Issuu

MONDAY, DEC. 5 to TUESDAY, DEC. 6, 2011 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 53

Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

2012

Spring

V O I C E

PERMIT PAYMENT STUDENT PARKING

PURCHASE ONLINE NOW! (PRIOR RESERVATION REQUIRED)

www.kaleo.org

FEATURES

Student reports nose-picking at Paradise Palms EMI A IKO Associate News Editor An international sandwich bar worker was caught ﬁlming himself stuffing lettuce up his nose and putting it

JAIMIE KIM KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

back in its serving tray. The video was posted on YouTube about two years ago. Another video features two pizza delivery workers blowing their noses onto a pizza. What if you were to witness a similar incident right here on campus? Nicole Nonaka, a University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa student majoring in social work, said she usually brings a packed lunch to school, but decided to buy a gyro sandwich at Paradise Palms on Nov. 16. According to Nonaka, while she waited in line at the sandwich bar, a worker stuck his right pinky ﬁnger in and out of his nose for several seconds and went back to serving customers without washing his hands with soap and water. Nonaka said this worker resumed preparing customers’ food with a plastic glove on his left hand, while using tongs with his bare right hand. When she reached the counter, the owner of the store, Tony Boyadjian, took an order and prepared a sandwich. But Boyadjian stopped midway and handed the sandwich to the man who allegedly had stuck his ﬁnger in his nose. Nonaka asked him to use a glove over his right hand, but he said, “No, I’m already using gloves.” As she explained what she

hawaii.edu/parking

A K LEO T H E

witnessed, Boyadjian prepared Nonaka’s sandwich instead and apologized. But according to Nonaka, the worker said, “I wasn’t picking my nose, I was rubbing my mouth. You’re fantasizing. You’re a bitch.” Nonaka ﬁled a formal complaint with Paradise Palms supervisors Ronald A. Palpallatoc and Tammy Madrona, but hasn’t received a reply since the day of the incident.

OW N E R ʼS P E R S P E C T I V E In an interview with Ka Leo, Boyadjian recalled the incident and said, “She is totally fantasizing and she’s a liar.” Boyadjian said he has been in business for 15 years with three other locations in Hawai‘i, but never had a single complaint until now. Without an appointment but upon request, Boyadjian showed his store’s kitchen area and also the worker’s hands. “As you can see, the worker’s hands are clean,” he said. “I trust him. He did say ‘bitch,’ but that was nothing personal. He didn’t tell her in her face. He just said it to himself, looking down.” Boyadjian said the worker has been with him for seven years and has never had a problem. Boyadjian said all the workers serving sandwiches either wear gloves on both hands or use tongs to avoid direct contact with the food. “Why did she get a sandwich and pay at the end if our service was unsatisfactory?” said Boyadjian. “We have loyal customers who come back to get our sandwiches every week.”

847 McCully St. Honolulu, HI 96826 (808)952-9253 www.motosourcehawaii.com

SEMESTER AT THE SMITHSONIAN

D E PA R TM E N T O F H E A LT H RESPONSE Nonaka ﬁ led a complaint letter with the Hawai‘i Department of Health and the Better Business Bureau on Nov. 23. Department of Health Inspector and Hawai‘i Environmental Health Association President Amber Vuong inspected the sandwich store on Nov. 29. Vuong said she found no violation when she observed the store for over 30 minutes during busy lunchtime hours without prior warning to the owner. According to Vuong, it is not a violation to serve food without gloves, and the Department of Health Administrative rules simply require washing hands with soap and drying them with paper towels before serving food (title 11, chapter 12). “We always take it [the claim] for truth, but we usually don’t see what the observer sees,” said Vuong, who has been inspector since 2006 and was in charge of the UH Mānoa campus for two years. “I haven’t seen any violation on campus, as far as I am aware of. I think Centerplate has been keeping an eye on them [all the vendors at Paradise Palms] too.” Nonaka, who is still waiting for a reply from Centerplate, stated, “I am hoping that they’ll write back. … I am concerned about food quality and safety, and they failed to comply with food handling and personal hygiene, which is extremely unprofessional.”

Report

MONDAY N: W: S: E:

Intern shares her experiences

OPINIONS

FINAL FEEDBACK eCafe lets you have a say in your professors’ futures

COMICS

WATER FOUNTAINS, SURF AND SWEAT The latest from Ka Leo comic artists

SPORTS

WARRIOR WRAP-UP Warrior football loses crucial BYU game

2- 5 f t. 0-3 f t. 0 - 3 f t. 1- 3+ f t.

TUESDAY N: W: S: E:

8 -12++ f t. 5-10 f t. 1- 3+ f t. 1- 3+ f t.