[Tim Budong]

a few on Reddit are up in arms over this butcher shop found in Chinatown..I dont think its a big deal, but some people are so up in arms over this...

http://i.imgur.com/g9Flgho.jpg

Link to Reddit Thread
PSA: to anyone that shops at the "meat store" on south side 200 east pender in china town... : vancouver (http://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/2vvpm7/psa_to_anyone_that_shops_at_the_meat_store_on/)

I couldn't care... as i've seen worst in Asia...

[Eastwood]

If I can't smoke while chopping meat... Then this life isn't worth living anymore...

[320icar]

Him smoking is the LEAST worrying thing about a butcher in chi town

[murd0c]

fuck no I'm not concerned.... That's what I expect and want while buying meat from Chinatown!! I'm more concerned about the rats running around and the not washing his hands more then smoking!!

[CRS]

a few on Reddit are up in arms over this butcher shop found in Chinatown..I dont think its a big deal, but some people are so up in arms over this...

I couldn't care... as i've seen worst in Asia...

I don't buy it, OP.

If you didn't think it was a big deal, why would you create an entire thread for this sole purpose?

[carisear]

It adds authenticity when you see a Chinese butcher smoking. As long as the ashes don't get into the meat, I don't care.

[Tim Budong]

I don't buy it, OP.

If you didn't think it was a big deal, why would you create an entire thread for this sole purpose?

im bored
i created a thread to see the funnies

it didn't deliver
:derp::facepalm:

[radioman]

I dont see a problem. The no smoking sign is clearly posted outside not inside.

[SkinnyPupp]

Smoking is disgusting no matter what the person is doing. You see much (MUCH) worse in China. I've seen vendors smoking a lot in hong kong but never while they're actually preparing food. It's fucking gross but what can you do.. just don't shop there.

[fliptuner]

I'd be more concerned with the shit they injected the cow with, than the butcher having a smoke.

[SkinnyPupp]

I'd be more concerned with the shit they injected the cow with, than the butcher having a smoke.
What? They inject cows with shit now? :seriously:

[Alby]

I dont see a problem. The no smoking sign is clearly posted outside not inside.

i see what you did there :derp:

[Mike Oxbig]

fuck no I'm not concerned.... That's what I expect and want while buying meat from Chinatown!! I'm more concerned about the rats running around and the not washing his hands more then smoking!!

If its coming from a Caucasian male then this is the only opinion that matters!

[GS8]

Smoked meat on a budget.

Times are tough. Deal with it.

:badpokerface:

[Tr1ll]

Heard stories from friends who worked at restaurants about the kitchen staff having smokes while they're cooking at Chinese owned restaurants before so I can't say I'm surprised about it happening in Chinatown.

[Gululu]

its only less than a hundred years ago when white people could burn down chinatown if they wanted to. times have changed? or has it? the comments on that local reddit site is full of subtle racism and ethnical stereotype presumptions. what a pity that a lot of the people in vancouver have chosen to live their lives with hatred.

lol

[pastarocket]

This deserves its own thread? Are you kidding me???

FYI, Chinese Canadians like me do not buy meat or any other groceries from Chinatown in huge numbers these days.

You have Chinese supermarkets selling meat,
produce , etc. in the Lower Mainland.

I guarantee that the meat, seafood, and produce that is sold in T&T or similar Chinese supermarkets are fresh. -know friends who used to work there.

What is the point of this thread anyway??

If somebody posted a thread about a butcher at Safeway or Save On foods preparing meat while he was smoking, there would be an uproar.

It sounds like somebody is targeting a butcher not only because of his smoking, but also his work location, and the ethnic group that he belongs to.

Is this thread another way to stereotype the Chinese guy?

What a fucking joke. As a Chinese Canadian born and raised in Vancouver,
It boils my blood to see these negative portrayals of Chinese Canadians, let alone Chinatown. :swear:

My family did buy meat from China town butcher shops . However, we never ever got sick from eating contaminated meat.

People who think that Chinatown is a place of filthy stores and shops have no idea about these places because they have not been there.

