What's your take on it?

Today we went to a little cobblestoned plaza with the likes of Yayoi and these other Japanese style franchises for the want to be higher mid-so's.

I went to the bathroom and a cook/chef from one of them came out of the cubicle, went to the sink, didn't even turn on the tap, instead staying there for maybe 20 seconds which he spent flicking through his hair and picking/probing at his face, then left.

Given the local toilet culture it's quite possible he defecated, used his hand to wipe his @ss, then went back to preparing customer's food without washing his hands.

What's your take on this sort of behavior?

What my take....don't order food from this restaurant then

Oh just make sure you take good care of your immune system and in return will do what it is supposed to do.

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sticking my head in the sand

Welcome to Thailand !

Food Hygiene hub of the world........

On a scale of 1 to 10?

2

why would he use his hand to wipe his ass... was the bum gun out of order ?

TMI ... in any case cooks should wash their hands after defecating, and wash their hands WELL. Should. You can bet most don't.

Not to mention flies around the place, chicken, pork, fish and everything else stuffed in a box next to each other and a myriad of other sins that would have your average western food safety inspector weeping into his hair net.

The funny thing is I have never really had a problem from eating out here in 5 years of relatively adventurous eating. I guess if it's cooked enough then it's not a problem, even if it does turn your stomach to think of it. Though I wouldn't probably rush to order from that shop.

The chef not washing his hands is the least of our worries.

When buying chicken at the local market I never know whether to choose the pieces on top of the heap covered in flies, or dig deep and get a piece from the salmonella soup they're all floating in. And at an ambient 32 degrees and they've been sitting there all day (and probably all yesterday as well), they're bound to be bacteria free.

I doubt the chef can do much more damage than has been done before the food actually got to him.

I wash my hands before I go to the toilet in Japanese restaurants here.....................

Raw fish? What's that all about then? An excuse for chefs hygiene that's what ......................

Kitchens have their own basins for hand cleaning and usually also desinfectant-liquid.

Maybe he skipped hand washing there because of this.

The problem in central is that there are no adequate means to dry the hands after washing, they only got this thin paper that disintegrates when it does contact with wet hands.

Edited February 7, 201412 yr by manarak

There's a mobile roti cart that parks up every night by the 7-11 opposite where we live.

Couple of times a night the guy will disappear into the small area of woodland to strain his greens and return to roll and serve up his special ammonia infused roti to an unsuspecting clientele.

Guess 'what you don't know won't kill ya' roti fans

Edited February 7, 201412 yr by jkinbkk

Kitchens have their own basins for hand cleaning and usually also desinfectant-liquid.

Maybe he skipped hand washing there because of this.

The problem in central is that there are no adequate means to dry the hands after washing, they only got this thin paper that disintegrates when it does contact with wet hands.

sure evry kitchen in Thailand got those basins/ desinfectants and every cook(don't call'em chefs) are using it properly......

Oh just make sure you take good care of your immune system and in return will do what it is supposed to do.

Yes including putting it under stress - over-sterilized lifestyle in the west - especially the US is responsible IMO for the epidemics in immune-related syndromes other countries don't have.

Lactose, gluten intolerance

Peanut allergies

Asthma

ADD/ADHD

susceptibilities to addictions

and probably many more

Come on guys at least they cover their nose like surgeons do with their patients.

So it is not so bad after all.

And let's not go near food carts that's another topic.

Nose picking

Flees pickins

Money handling

Toe nail clippings

Etc...

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Germs are not the enemy, you don't protect yourself by waging war on your environment but by maintaining a strong immune system.

You're constantly surrounded by, and host to, thousands and thousands of species of bacteria all day long, many of them active pathogens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/

http://discovermagazine.com/galleries/zen-photo/m/microbiome#.UvTk7XW-QX4

Modern science is only just now starting to scratch the surface of understanding how our physical bodies work with all these mutually beneficial organisms.

Live and let live. . .

Edited February 7, 201412 yr by wym

Kitchens have their own basins for hand cleaning and usually also desinfectant-liquid.

Maybe he skipped hand washing there because of this.

