What is public health? Wanna find out? Students in the USF Intro to Public Health class have chosen strategic areas in the Tampa Bay community that they feel represent public health in action. This blog is dedicated to explaining, understanding, and discussing what their interpretations of exactly what the heck is.... public health?!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Food Scavengers in Downtown St. Pete


How many of you have ever eaten from a hot dog stand in the middle of downtown St. Pete? Probably not many, because this is not the typical site to see when walking amongst several business professionals entangled with the waitresses and homeless people downtown seems to attract. Not to mention dozens of tourists that fill the busy streets and sidewalks throughout the season. Well economically Mr. John, the owner of the convenient hot dog stand our group ran into, has become extremely successful. John has a portable hot dog stand where he serves well… hot dogs. He also serves drinks and provides condiments, napkins, and utensils to eat with. If this doesn’t scream out to you PUBLIC HEALTH, than I’m not sure it exists. We chose this location because it was in the middle of down town. It is a fast, cheap, and convenient way to grab lunch on the go. We found it interesting how John made every attempt necessary to stay sanitary and well kept. He had a hand washing station on his cart with soap and paper towels. John wore gloves when preparing a meal and changed his gloved in-between uses. John had a cooler with ice, where he kept the drinks, as well as the meat not yet used. He provided costumers with a trash can to eliminate pollution and trash on the streets. I think he does an amazing job with delivering people with affordable and decent food, being that it comes from a mobile cart on the side of the street.

By: Alyssa Bedard, Andrew Laughery, Kim Tran and Ariana Neddermann

8 comments:

  1. Wow even though I have never eaten hot dogs in downtown St. Pete I have in New York and I never thought about how this is public health. It is good to know that the food is kept cold in a cooler and that there is place to wash his hands to make sure everything is kept sanitized. The only thing that I don't agree with is keeping the unused meats and drinks in the same cooler. Other than that this makes me feel better about getting a hot dog from the stands whether than finding a restaurant to eat in.

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  2. When i first read the title of the blog i thought for sure this was going to be against the sanitation of the hot dog stand and making awareness to stay away. i can say i am very impressed by the quality the owner provides, probable much higher than any local food chain. i know as well as side-walk food carts, there is a up and coming food cart rush coming through the Tampa Bay Area. this would be similar in which an individual or group would sell food out of a mobile vehicle, such as a van or trailer. my hope would be is it be just as invested in the public health of the community as hot dog cart owner Joe is.

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  3. I've never would have considered a hot dog stand to be an example of public health. Although now that I've started watching The Great Food Truck Race I've been wanting to try eating at one. I'm glad that the owner keeps his cart clean and the food is stored in safe conditions which is not always the case in restaurants. I guess because he's preparing the food in front of you it would be easier to see if things weren't sanitary. The next time I'm in St. Pete and want a hot dog(although i prefer hamburgers to hot dogs) I'll look for Joe.

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  4. This is a cool public health topic. Some people are scared to eat out from stands on the side of the rode because of sanitary or health issues. It's great that people are aware that it may not be the safest place to eat but it's even better that the stand owners are taking every precaution to keep everything safe. I like the fact that this particular stand owner wore gloves, had a trashcan nearby, and kept unused meat on ice.

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  5. I was at point extremely skeptical eating from food vendors whose restaurant location was the side of some random street until I saw all the precautions that they take to ensure a safe products. Prime example of this would be the ever famous "Taco Bus". For me, I like that the food is prepared in an open environment in which one can see the chef as he prepares your meal. I feel that the curious eyes of the consumers pressures the owner to take extra precautionary steps and not take shortcuts. This ensures a sanitary meal and a happy consumer, good topic guys!

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  6. My first thought of a hot dog stand in a crowded downtown area is that it can't be safe at all; however, Mr. John seems to take Public Health into great consideration. The only thing I disagree with is the meat and drinks in the same cooler because meat can carry all sorts or bacteria. Other than the meat-drink issue, Mr. John has done a great job at providing extreme sanitation of the food, himself, and the public as well.

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