posted August 03, 2008 06:44 PM         

Last month, a friend of mine found me a job with two long time best friends of his at their butcher shop at the farmers market. On Thursday we doing stocking up the cooler and the shelves and from Friday to Sunday sales and customer service. I worked the Thursday of last week and this week and it went along great then Friday the head ache started.

The guy who runs the shop I discovered has a severe personal hygiene problem. He is a bald person who sweats all the time and uses his apron as a cloth through out the day to wipe the sweat of his head and then handles food while with this sweaty apron on. I don't know about you, but I see that as cross contamination right there because the apron is not clean and can be soaked with his bodily fluids.....here is some other findings

The guy scraped his arm and it bled alot. He put a towel on it and it stopped bleeding and proceeded to work with the sore uncovered and it started bleeding again. He again put the paper towel on his cut and when it stopped he went right into cutting up some beef - he skipped not washing his hands and the blood residue could have been on his hands.

I have not seen this guy wash his hands and was eating all the time while working. (though it's his shop and he does whatever..)

There was a bloody bag of meat hanging on the shelf dripping blood down onto the stuff below.

There was a roll of paper towels with blood spots on the top of the roll that they were handing out with their sausage on a bun.

In between filling meat orders the staff uses Isagel (hand sanitizer) to clean their hands. (Packaged sausages, put hand cleanser on and handle fresh meat). I figure if the stuff is on their hands then it would also go into the food - I would imagine.

I spoke with my friend this morning with the disturbing discovery I made and he said that I was squeamish and that is how a butcher shop is run and told me that it appears that the job is not for my liking. He also told me that there is nothing unsanitary about his friends - who have been in business for over 20 years. Then he goes on saying - if the food inspector found any issues with that they would have shut them down a long time ago. He then proceeded to tell me that I was making a mountain out of a molehill and there wasn't any issues. He has eaten their food for 15 years and has NEVER been sick.

I talked with a bunch of other friends (all female) and told them of my experiences and they concurred with me.

This is all mind boggling and I'm really beside myself on this. I am a professionally trained cook and I have an extensive background in health. I know what I am talking about and have had to function or perform at high standards. I have my certification and training. Then I come across this.

I was really upset when I had to tell the lady that things were not working out for me there and that I had to go. I lost all respect for this lady's husband and found it very hard to even look at him or even be around him. I worked a 4 hour shift yesterday and during the last half of it I was teary and upset. Nobody noticed which was good. I can't work in a place where I see stuff like that happening and I felt worse telling my friend that it didn't work out there....and now frustrated as he doesn't believe a word I am saying. (I was blunt and straight to the point and he told me that I wasn't making any sense nor was I clear about anything - which I strongly beg to differ.....

So what ever food I got from the shop, I threw away cause I didn't know if it was contaminated. I don't know what to think now

I really dislike not being taken seriously cause it seems that the truth I speak appears later. SIGH!!!!!!!!

posted August 10, 2008 08:27 AM         

It's hard living in a world of challenging people.

Where are their gloves, for goodness sake?

posted August 10, 2008 09:20 AM         

That is why ..If you can..eat organically.

I truly feel that although it is nasty to the ninth..that it probly happens everywhere.

If my food is not prepared properly at a restaraunt I will not complain or ask for anything else as I KNOW there are cooks that do nasty stuff to your food on purpose when you complain.

I think in this case, he has just been doing his job this way for a very long time and doesn't even see that his practices are unsanitary.

posted August 10, 2008 09:28 AM         

real friends listen to you

they believe you

they believe in you

posted August 10, 2008 02:08 PM         

Sunshine - they sold organic meat - no chemicals added to the animals. In the start I was quite supportive of the product but as time went by, I lost all confidence in it. They have been doing this work for a long time and possibly not updated with newer practices. I left cause who am I to create chaos out of order and challenge the boss! I got the hell out of there cause this is something I decided that I wouldn't live with or deal with at work. (But Mars in Cappy DEMANDS high professionalism). I lasted 12 hours and threw in the towel.

Why my friend wasn't supportive and didn't trust my word? Cause the butchers have been 20+ year long time good friends with him. I have only known him 11 years. He has been around them more and they help him out and watch over him like family.....maybe there is a bias slant to him. If push comes to shove the needle goes one way.

I've told my other friends and even they get it and got grossed out and said similar things to me and suggested similar things to me....

ID