Hygiene concerns over ice cream scoops spark online debate

The self-service ice cream scoop at buffet restaurants has recently become a subject of heated online discussion. A Chinese netizen declared in the Facebook group ●【爆怨公社】● that the water in which the ice cream scoop is kept at many hot pot restaurants is never replaced, leaving a residue of ice cream floating on top.

This sparked a debate on whether the scoop should be washed personally or the staff notified to change the water.

The original poster confessed to washing the scoop herself and asking the staff to change the water. She expressed her concern about the poor hygiene standards.

“Seeing this, would you still want to scoop ice cream?”

This query elicited a plethora of responses.

“For ice cream scooping, I need to see a new box being opened before I dare to eat. Previously, I saw a boy scooping different flavours to try.”

“I don’t care whether the water is clean or not! Since I saw a child scoop ice cream with his own eyes, I’m not sure if it’s because he wanted to eat it too much, so saliva dripped down, and I never ate such ice cream again.”

Netizen backlash

Many netizens took a more laid-back approach.

“I will mess around with anything and then comfort myself to eat whatever I want.”

“The ice cream scoop in a restaurant, you just saw it. It’s a child’s play. What you didn’t see is the bigger problem.”

Others highlighted the broader issue of food hygiene.

“Not only is the ice cream scoop unclean, but the food and meat you eat are also unclean, but you just didn’t see it.”

“If you go out to eat and still care about this, then if you go to see the kitchen, you might have to open the door and leave the restaurant directly.”

Another netizen took a pragmatic approach.

“Price determines everything. If you increase the payment, all standards will increase accordingly.”

However, a warning was sounded amidst the conversation.

“Don’t touch the water and don’t scoop it yourself, otherwise, you may become a defendant.”

It seems the cleanliness of the ice cream scoop isn’t the only concern, but also the potential liability of cleaning or changing the water oneself. The safest course of action, it seems, is to notify the restaurant and ask them to clean and change the water, reported Sanook.

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