On 11/18/2018 at 5:04 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

But I am also pretty sure your butcher back home will wash his hands thoroughly i.e. after he was at the toilet.

I wouldn't bet on that here.

Where in continental Europe do you see staff handling food using gloves or sanitizing their hands? Just spent several months there. 

20 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Tiny is relative. Depends on what species of Mollusca were are talking about ????

Hahaha touche

I think I prefer bare hands in stead if some gloves which are worn all day with a stack of bacteria!

 

Did you ever monitored them to see if they swap out the gloves for a new pair? I never saw them using a new pair. 

 

Bare hands will be washed or cleaned more often than they will swap gloves for a new pair. 

Handling food is an issue not given enough thought here. Locals like to take the tops off things and smell them too.  Seen too many items in the bakeries handled for no real reason. I am put off despite them looking pretty good. Too much absent-minded nose picking goes on here!

On 11/26/2018 at 12:27 AM, jacko45k said:

Handling food is an issue not given enough thought here. Locals like to take the tops off things and smell them too.  Seen too many items in the bakeries handled for no real reason. I am put off despite them looking pretty good. Too much absent-minded nose picking goes on here!

See plenty absent minded farangs picking their nose. The hygienic handling of food is an issue everywhere in the world. However, in many African countries where I worked staff in shops used gloves and changed them if they handled a non food item in between. 

10 minutes ago, Letseng said:

See plenty absent minded farangs picking their nose.

And do they also work as counter staff at BigC-X?

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 1:21 AM, LennyW said:

Cant ever recall the local butcher wearing gloves of any sort!

haha.  yep.  When I grew up (born in 57) meat was just grabbed.  Heck in our family deli, circa 1978, we were so busy we pre sliced the ham and turkey and cheeses that were commonly used, and had each in metal pans.  When somebody ordered a ham and swiss, we just sliced the bread open, grabbed a hunk of ham then a hunk of cheese and made the sandwich!.  Gloves?  Only in the winter when we were outside throwing snowballs!

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 1:35 PM, RicUSA said:

I've only lived here 4 months and that would not surprise me - thailand ways of doing things are very layed back.  Big C is sort of a discount store like walmart to me.  But as you say - the cooking will kill any surface bacteria - should get a meat thermometer to make sure center of steak is 140 - 160 F or 60 - 70 degrees C.  

A lot of things to consider in food safety. Yes cooking to at least 160 will kill bacteria but it won't eliminate the toxins that formed from being left at an unsafe temperature prior to cooking. 2 hours max at temps over 40 and under 140. Also I understand that the use of formalin is common in Thailand. Allows meat and fish to last a long time without refrigeration. But do you really want to ingest that? In open markets beware of meat and fish that is unrefrigerated and has no flies around it? They are smart enough to avoid that! 

So what's one to do to avoid the unsafe foods and unseen chemicals?

Not an easy answer. I eat what the Mrs. cooks and hope for the best. Left on my own, I eat a lot of food from franchise food places because I know they are very concerned about food safety! I was a franchise owner for many years in "another life."

...looking like a ferang & not speaking the language? I'm not falling for it but good luck to any who do [emoji848]

There is a Welsh butcher who works at big C Extra, good bloke, very helpful with enquires, don't know if he speaks Thai though.

Sent from my vivo 1601 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

On 11/28/2018 at 8:53 PM, gk10002000 said:

haha.  yep.  When I grew up (born in 57) meat was just grabbed.  Heck in our family deli, circa 1978, we were so busy we pre sliced the ham and turkey and cheeses that were commonly used, and had each in metal pans.  When somebody ordered a ham and swiss, we just sliced the bread open, grabbed a hunk of ham then a hunk of cheese and made the sandwich!.  Gloves?  Only in the winter when we were outside throwing snowballs!

What wrongs with that. It's obvious you were not in the tranches in the 2nd world war, Hand when washed are a perfect plastics gloves.Skin is none absorbing.

Are you saying the meat in Big C is riled in bacteria.

31 minutes ago, Percy P said:

What wrongs with that. It's obvious you were not in the tranches in the 2nd world war,

No he wasnt in the trenches in World war 2 in 1942, he was in Big C Thailand in 2018