Gloves or No Gloves

Picture of Rojak Seller holding a pineapple on his left hand and slicing pieces of pineapples using a knife on his right hand.

This is the Rojak seller, making Rojak for me. I am not particular about whether he wears gloves or not. I had been patronizing his store for many years when I was staying in Bukit Batok. But from the last visit, I noticed that he had wore glove on the left hand and none on the right hand. I wondered why was that so. On observing further, I realized that the right hand was not wearing any glove because he need to use tools like tongs and knife in preparing the Rojak. That was very acceptable.

When I had come to his stall, he was sitting at outside his stall (with no customers). I approached him and made my order. Then he walked to his stall, wore his glove and started preparing Rojak for me.

Rojak Seller preparing Rojak for customer (me): Is he wearing glove or is he not wearing glove?

Speaking of hygiene and food contamination, there are many things which can be improved. The food was not covered, and the Rojak bowl was not washed at all. Imagine it is being used throughout the day, and anything could have dropped in it — dust or just any dirt from around. Flies and insect could have fly into the shelves also. There was no grading pasted at his stall.

This is not a post to complain about him, and I have nothing to complain about. If I am not satisfied with him, I would not have bought my Rojak from him. But since wearing gloves seem a hot subject during this period where Food Poisoning cases were discovered at Geylang, I would want to take this opportunity to raise my view also — from what I had observed from past experience.

Newspaper Forum: My Paper, 4 May 2009 — Food Handlers without gloves face fines and demerit points

It is good that steps are being taken to deter unhygienic practices of food handlers in Singapore. However, there are obviously many hawkers or food handlers who do not understand the importance or the reasons behind it. At Toa Payoh KouFu food court, I had observed cases of one hand with glove and one bare hand, just like this Rojak seller. However, this person (the one at KouFu, whom I had observed closely, while I was taking my meal there) touches everything with both his hands — gloves or without gloves. Even though one of the hand was wearing glove and the other did not, but in the end, both hands touches everything — opening the the rice cooker with his ‘gloved’ hand and then touching plates and so on again… Sometimes I wondered if their purpose of wearing glove is to protect their hand or to prevent contamination of food.

While wearing glove seems hygienic, but incorrect usage would do more harm than good. For example, the same piece of glove was being used again and again. Imagine glove that is oily being used again and again, trapping lots of dirts and even fine hairs which the food handlers might not have ‘feeling’ of them. Sometimes when you handle food with your bare hands, it is so much cleaner than using gloves in that case! At the end of the day, it is really the food handlers must know what they are doing. And not simply putting on gloves for FEAR of getting fines and getting demerit points — wearing one glove on a hand and not on the other hand…. this is the ‘kiasu’ spirit of some Singaporean — scared of being fine or getting demerit points (but at least they got reason to say they are wearing glove still with a hand)!

Like maid agencies, perhaps these ‘uneducated’ hawkers or food stall vendors should attend classes and even on-going classes to upgrade themselves on food hygiene, common illnesses and even things like nutrition and how diseases are spread and courses like that, rather than just fining and issuing demerit points to these people. In the long run, it would not ‘educate’ these people or deter them from doing such things (they might repeat the same mistake as they did not even know why also).

More Links about Food Hygiene:
Singapore Food Grading System
Trusting With Your Eyes
Straight A’s Programmes
Know Your ABC
More Than ABC
Muslim Food
Muslim Food Stall

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