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BRIAN:..EARLIER TODAY, TARGET
8 EXPOSED THE WORST OF THE
WORST RESTAURANTS WHEN IT
COMES TO THE KINDS OF HEALTH
VIOLATIONS THAT CAN MAKE YOU
SICK.AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST,
ACCORDING TO OUR ANALYSIS:
ORIENTAL ASIAN BUFFET, IN
WYOMING.MARLEE:..TONIGHT,
TARGET 8 INVESTIGATOR KEN
KOLKER GOES BEYOND THE
COUNTY'S INSPECTION REPORTS,
TESTING THE SAFETY OF THE
RESTAURANT'S BUFFET HIMSELF.
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KEN:..WE USED THIS DIGITAL
THERMOMETER, WITH A LESSON ON
HOW TO USE IT FROM A FORMER
KENT COUNTY HEALTH SUPERVISOR,
TO TEST MEAT FEATURED ON THE
BUFFET. FOOD THAT'S TOO COLD
OR TOO WARM CAN LEAD TO THE
GROWTH OF DANGEROUS BACTERIA
THAT CAN MAKE YOU SICK.
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WE FIRST MADE SURE THE
THERMOMETER WAS
ACCURATE. WILLIAM DEHAAN: "PUT
THEM IN ICE AND JUST SEE IF
THEY GO TO 32. IF THEY GO TO
32, THEY'RE
GOOD."THE BUFFET AT ORIENTAL
ASIAN BUFFET IS A BIG DRAW,
WITH STEAM TABLES OFFERING
EVERYTHING FROM FROG LEGS TO
SALMON TO CRAB RANGOONS.BUT
THE RESTAURANT IS KENT
COUNTY'S LEADER IN SERIOUS,
POTENTIALLY HEALTH-THREATENING
VIOLATIONS -- WITH 39 OVER THE
LAST 3 YEARS, ACCORDING TO A
TARGET 8 ANALYSIS.VIOLATIONS
INCLUDE NOT KEEPING FOOD AT
SAFE TEMPERATURES --
REPEATEDLY. WILLIAM DEHAAN:
"THE TEMPERATURE DANGER ZONE
IS WHAT WE HAVE TO WATCH OUT
FOR AND WE KNOW THAT 41 TO 135
IS OUR DANGER ZONE. BACTERIA
GROWS THE BEST BETWEEN 70 UP
TO
125." WILLIAM DEHAAN: "THIS IS
THE AREA YOU CAN SEE IN RED,
BACTERIA IS GOING TO GROW VERY
RAPIDLY."THAT BRINGS US TO OUR
FIRST TEST AT ORIENTAL ASIAN
BUFFET: KEN KOLKER: "PORK
DUMPLING." PLENTY HOT." MORE
THAN 136 DEGREES.
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KEN KOLKER: "THAT'S
GOOD." KEN KOLKER: "GARLIC
SHRIMP." TOPPED OUT AT 114.2
-- TOO COLD BY 20 DEGREES, IN
THAT DANGER ZONE.CHICKEN HIT
ONLY 119.9 DEGREES, ALSO TOO
COLD. KEN KOLKER: "THAT'S IT
FOR THAT
ONE. KEN KOLKER: "THIS IS FROG
LEGS. 92.4."THEN, AN UNLABELED
MEAT ON A STICK.
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KEN KOLKER: "IT'S TOPPED OUT.
92.6. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS
IS."
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BOTH 40 DEGREES TOO
COLD. ORIENTAL ASIAN BUFFET
MANAGER: "EXCUSE ME. I DON'T
UNDERSTAND WHO ARE YOU? KEN
KOLKER: "WE'RE FROM WOOD TV."
MANAGER: "HUH?" KEN KOLKER:
"WE'RE FROM TV8. WE'RE JUST
TESTING OUT FOOD." MANAGER:
"YOU CANNOT DO THAT." KEN
KOLKER: "WHY CAN'T WE DO
THAT?" MANAGER: "YOU CANNOT DO
THAT. YOU'RE NOT AN
INSPECTOR." KEN KOLKER: "YOUR
TEMPERATURES ARE LESS THAN 135
DEGREES." MANAGER: "NO, IT
DOESN'T MATTER. IT DOESN'T
MATTER." KEN KOLKER: "WHY
DOESN'T IT MATTER?" MANAGER:
"IT DOESN'T MATTER." KEN
KOLKER: "DOESN'T THAT MAKE
PEOPLE SICK?" MANAGER: "NO WE
DON'T EVER MAKE PEOPLE SICK."
HE SAID HE WAS THE MANAGER,
BUT WOULDN'T GIVE HIS
NAME. MANAGER: "YOU NOT A
PROFESSIONAL. YOU NOT
PROFESSIONAL DO THAT.... YOU
NO HAVE POWER TO DO THAT. YOU
DON'T HAVE POWER TO DO THAT."
THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY, BASED
ON TARGET 8'S FINDINGS, THE
PROFESSIONALS FROM THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT CONDUCTED THEIR OWN
TESTS.
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MAX BJORKMAN, KENT CO. HEALTH
DEPARTMENT: "ANYTIME WE KNOW
ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WE
NEED TO MAKE SURE WE GET OUT
THERE, BECAUSE FIRST AND
FOREMOST WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE
SURE THE CITIZENS ARE EATING
SAFE FOOD."THEY CITED ORIENTAL
ASIAN BUFFET FOR NOT KEEPING
"POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD"
WARM ENOUGH.THE RESTAURANT
THREW THAT FOOD AWAY.THE
HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS
ORIENTAL ASIAN BUFFET, WHICH
ALSO IS KNOWN AS ASIAN GARDEN,
IS ON THE SAME ENFORCEMENT
TRACK THAT LED TO THE HIGHLY
PUBLICIZED CLOSING OF XO ASIAN
CUISINE LAST
YEAR.
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MAX BJORKMAN, KCHD: "THERE'S A
SET OF RULES THAT WE'RE
PLAYING BY AND WE DO THE BEST
WE CAN WITH WHAT WE
HAVE."KEN KOLKER, TARGET 8:
"WITH ALL THE VIOLATIONS AND
ALL THE COMPLAINTS AT ASIAN
GARDEN, WOULD YOU EAT THERE?"
MAX BJORKMAN, KCHD: "I WOULD
EAT THERE, I'D EAT AT ANY OF
OUR LICENSES FACILITIES." KEN
KOLKER, TARGET 8: "WOULD YOU
LET YOUR KIDS EAT THERE?" MAX
BJORKMAN, KCHD: "YEAH."
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KEN:..THE MAN WHO IDENTIFIED
HIMSELF AS THE MANAGER REFUSED
TO SIT DOWN FOR AN INTERVIEW.
TARGET 8 ALSO LEFT REPEATED
MESSAGES AT THE HOME OF THE
OWNERS, BUT NEVER HEARD BACK
FROM THEM. ON OUR WEB SITE, WE
HAVE AN INTERACTIVE TOOL SO
YOU CAN LOOK UP THE MOST
SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AT YOUR
FAVORITE RESTAURANT. WE ALSO
HAVE A LIST OF THE COUNTY'S
TOP 10 VIOLATORS.
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BRIAN:..WE'RE DIGGING EVEN
DEEPER INTO DIRTY DINING.CAN
RESTAURANTS GET A CLEAN SLATE
WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT BY
SIMPLY CHANGING ITS NAME?FIND
OUT TOMORROW ON 24 HOUR NEWS 8
AT 6.
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