Is the Chinese butcher wrong for smoking while preparing meat?? Absolutely.

I would call out the guy in Cantonese for doing work in an unsanitary way. He is an idiot.
Contact Vancouver Coastal Health to ask if inspectors can be sent to that butcher shop.

However, why single out the Chinese butcher?

Do people think that there are no bad butchers that are white, black, or another race?

As for people's comments about rats in Chinatown stores, that is a one sided comment about China town.

You think that there are no rodents in Superstore or other Canadian supermarket chains?? Ignorance is bliss.

Where is the balance in social media when it comes to forum posts about workers from various groups?

For example, how many people posted replies about the listeria outbreak inside meat packing plants a few years ago. Did the race of the staff in the meat packing plant matter???

If people are concerned about the smoking butcher, then buy your meat from another butcher shop or go to a supermarket.

[SoNaRWaVe]

so next time if you buy meat and you find ashes or black specks in your meat, you're just gonna go ahead and continue cooking and eating it?

or you gonna go back and complain? this would apply to any store. not just chinatown.

[Retrac]

Just more awareness now, used to be predominately Asians shopping in Chinatown. With the new condos and trendy restaurants, more people are able to see Chinatown for what it is, to me it has never changed. Same old same old.

[pastarocket]

so next time if you buy meat and you find ashes or black specks in your meat, you're just gonna go ahead and continue cooking and eating it?

or you gonna go back and complain? this would apply to any store. not just chinatown.

Hell no. Complaints against the butcher shop staff are not enough.

I would contact Vancouver Coastal Health authority to ask if they can send inspectors to inspect that shop.

I know a health inspector who shut down restaurants because of rodent infestation. By the way, they were not Chinese restaurants. :smug:

[Hondaracer]

Having Ash in your meat is probably better than most health regulations private butcher shops follow etc.

It's just "bad" cause you've seen a picture of it. If you hadnt, you wouldnt think twice.

[Tone Loc]

its only less than a hundred years ago when white people could burn down chinatown if they wanted to. times have changed? or has it? the comments on that local reddit site is full of subtle racism and ethnical stereotype presumptions. what a pity that a lot of the people in vancouver have chosen to live their lives with hatred.

lol

This. I don't normally agree with Gululu posts but there is so much thinly veiled racism and prejudice in that Reddit thread that it's appalling - and I'm not even Chinese. It's sad to see that race is so quickly drawn in to a issue that should not even be about race. If anything, this should be a hygiene issue...

[EmperorIS]

Maybe he's the Chinese super spy: 凌凌漆

http://img1.ifensi.com/channelimg/Image/wjlmovie/2007/10/1023/32.jpg

[SoNaRWaVe]

Having Ash in your meat is probably better than most health regulations private butcher shops follow etc.

It's just "bad" cause you've seen a picture of it. If you hadnt, you wouldnt think twice.

are you for real? if i see something that doesn't belong, i would return it. thats like saying, if you saw a bug in your salad, you gonna keep eating it?

Hell no. Complaints against the butcher shop staff are not enough.

I would contact Vancouver Coastal Health authority to ask if they can send inspectors to inspect that shop.

I know a health inspector who shut down restaurants because of rodent infestation. By the way, they were not Chinese restaurants. :smug:

i was more so referring to the people that were ok with it.

[donjalapeno]

As others have said the smoking is the least of worrys. The salmonella and the rats are more worrisome.

[Alby]

inspected a restaurant before where there was a staff washroom in it. inside was an urinal and a stall. lets just say the urinal was full of cig butts and shit was stacked in the stall. place was given a warning and a routine inspection would follow. second visit, same shit. fine was given.

i guess smoking in a kitchen isn't that uncommon while preparing your delicious meals.

[ree666]

Craving butter beef and chicken wings now.

[dvst8]

Just another complaint from hipsters trying to take over Chinatown. In a few years Chinatown will be no more. What a sad reality.

