Pushing to Make the A-List

Walnut Councilman Joaquin Lim knows where to get the tastiest dim sum and the freshest fried noodles.

The Hong Kong native says he is so inept behind the stove that he tends to dine out seven days a week, mostly at Chinese restaurants.

He avoids restaurants bearing a C grade from the county health department. Despite that precaution, Lim contracted a stomach bug a year and a half ago that he believes was caused by eating tainted food. The illness left him bedridden and 15 pounds lighter. When he recovered, he knew he had to do something about the cleanliness of Chinese restaurants, whether the problems were perceived or real.

“We’re not going to put up with it anymore,” Lim said. “I’m tired of C standing for Chinese restaurant.”

So Lim and a consortium of mostly Chinese American community leaders formed a group to try to change the way diners and restaurant owners view food safety. The Chinese Restaurant Health Standards Task Force was launched in hopes of educating the Chinese community about the county’s seven-year-old letter-grading system and to bring restaurants closer in line with health codes so that more of them can display an A on their storefronts.

Although there are no statistics that prove Chinese restaurants score lower grades at a rate greater than other restaurants, members of the task force and county officials point out that 80% of the restaurants in L.A. County carry an A, yet it is difficult to find an authentic Chinese eatery consistently in the top tier of health compliance.

In launching the effort, Lim and his supporters recognize they face two major barriers. One is the apparent lack of concern among Chinese diners about letter grades, as witnessed by the B- and C-graded eateries that do brisk business. The second is the sometimes tense relationship between county food inspectors and restaurant owners, who have long complained that health codes are too strict and don’t take into account age-old methods of cooking Chinese food.

“A, B, C is about health, it’s not about the taste of the food,” said Joseph Lee, a task force member and president of the Chinese American Restaurant Assn., explaining why the grading system has not resonated in the Chinese community.

Lim said his group hopes to determine whether laws are too strict or whether some Chinese cooking techniques are potentially hazardous. So far, the group has received coverage in the local Chinese media, which officials hope will help make the public more aware of the meaning of the health grades.

The task force wants to eventually produce handbooks and posters and establish a telephone hotline to report unclean restaurants.

Many Chinese restaurateurs say Lim and his group have their work cut out for them, charging that inspectors target them and misunderstand the Chinese style of cooking.

Barbecued meats, for example, have long been a point of contention. Chefs want to leave the cooked meat at room temperature longer to preserve the juiciness of the flesh; the law allows food to be kept between 41 and 135 degrees for only four hours.

Harvey Ng, owner of Mission 261 in San Gabriel, used to run a hotel in downtown Los Angeles that featured Western-style kitchens. He said inspectors were far more encouraging and cooperative at the hotel than they were at his Chinese eatery.

“It’s like the police coming to catch illegal immigrants” when inspectors arrive at Mission 261, Ng said. “That’s the feeling. It makes everyone nervous.... We didn’t have this kind of tension at the hotel.”

Ng’s restaurant is one of the most celebrated in the country, winning a loyal following both in the Chinese community and among foodies and restaurant critics.

“Our goal is to always have an A,” Ng said. “We want to maintain a high standard. We want to maintain a certain image.”

He currently boasts an A at the restaurant’s bar kitchen, but a B in the main kitchen. The last time he had an A in both spaces was over a year ago. But Ng continues to hold weekly meetings to push his staff to reach the county’s strictest guidelines.

Ng said he would gladly join the task force if asked to. He said the most important thing the group can do is create a better relationship between restaurants and the health department so that all inspectors are armed with an intimate understanding of Chinese cooking.

Health inspectors score restaurants on a 100-point scale. An A is awarded for scores between 90 and 100 points, a B for 80 to 89 points and a C for 70 to 79 points. Anything less than 70 points results in closure.

Lim and other officials want to make it clear to Chinese Americans that the grading system is important. According to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Health, the letter grades helped reduce hospital visits for food-borne illnesses by 13%. And county officials say there’s a business incentive -- studies show a restaurant that attains an A sees an average increase in revenue of 5%.

Lim has spent the last six months looking for a Chinese restaurant that has consistently maintained an A so he can present it to other restaurants as a model to follow. He found one, but the owner said he worried it would put too much pressure on the staff if they were put in the spotlight, especially if they were later downgraded.

“I may have to adjust the criteria to a restaurant that’s had an A for at least the last six months,” Lim said. “It’s pretty pathetic.”

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Food hazards

It’s estimated that 76 million Americans contract a food-borne illness each year. In the restaurant business, inspectors guard against dangers such as these.

Top factors in food-borne illness outbreaks and percent caused by each*

Inadequate cooling: 63%

Preparing food ahead of time: 29%

Inadequate hot holding temperatures: 27%

Poor personal hygiene/ infected persons: 26%

Inadequate reheating: 25%

Unclean equipment: 9%

Using leftovers: 7%

Cross-contamination of foods: 6%

Inadequate cooking: 5%

*More than one factor is often involved in an outbreak.

Sources: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.