Sunday, March 15, 2009

Help, Migrants Taking Over Our Hawker Stalls!


No, this woman is not Chinese!

If you are a frequent eater at the many restaurants and stalls in and around Wangsa Maju, you will by now notice that most of the helps are foreigners.

In some, especially those in Taman Desa Setapak, even the food handlers are foreigners. What are we doing to ourselves frequenting these stalls anyway? Where are the owners? Are they not interested in the business, quality and all, that they allow foreigners to take over from them?

Why should you and me risk ourselves eating at places where people whose health conditions are virtually unknown to serve us food?

Updated - March 22:
Following subsequent comments, I wish to state that the stalls in question are those with unkempt foreign helps (as one commenter has wisely pointed out). As consumers, we have no way of determining the health status of these helps, and relying on our senses, sound and sight, will not be foolproof - although in being human, humane and self-health-conscious first, we may sometimes have to act and err on the side of caution.

Who should be blamed here? The licensing authorities? The opportunistic bosses who use their maids as food handlers?

4 comments:

zorro said...

What is wrong if servers and food handlers are foreigners as long as clean and quality service are maintained?

If the above two are wanting, then you should go for the absent boss. If that persists then you say: I am not coming here because it is not hygienic and quality is down and not because you are a foreigner.

You could also go one step further and asks these foreigners what they do after they close shop? You will be surprised that they go back to boss house to keep house and then prepare for the next day.

Be fair....they leave home and everything to earn a living....I just pray that one day you young people will not have to leave this country and everything to earn in another country. Empathise with the foreigners, don't sympathise with them.

TOMMY said...

Zorro, I agree with your view too. As long as the food prepared are hygienic, we should not discriminate. My only bone of contentment is the deterioration of food taste. Happened to a few of my childhood favourite stalls like claypot chicken rice behind Perodua Air Panas. Sigh... Hope the old recipes will be retained and passed on to the new generation

Anonymous said...

agree with zorro n CKK too..

Alice Lee said...

Indeed, your views are appreciated Mr Khoo. I think the authorities should not allow these foreigners employed as househelps to be food handlers as well. If the laws are stricter, then there will not be any abuse of working permits. In the case of foreigners with questionable health conditions, then the bosses should be hauled up instead.