[twitchyzero]

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbjce0lt7T1qamt4s.jpg

lol at the reddit reaction...i think i'd be surprised if I saw a chinese butcher wearing gloves. It's not like you're gonna eat it raw. As long as the meat is fresh and kept at the right temps that's more important than smoking or even proper handwashing.

[Bouncing Bettys]

It's more than just smoking while handling meat. Unless he lit his smoke, washed his hands, and completed his preparation of the meet without ever once touching his smoke (unlikely), he's indirectly made contact between his mouth and the food he is handling.

[SoNaRWaVe]

everything should be of equal importance. if you saw the ash fall into the meat, you wouldn't buy that piece of meat.

if you didn't see that ash fall down, and you bought it and saw it on your meat when you got home, now its suppose to be ok to accept it? heck no.

[46_valentinor]

i know the cooks at Kent Kitchen on Victoria and 41st smokes while they are cooking all your favourite chinese take out food. We were delivering their pork products there and every time we were there, they would be smoking while cooking and they would just leave all the ashes and butts on the floor. Of course this was about 3 years ago, so not sure about now.

[ilovebacon]

how do you guys even know if the smoke is lit?
for all we know, he could possibly be finishing up before he goes outside for a break.

[SkinnyPupp]

This. I don't normally agree with Gululu posts but there is so much thinly veiled racism and prejudice in that Reddit thread that it's appalling - and I'm not even Chinese. It's sad to see that race is so quickly drawn in to a issue that should not even be about race. If anything, this should be a hygiene issue...
I glanced at the thread, and didn't see anything too racist (troll comments notwithstanding)... Just a lot of "it's a chinatown butcher, it's to be expected" which is kind of is.

I'd expect the same from an unprofessionally run white butcher in North America or indian butcher in India or any shitty butcher anywhere in the world.

To me, it's not the race that's the issue here (it NEVER should be), it's that there's some dude who doesn't give a fuck about keeping clean. If he smokes cigarettes around food, he probably also drops food on the floor and uses it anyway, doesn't wash his hands after taking a dump, picking his nose and ears, shit like that. Who cares if he's chinese, or that it's in chinatown? This EXACT same picture could have been taken in any city in the world, with the guy being any "race"

[Manic!]

Whats the big deal. One American politician doesn't think restaurant workers should have to wash there hands after taking a dump. Now that's disgusting.

BBC News - US senator questions forcing food workers to wash hands (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31127704)

[GLOW]

wash your hands - YouTube

[Infiniti]

Whats the big deal. One American politician doesn't think restaurant workers should have to wash there hands after taking a dump. Now that's disgusting.

BBC News - US senator questions forcing food workers to wash hands (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31127704)

More libertarian bullshit..

[multicartual]

I'd be more concerned with the shit they injected the cow with, than the butcher having a smoke.

Exactly!


Now that I've fully become a pretentious hipster I only eat farm to table, certified organic foods.


Anything less is for the mainstream proles!

[multicartual]

Also redditors are, on average, just above the level of a mentally handicapped person in regards to emotional control and general reasoning. Listening to redditors is like listening to a homeless person say they found a magical corn husk in a dog turd. They could be right, but chances are they're wrong.

[meowjinboo]

Also redditors are, on average, just above the level of a mentally handicapped person in regards to emotional control and general reasoning. Listening to redditors is like listening to a homeless person say they found a magical corn husk in a dog turd. They could be right, but chances are they're wrong.

the ones on /r/vancouver are pretty batshit insane.

this forum is all no for translink and they are all yes for translink.

That should tell you about them.

[ZN6]

I'd be more worried about the shit that happens that I don't see going on in the back of a restaurant or a butcher shop.

I remember watching one of those caught on tape shows years ago with a bartender who stirred a martini with his dick and handed it to a girl but was fired when the boss set up a hidden camera. Hey, is everyone going to avoid going to bars from now on served by Caucasian male bartenders? Probably not.

