of FTrash food stall assistants

[makapaaa]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 19, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>How hawkers prepare and cook food matters
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to last Sunday's special report on hawker centre hygiene in the wake of the mass food poisoning episode at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market.
Much has been made so far of the importance of clean premises and the personal hygiene of all those involved with food sold in such centres.
While this is to be welcomed, improper food handling appears to be the real culprit. Investigations by the authorities revealed that the cause of the Geylang centre's food poisoning was 'cross-contamination' of rojak and raw seafood ingredients ('Rojak seller suspended, faces court action', April 15).
How can we expect cooked-food vendors to know the practical implications of scientific intricacies - for instance, 'temperature danger zone' being between 5degC and 60degC - if all the training they ever had was by apprenticeship?
At least one study in 2006 showed that over 80per cent of samples of tiger prawns farmed in a neighbouring country carried the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterium.
We are never going to get farmed prawns, whether frozen or fresh, completely free of contamination. But if they are all cooked thoroughly before we eat them, we will not fall sick. If the cooked food does not touch the infected raw food, we will not get sick.
The recent tragic deaths had little to do with clean or dirty premises, but rather with cooking preparations and methods.
Do health inspectors check merely on stalls' cleanliness or do these inspections include checks on the cooking preparations (for instance, the thawing conditions for raw food in steamboat restaurants) and methods (such as mandatory reheating of certain pre-cooked food)?
Are there basic training courses for all who help with the cooking, as well as awareness-raising programmes for the public?
Do these courses offer practical advice that is applicable to real-life situations?
Generic advice such as keeping the food 'bubbling' - does this mean simmering? - in heated containers is impractical for rice and mixed dishes stalls, which may have more than 20 dishes spread out for up to three hours. They need to be told which are more 'at risk'.
With an increasing number of stall assistants and cooks switching from other vocations or coming from other countries, it's high time we paid more attention to effective training in safe food handling. Loh Chee Seen (Ms)

 

[makapaaa]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 19, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Waitress spat in eatery
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to last Sunday's editorial, 'Dirty habits to go'.
Although air-conditioned food courts may appear clean and the operators may follow a standard operating procedure, it does not mean that the workers manning the stalls practise proper hygiene, if they are not taught to do so.
Recently, my husband and I ate at a roast meat noodle 'mini restaurant' at Wisma Atria's Food Republic food court.
While we were eating, a waitress walked to a nearby service counter - where some bowls and drinking glasses were placed - and spat three or four times into the middle of the counter.
I went to the counter to check and saw that there was an opening there, below which was a rubbish bin for food scraps.
When the waitress came to clear our table, I told her she should not have spat into the bin as there were utensils around, and that she should have gone to the washroom instead.
Her reply in Mandarin: 'This is only a rubbish bin.'
I told her she should not be spitting inside an eating establishment at all.
I later told her supervisor what happened. She apologised, but whether she reprimanded the waitress later, I do not know.
Tan Yeow Geak (Madam)

 

[ericgo32]

its not just at food court but everywhere, no point complaining bout FT trash if we singaporeans jus accept them, we hav a part to play ourshelves to keep our own jobs viable and also to keep them in check.

It jus takes a little bit effort out from our daily life, one example would be,

most customer calls centre like M1,singtel and starhub and banks are most mann by foreigners now, everytime i call up any call centres for any from of assistance or help i would formally put in a request to get a singaporean to attend to me, better still if u could jus speak in your own mother tongue's language. When more of such request is demanded by the consumers in time to come it will make employing local born singaporean more viable to be employ than outsourcing to "foreign talent".

 

[Angelo]

Foodcourt owners employ cheap ft trash so that they can afford landed property, sports cars and blue-chips without putting in much effort.

Everytime one of you suckers pay a premium to eat these funny 3rd world garbage, these assholes are laughing their way to the fcking bank.

Boycott all fcking food courts now !!!!

Action now !!! You have the power to decide whats in your wallet. Its about the only right you have in this mother-fucking island these days.

