A lot has been said about Singapore being a food paradise.

But with all the talk about us being a heaven of sorts for eating out, surely there is an accompanying horror story from hell?

Well, here goes: A blogger, popularly known as Gintai, has recounted some of the horror behind-the-scenes stories that his elderly 72-year-old mother personally experienced and told him while she was working in an economy rice stall as a way to pass her time.

It is a matter-of-fact observation of what goes in an F&B business away from prying eyes: For example, the boss only comes round to collect the day's earnings, there are two assistants and one cook manning each economy rice stall and the workers get paid more if they meet sales targets for each day.

And as a result of having to work long hours, the cook has to take short cuts.

These include:

- The vegetables are never washed at all as they are simply boiled in a big pot of water to half-cook them and then stir fried to taste, which means there's plenty of pesticide still stuck on them.

- Meat and fish are treated the same way: Thrown into the hot boiling oil in the wok and deep fried.

- Rice is never washed at all either and it is put in the rice cooker to steam.

- Condiments such as salt, oil, sugar and soy sauce are kept in small containers with no lids overnight, night after night.

The blogger's advice? Eat at Malay food stalls next time, as they are more hygienic.

Why? Read on to find out for yourself.

Because if you dissected his blog post, the problem with how food is prepared for mass consumption on the cheap is no longer viewed as a superficial hygiene problem.

It is a mere symptom of how Singapore as a country is being run.

Top photo from here

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