Stuff happens that's disgusting in the food and beverage industry all the time regardless of race. Some people do it more openly than others and some are just plain fucked up and stupid like this guy:

http://aht.seriouseats.com/images/2012/07/20120718-bk-lettuce.jpg

hurr hurr, let's geotag a picture of myself standing in lettuce at a bk then post it up online..... smart. Maybe he should sue bk for wrongful dismissal because the job doesn't clearly indicate that standing in lettuce is not a protocol they encourage.

[kkthind]

Y'all trippin, the nicotine smoke adds flavour :drunk:

[Tim Budong]

Chinatown gonna change when all those new devs go up
There's a few hipster places that have gone up and Pender's changed as well.

them fancy coffee shops are beginning to pop up.

[Mr.HappySilp]

And that is why I don't know to know how my food is prepare when I buy it at a supermarket or eat in a restaurant.

Having work in McDonald's myself I know a few tricks to get burger that's more fresh....

[fliptuner]

Sigh....


http://s3.amazonaws.com/artspan-fs/member_files/bcroft/Chinatown%20for%20Website.jpg
http://www.whb.co.uk/socialissues/chicrowded.jpg
http://thevisiblecity.ca/upload/quartiers-neighbourhoods/2/photos/31/large/chinese_dragon_parade_1960.jpg

[Verdasco]

times have changed... chinatown was so much better back then :( even 10 years ago

[dragondragon99]

i remember chinatown i used to live by there projects strathcona area, seen chinese chefs in side the kitchen smoking and frying wok my dad worked there before so he knows the street pretty good

[punkwax]

Just took my daughter's grade 2 class through Chinatown for a field trip.. pretty cute hearing the 7 year olds saying "eeeew" and "gross!" at the fish etc... glad they were oblivious to the Main & Hastings crowd meandering around... smelled pungent urine a couple times. Eeeew. Gross :lol

[hi-revs]

i use to work in one of the more "high end" chinese restaurant in Vancouver. Not gonna name its name. But all the chefs who actually smoke, would smoke will cooking or prepping.
Its actually quite disgusting. Especially if food drops on the floor, theyll just pick it up and put it back on the plate.
Kitchen floor was filled with oil, ash, spit and who knows what else.
It wouldnt surprise me if most chinese restaurants were like this in the back.

[SkinnyPupp]

times have changed... chinatown was so much better back then :( even 10 years ago
10 years ago you'd see used needles everywhere

[Matlock]

times have changed... chinatown was so much better back then :( even 10 years ago

I miss that original night market, before there was a richmond one.

[Habboy]

...meanwhile, in China
http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/1712041/preview/stock-footage-yangshuo-china-aug-a-chinese-cook-removes-dog-head-for-consumption-while-smoking.jpg

[winson604]

I'm more concerned that they chop meat while wearing no gloves, don't wash their hands, handle cash, then go back to chopping meat again. Money is one of the dirtiest things out there and raw meat ain't that far behind either. Combine the 2 all day long, daaamn.

[Yodamaster]

It's disgusting behaviour no matter who is doing it, unfortunately there are a lot of people who do not take prep regulations seriously.

[ae101]

i have experiences worst in china as i live there now, but im not gonna complain about it

[vudooca]

When someone is smoking they are pretty much touching their hands with their lips. Then they transfer all that bacteria from their mouth into the food when they touch the food since they probably didn't wash their hands while or after they are smoking. Most people have Staph. When food is contaminated with this pathogen it grows crazy at room temperature and the toxin it produces is heat stable meaning when you cook it... it does not remove the toxin. Lots of people get sick by this.

Not only is this an unhygienic practice which violates some health regulations. The actual smoke and ash can contaminate the food. This concoction of chemicals is probably not going to be healthy for you.

Also, it is just down right illegal to smoke while cooking at a food facility that sells to the public as per the food premise regulation under the public health act in BC that all health inspectors use:

"Section 21(2) Every operator of food premises must ensure that no employee smokes in any area where food is prepared, dispensed or stored."

If you see something is while you are at a restaurant. You should probably take a picture of it and maybe send it to your local health inspector for him/her to take care of.

[Bahhbeehhaaaa]

at least i know this is meat he is chopping, i had rat meat in china while not knowing about it.