What does PHF stand for?

Q: When I check the sanitation report cards of restaurants at the Health Departmen's facility rating website, I keep seeing the acronym PHF as one of the listed violations. What does PHF mean?

A: PHF is a term used by food-safety organizations to classify foods that require time-temperature control to keep them safe for human consumption. It stands for potentially hazardous foods.

The FDA has identified the following as PHFs:

* Meat (beef, pork, lamb)
* Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
* Fish
* Shellfish and crustaceans
* Eggs
* Milk and dairy products
* Heat-treated plant food (cooked rice, beans or vegetables)
* Baked potatoes
* Certain synthetic ingredients
* Mushrooms
* Raw sprouts
* Tofu and soy-protein foods
* Untreated garlic and oil mixtures

The restaurant or eatery that received a PHF citation probably had at least one of these foods lying around at room temperature when the inspector came by.

Bacteria that grow at room temperature are usually assumed to be killed by high heat. But if the food is not thoroughly cooked or if the dish or end-product is raw-based, then the practice of leaving PHFs out in the air could prove sickening, even lethal.

What is Bobochacha?

Q: What is bobochacha?

A: More commonly known in Malaysia as bubur cha cha (also as momo chacha), BOBOCHACHA is a dessert/soup/drink/porridge consisting of yam and sweet potato cubes served in coconut milk. It is also popular in neighboring countries such as Singapore.

Bobochacha may be served hot or cold.

It is also known as Bocha in Vietnam.

The Hong-Kong version of bobachacha (磨磨查查 = momochacha, "touch touch grasp grasp) can have taro, kidney beans, red beans, white beans, white wheat (Bubur Terigu), sago, sugar, coconut milk and evaporated milk as ingredients.

Bubur means 'porridge' in Malay.

What is oroshi-mochi?

Q: What is oroshi-mochi?

A: Oroshi-mochi is a Japanese dish of pounded sticky rice (mochi) served with grated radish (daikon).

Vocabulary words with hiragana, romaji and English translation:

おろし = oroshi = grated daikon

もち = mochi = traditional "cakes" of glutinous (sticky) rice