SYD F Lounge food handling

[JohnK]

I do not want to stir controversy in any way but had a very interesting observation earlier.

Staff in the kitchen are handling food with bare hands and no gloves. I thought it was compulsory for kitchen staff to handle food with gloves. It does not really bother me but when you see someone without hairnet, bare hands touching food and then touching plates, paper etc it gets a little worrying.

And if controversy was missing these people do not appear to be gourmet chefs by any stretch of the imagination. My guess would be a little more experienced than "gourmet" bistro kitchen staff. Am I wrong?

 

[ferdeline]

I always become paranoid about this, too.

I don't think it is a legal requirement that gloves be worn while preparing food, but, like you, I'd prefer if restaurant staff did.

 

[Shelf]

I would assume whilst handling food they would have to glove up.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Can't remember the last time I saw a high class restaurant prepare food with gloves.

 

[nlagalle]

I dont think gloves are compulsory, and they aren't necessarily better either.

 

[flyingfan]

Can't remember the last time I saw a high class restaurant prepare food with gloves.

I tend to see restaurants (those with open kitchens) have their chefs push food onto the dish and plate up with their bare fingers too.

 

[simongr]

No decent restaurant I have been in uses gloves (we try to take a kitchen tour as often as we can). I would have no concerns about this.

I would expect the chefs to be bistro chefs as the food is good bistro food - it just seems better quality in the lounge because of the alternatives in the airport and the food you will eat on board. I also think the menus pretty smart with a small number of choices - keeps everything fresh and turning over. Quality can be maintained as your food costs are lower.

I would certainly classify the food as better than any room service I have had (with maybe the exception of the Fukien rice at the Conrad in HKG).

 

[richie9x]

I don't think many restaurants would use gloves for food preparation. Generally kitchens are kept very clean and staff wash their hands quite often.

I think gloves are often give a false sense of cleanness. I saw one guy at a food stall once wearing gloves, yet he was handling cash with the gloves. So his gloves would pick up whatever dirt or germs were on the money.

 

[opusman]

Gloves are for sandwich bars.

 

[amaroo]

Gloves are not required for any fine dining establishment.

Other than your bog standard food court - I can't recall ever seeing them in use.

 

[Robert K]

just think of it as building up immunisation for the trip to come.

 

[kirk7]

There is no requirement for gloves...in actual fact, constant washing hands is better. The only thing we need to be aware of- is if the restuarant mixes cooked and uncooked meat in food preparation...

 

[fbrimfield]

Working 6 years in Hospitality, worked in 5 restaurants, 4 cafes, bars, kitchens.

Never any gloves.

Not only do they carry more residual bacteria than your hands pick up when handling food, you can't feel temperature when plating food.

 

[JohnK]

Obviously I do not frequent restaurants that often and I just thought it looked weird. As I said I do not have an issue with it where as some people might.

I would expect the chefs to be bistro chefs as the food is good bistro food - it just seems better quality in the lounge because of the alternatives in the airport and the food you will eat on board. I also think the menus pretty smart with a small number of choices - keeps everything fresh and turning over. Quality can be maintained as your food costs are lower.

The way some people carry on on AFF you would think that they have never had better food anywhere other than SYD F Lounge.

I had the salt pepper squid twice today and whilst it is good it is not even close to the best squid I have ever had.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Obviously I do not frequent restaurants that often and I just thought it looked weird. As I said I do not have an issue with it where as some people might.


The way some people carry on on AFF you would think that they have never had better food anywhere other than SYD F Lounge.

I had the salt pepper squid twice today and whilst it is good it is not even close to the best squid I have ever had.

- you expect good food when choosing a restaurant. You are grateful for it in an airport environment. I had a beautiful breakfast at the lounge last week and great service. It was probably no nicer than I could have made at home, but at 8am having overnighted at the airport it was just wonderful to be be looked after so well ( and with a glass of bubbly)

 

[JohnK]

- you expect good food when choosing a restaurant. You are grateful for it in an airport environment. I had a beautiful breakfast at the lounge last week and great service. It was probably no nicer than I could have made at home, but at 8am having overnighted at the airport it was just wonderful to be be looked after so well ( and with a glass of bubbly)

I agree with you and it is nice to have these alternatives.

The best squid I have ever had was not at a restaurant. It was at home, and still is, believe it or not.

Perhaps my opinion is wrong but I know one thing for sure and certain. If you think (not you specifically) the food in the F lounge, including eggs benedict, is the best around then there is something seriously wrong. It is not the benchmark either. Far from it.

 

[Austman]

If you think (not you specifically) the food in the F lounge, including eggs benedict, is the best around then there is something seriously wrong. It is not the benchmark either. Far from it.

Totally agree. But in terms of airline lounge offerings around the world, it's pretty good. I have friends who beg me not to take them into other Qantas Flounges because the food is so bad and there is no 'service' - they would rather go to an airport restaurant and then perhaps to the lounge for a drink. Bizzare when I get "do we have to go to that lounge?" and it's an Flounge.

 

[elemist]

Gloves are definitely no better than hands. Few different reasons - hands tend to get washed more regularly than gloves get changed/washed. If your hands get dirty you wash them, if your gloves are dirty you generally don't even notice. Most people don't realise that gloves themselves should be washed and sanitized correctly after putting them on - they can come into all kinds of toxins during the manufacturing process, or once the box has been opened - doesn't take much, could be as simple as someone spraying a fly spray, or splashing chemicals and the gloves are contaminated.

What i find really ironic, and this mainly happens at food stalls/fast food resterauntss etc. Customer comes in, having been shopping and touching money/ god knows what all day. Staff member has been washing and sanitizing hands all day. Customer complains because a staff member picked up a bun, or touched a food item. Then the customer goes and sits at a table and picks up the burger or fries with there hands... I mean seriously - when was the last time you washed your hands before a meal??

 

[AVC]

If they are wearing gloves, they are probably only protecting themselves. If your skin is unbroken and clean, no infections are going to jump out of your hands.

Of course the issue is, that if you handle something potentially unclean (cash, raw meat) you need to wash straight after. Or, if you were wearing gloves, strip the gloves.

Ever seem a paramedic on TV pushing a stretcher with gloves on? Driving an ambulance with gloves on? That's an instafail. If you have touched something contaminated, unless you ditch the gloves you are just transferring it to everything else you touch.

If these guys in the Flounge are observing good hand washing techniques, there's no problem. The gloves are there for show. Much like a skydiver wearing a crash helmet.

 

[Deleted member]

AVC pretty much covered it.
The whole wearing gloves thing is farcical.
Number 1 the minute you do something other than food handling , the gloves need to come off and be replaced.
How often have you seen people wearing gloves, serving food , then handling money, then serving food?
Money would have to be one of the dirtiest things you can handle.
When I worked in kitchens ( many moons ago) I was very particular about food handling and would wash my hands every time I changed tasks.
IMHO food handling would improve if gloves were NOT used, and staff were made to wash hands.
Mind you many people / customers don't wash hands before eating or visiting the toilet, so regardless of the food handling they're already putting themselves at risk.