Video of franchise shaved-ice worker handling mop rag, drain filter with same gloves sparks hygiene outcry

A pair of blue-gloved hands moved quickly. With the left hand, the worker grabbed a mop rag — then used the same hand to place Dubai Chewy Cookie toppings on a bowl of shaved ice. Later, still wearing the gloves, the worker scrubbed a drain filter while doing the dishes.

A video showing a part-time worker at a well-known shaved-ice franchise store working in this manner has spread online, igniting a hygiene controversy.

On Monday, the clip — titled "Experiencing a summer Sulbing part-time job" — circulated across social media and multiple online communities, including Ppomppu.

The video shows the hands of what appears to be a male kitchen worker in constant motion, both fitted with blue sanitary gloves. The hands scoop shaved ice into bowls, then handle bowls and syrup containers, before immediately touching sliced bread, grabbing a mop rag again, and then handling toppings including cookies and mango.

The worker later said he "has to do the dishes in between" and — still wearing the same gloves — cleared away leftover food from customers' tables and even handled a drain filter.

However, it is not known whether the worker changed to fresh gloves at any point, as that was not shown in the video.

As the controversy grew, the original video was taken down, but copies had already spread across multiple online communities.

Viewers reacted sharply. "That's too much — gloves are supposed to protect your hands," one commenter wrote. Others said the gloves seemed to give the worker a false sense of invincibility, with one noting, "He wouldn't have wiped the drain filter like that with bare hands." Another wrote, "Washing your bare hands in between would actually be more hygienic," while others said the drain-cleaning scene made them dizzy. "What's even the point of wearing gloves?" one user asked. Others called for basic precautions: "At least use tongs for the bread, and put on rubber gloves for the dishes."