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In Malaysia, it is very easy to park yourself in a restaurant 24/7. In fact seeing "Buka 24 jam" signboards fronting eateries anywhere in the country is not a remote chance lately.
One wonders, do we really need such round-the-clock eating services? Not so long ago the argument put forth was that there are many workers who plough the graveyard shift and therefore they need to eat too. But we may be missing a very crucial reality at the rate the 24 hour eateries are mushrooming all over the country. In most countries - both developed and developing, eateries are closed after a 8 - 12 hour run. In some developed parts of the world, a restaurant is also expected to close for cleaning every four to five hour run. But in Malaysia, the perinnial operations do not shutdown for hygiene restoration. As such, you see two-shift foreign workers manning the 24-hour premises with cleaning taking place while customers continue patronizing unperturbed. Even garbage and kitchen waste removal takes place right under the noses of patrons as the garbage truck pulls over daily at the restaurant's frontage. Such full-time operations also do not ensure the freshness and proper storage and use of perishables especially meat items that are left defrosting or thawing all day and night long. The same goes for vegetables and premixed flour items that are prepared and stored for convenience rather than cleanliness and nutritive value. As any nutritionist will tell you, meat or poultry that is left to thaw over extend time, encourages the multiplicity of harmful bacteria. When eateries are not shutdown for and at reasonable intervals, the hygiene and cleanliness of the eatery is certainly compromised. And they operate at vulnerable levels of infection, contamination and poor food quality. Further, there is also a social concern. With the 'Mat' and 'Minah Rempit' menace in all major towns, such 24-hour outlets only provide greater incentive to our youth to hang out into the wee hours of the morning. In fact a quick round-up of restaurants past midnight easily identifies the patrons are not so much night shift workers as claimed but youths 'lepaking'. As such, it is about time that our policy makers and enforcement units - including town planners and licensing bodies sat down together and revisited this uniquely Malaysian 24-hour eateries. There is also a need to force operators to close for reasonable periods of time to do housekeeping and cleaning at regular intervals. Failing to do so may lead us far too deep into a way of life that eventually will be hard to dismantle. It could also be cause for hygiene, health and social deterioration at implosive levels. But if profit is the sole factor irrespective of the social or health consequences, then these 24/7 operations will only continue to boom and deliberately escape policy makers and those with vested interest. - J. D. Lovrenciear , Semenyih
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A Home Minister like Alba should use his army of Musas to check what is safe for public consumption when he drives out for supper with sunglasses! Too many smooth operators here!! Middle man , center man , rear man and bagmans!!
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