Milk to Coffee Ratio, Not Watermelon, Is the Real Cafe Standard Question
A video shows a CoCo milk tea shop employee cutting watermelon for drinks without gloves, eating a piece, then continuing to process the fruit. The clip sparked debate over kitchen hygiene, saliva contamination and food waste. The store manager said the matter is being verified but lacked headquarters authorization to announce a result, leaving operational standards in the spotlight.
Some online commenters argued that eating the ingredient shows the fruit is fresh, while others focused on the absence of corporate rules for staff handling fresh fruit. The case sits apart from topics like drinking coffee after drinking alcohol or adjusting the milk to coffee ratio; it is about back-of-house practice, where gloved handling and written procedures decide whether a shop meets food safety expectations.
Recently, a video of a CoCo milk tea shop employee eating watermelon while cutting it has sparked heated discussion online. The video shows the employee, while preparing watermelon drink ingredients, not wearing gloves, cutting off a piece and eating it directly, then continuing to process the remaining fruit. This behavior might be harmless in a home kitchen, but in a restaurant kitchen it touches a sensitive nerve regarding food safety and operational standards. Some netizens believe that an employee daring to eat the ingredients actually proves the ingredients are fresh, but more people are concerned about saliva contamination, food waste, and the lack of corporate regulations. The store manager of the shop involved responded that they are verifying the matter, but did not have authorization from headquarters to publicly announce the handling result. The incident once again pushes kitchen hygiene management and employee operating habits in the food service industry into the spotlight of public opinion.
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Yesterday, Star Video released a video stating that a netizen saw an employee at a CoCo milk tea shop eating watermelon while cutting it during the process of preparing materials.
From the video, this employee was preparing an important ingredient for the recently launched watermelon drinks. According to official promotion, the watermelon series drinks all use fresh fruit, so employees need to cut the fruit in advance for later use. However, the employee in the video did not wear gloves while cutting the watermelon, and after cutting off a piece, picked it up and ate it before continuing to process the remaining fruit.
If this behavior occurred at home, most people would not find it unusual, and might even find it down-to-earth. After all, most people who cook will taste the food before serving to check the seasoning, and only dish it out once they confirm it is fine. Occasionally "sneaking a bite" of ingredients while cooking in the kitchen is even routine, and can be considered one of the little joys of cooking.
However, when this behavior appears among food service workers in a commercial kitchen, some people say it looks just like themselves cutting fruit at home, and believe the employee was probably judging by taste whether the watermelon's sweetness, texture, quality, and so on had any problems, or maybe the watermelon looked so good that they gave in to temptation and sneaked a piece.
In their view, if the employees themselves dare to eat these ingredients, it indirectly proves that the shop uses genuine materials, and can also let consumers buy with peace of mind, without worrying about drinking fruit tea made from spoiled fruit.
But more people say they cannot accept kitchen staff doing such things. Many noticed that this employee did not wear gloves when handling the fruit, and after eating the watermelon directly touched the remaining materials with their hands, which inevitably raises concerns about whether the cut fruit might come into contact with the employee's saliva, thereby creating food hygiene problems.
Some also pointed out that the employee probably ate the sweetest part of the watermelon first, then cut the remaining scraps to make fruit tea to sell to customers. This not only affects the taste of the drink, but also makes consumers who learn of the situation feel uncomfortable, believing that the drink they are having was made from materials left over after the employee ate.
Sneaking a piece of watermelon while preparing ingredients would not make people feel it was inappropriate if it happened in one's own kitchen, and might even earn a teasing remark from family like "you're such a greedy girl."
But in the food service industry, tasting an ingredient in advance or a dish about to be served may be a habit kitchen staff do not think twice about, yet when this behavior falls into consumers' eyes, even if they can understand it, they cannot help feeling disgusted, believing that this behavior may bring food safety risks and may also violate a food service company's rules and regulations.
At present, according to Star Video's report, the store manager of the shop involved responded that they have seen the video online and are verifying the specific situation, including checking store surveillance and asking employees who were working that day. As for the handling result for this employee, the store manager said headquarters had not authorized it, and they themselves had no right to inform the public.
Image source: Internet
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