SOME years back, City Hall enforcement raided a popular suburban restaurant, revealing workers cleaning dishes and utensils with rainwater pooling on the street.
Naturally, the restaurant was immediately shut down, unable to explain why their workers, regardless of their lack of basic hygiene, were allowed to work. If that's bad enough, what about eateries that serve food despite infestations of cockroaches and rats, evidenced by the faeces found throughout the premises?
The Penang Island City Council uncovered similar transgressions and found that workers of three restaurants had failed to undergo medical check-ups, maintain grease traps and store raw food less than 20cm from the ground.
Inevitably, the eateries were shut down for 14 days, but at least they could appeal against the action while mitigating their predicament. Once cleared of all pests, the three eateries should be able to resume business and all would be forgotten because, in the Malaysian sensibility, delectable food trumps hygienic decorum.
While local council enforcement has codified the definition of a hygienic food establishment, Malaysians are, unfortunately, unaware of even the basic standards of cleanliness.
Malaysian authorities are too lenient in that sense: the eating public criticises these eateries for their horrible hygiene in their reviews, but still awards five stars for the taste.
The concept of zero tolerance in dealing with appalling hygiene is nonexistent as these small businesses still continue to survive despite decades of warnings and summonses. Shutting down for good is not in the vocabulary of our "live and let live" philosophy.
Why do Malaysians tolerate such a dismal situation? For one thing, more than anything else, local foodies value taste, flavour and overall wholesomeness.
That explains why the dirtiest hawker stalls weather enforcement storms despite their filthy environment. Besides, Malaysians have built generations of tough resistance and ungodly immunity against bacterial infections from overeating exotic local food.
Even foreign tourists can attest to this phenomenal stomach strength as they adapt Malaysians' eclectic eating habits. There's sanitary room for everyone, from conscientious eaters and food providers to the "eat-all-you-can-don't-care-where" gastronomic guzzlers.
Malaysia is a melting pot of cuisine: posh Western fare is a shouting distance away from regional hawker spice and comfort food.
Lately, sedentary eaters have the convenient option of using e-hailing to order just about anything desirable.
Eating is such a popular obsession that we overlook minor inconveniences like basic hygiene, allowing contaminated food joints to view enforcement raids as temporary setbacks.
Like many aspects of the unsavuory side of Malaysian culture, we are so tolerant that we are always willing to give offenders a second chance.
Grimy eateries can rebound just as easily as dirty politicians are able to reinvent themselves as folk heroes.