So fcuking act on it !!!!

 

[po2wq]

... Do health inspectors check merely on stalls' cleanliness or do these inspections include checks on the cooking preparations (for instance, the thawing conditions for raw food in steamboat restaurants) and methods (such as mandatory reheating of certain pre-cooked food)?
Are there basic training courses for all who help with the cooking, as well as awareness-raising programmes for the public?
Do these courses offer practical advice that is applicable to real-life situations?
Generic advice such as keeping the food 'bubbling' - does this mean simmering? - ...

warao eh! ... ah seen ...

u dunno abt so many tings ... u noe nuts abt ze issues involved ...

n yet can question ppl so much ... ... juz anyhow whack, hor?! ...

... With an increasing number of stall assistants and cooks switching from other vocations or coming from other countries, it's high time we paid more attention to effective training in safe food handling. ...

ya ... n it shud apply oso 2 dose who fry 2 france 2 learn xquisit french cuisine cooking ...

 

[Conan the Barbarian]

Put your money where your mouth is. Stop patronizing food courts who hire FTs if you are against FT policy.

 

[Dogtracker]

Food court owners are the biggest cash contributor of propaganda activities by the MPs and their CDCs, and RCs. That is the answer why we are paying more for our food and drinks despite the savings from the employing of FTS and deprivation of job opportunities for the locals.

 

[VeryWise]

This thread caught my attention. Have to agree with TS that I have seen many non-singaporeans are hired to help out at food stalls.

I was at the "Cha Can Ting" @ ECP. To my "surpirse", 90% of the waiteresses are from China. Pardon me if I do not know the real situation. I am wondering if our youths now never think of "waitering" as a good part time job? Are all our youths are "higher mortals" that they can't serve people? Anyway, I hope it's not becuase of selective hiring by the owners.

What gives me a bigger surprise is that even normal hawker centers, you see more and more non-singaporeans operating the stalls. I guess Singaporeans might have to stand up and work harder. Otherwise, we could be replaced easily, starting at the bottom level.

 

[takcheksian]

I've been seeing this happen more and more.

Go check out my thread about Lor Mee Stall FT Dun Know what Lor Mee is (Must explain Ru Mian).
http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?t=21583

I don't know why but there is an endless parade of 66.6 idiots who keep saying it will cost $10 per meal at foodcourt if we don't have FT.

Really? Then import twice as much FT means it will cost $1 per meal? If so, please import another 1 million FT and lets see what happens. I am willing to suffer 1m more FT if it can unsinkiefy your retarded 66.6% brains.

 

[besotted]

FT labour hardworking and don;t complain. Singaporean complain like hell, poor attitude, always MC, a little bit not happy

Of course employers employ FT. Of course if you are employee, you not happy, but if one day you become employer then you realise

 

[eeoror88]

Just one sentence.

If you don't like, fxxk off. Nobody dragging you to eat at foodcourt if you are unhappy !!:oIo:

 

[takcheksian]

FT labour hardworking and don;t complain. Singaporean complain like hell, poor attitude, always MC, a little bit not happy

Of course employers employ FT. Of course if you are employee, you not happy, but if one day you become employer then you realise

Of course employers like you like to cut costs, increase margin, lower product quality. I'm sure you can't care less how dirty your FTs are, as long as PAP elites don't eat at your place and sue you for food poisoning.

Have you been to China, land of your favourite PRCs? Do you know how disgusting their food hygiene is? How many of my friends laosai in China from eating their shit/ food?

Take excessive keng MC is of course not good. But I'd rather have people take MC, than come to work sick! You think I want to eat food sprinkled with somebody's sneeze and cough and phlegm germs? You want to hire FT who come to work with TB and spread their germs in your restaurant, please go ahead. If I go to any restaurant or stall where the food servers are wiping nose on shirts, I always chabut asap. Farking disgusting!

Please, where is your restaurant? I must avoid at all cost!