The problem in central is that there are no adequate means to dry the hands after washing, they only got this thin paper that disintegrates when it does contact with wet hands.

sure evry kitchen in Thailand got those basins/ desinfectants and every cook(don't call'em chefs) are using it properly......

*sarcasm detected*

Not every kitchen in Thailand, but I think the kitchens of large restaurant chains are equipped.

Just wanted to point out that there are other washing options than in the mall's toilets.

Oh just make sure you take good care of your immune system and in return will do what it is supposed to do.

Yes including putting it under stress - over-sterilized lifestyle in the west - especially the US is responsible IMO for the epidemics in immune-related syndromes other countries don't have.

Lactose, gluten intolerance

Peanut allergies

Asthma

ADD/ADHD

susceptibilities to addictions

and probably many more

Oh just make sure you take good care of your immune system and in return will do what it is supposed to do.

Yes including putting it under stress - over-sterilized lifestyle in the west - especially the US is responsible IMO for the epidemics in immune-related syndromes other countries don't have.

Lactose, gluten intolerance

Peanut allergies

Asthma

ADD/ADHD

susceptibilities to addictions

and probably many more

Agree with this, but I wouldn't go as far as having the chefs fecal matter or zit produce on my sushi.

Whoever said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" had obviously never had cholera.

Edited February 7, 201412 yr by NBD

Well this problem exists all over the world.

If you worry about it that much - and I'm saying we shouldn't - then you have to take control over your own food chain.

B&Ming about it online isn't going to help either way.

And wrt cholera, actually having it once does build up immunity, we haven't figured out how to reproduce that with a good vaccine yet.

For myself I'll keep eating street food thanks. . .

Kitchens have their own basins for hand cleaning and usually also desinfectant-liquid.

Maybe he skipped hand washing there because of this.

The problem in central is that there are no adequate means to dry the hands after washing, they only got this thin paper that disintegrates when it does contact with wet hands.

sure evry kitchen in Thailand got those basins/ desinfectants and every cook(don't call'em chefs) are using it properly......

*sarcasm detected*

Not every kitchen in Thailand, but I think the kitchens of large restaurant chains are equipped.

Just wanted to point out that there are other washing options than in the mall's toilets.

yes you are right.but i stll have to remind my staff constantly to use 'em.

hub of: hub of: hub of: for the first and possibly second time I saw a "joke" using this line, it was almost vaguely amusing. however, after 300 or 400 times, it gets pretty old. do some guys actually find this humorous?

Edited February 8, 201412 yr by alfalfa19

why would he use his hand to wipe his ass... was the bum gun out of order ?

Given the local toilet culture it's quite possible he defecated, used his hand to wipe his @ss, then went back to preparing customer's food without washing his hands.

What's your take on this sort of behavior?

What's your take on this sort of behavior?

Interesting that you've done such an extensive study of toilet culture in men's rooms and that, based on your "investigations" you are able to imagine what typically takes place in the stall.

If you ever worked in a restaurant in the west as a summer job or whatever, you'd have seen (and probably done) worse.

Chain restaurants, as have been mentioned many times before, are often the least hygienic of food outlets. The workers are untrained, often unsupervised, uneducated, minimum wage, economic migrants from rural villages. They have no stake in the success of the restaurant and may well feel no empathy with the customer. The food may sit around all day particularly in places that make sandwiches or buffet type places. They look plastic and shiny but don't be fooled.

On the other hand, grotty-looking sole trader stalls have a 100% vested interest in repeat custom and are much more likely to employ basic food hygiene measures.

Edited February 8, 201412 yr by Briggsy

You've probably never seen the hidden camera action in Western Restaurants.

Sadly, this is a tale that most of us have heard or seen before. Whether it is laziness or anger (I'll spit in his burger) it happens all over the word. You pay your money and tske your chance.

My better half always looks carefully at the vendors rather than the food before she buys.

Food hygiene regs in the UK are way over the top if you compare with what you see actually happen here.

Never get sick in Thailand relating to food issues makes you wonder what its all about in the UK.

All I can think of is the Seinfeld episode where "papi is sloppy"

Wow, Thailand is not hygienic? Ever try the Philippines or Cambodia? Ever really look in the kitchens of the restaurants in your home country?--yeah there are laws, but the laws are here too, who, where, and when are they enforced.