Criticism
The staff in mamak stalls often have very long working hours and poor working conditions. Many stalls are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, closing only for noon prayers on Fridays and during each year's two Eid holidays. The long opening hours make cleaning more difficult, so hygiene can be poor.
Mamak restaurant food tends to be unhealthy with high levels of fat and sugar. Teh tarik is strong tea with large doses of sweetened creamer (synthetic milk made from palm oil) and evaporated milk. There are also several ways to prepare or embellish the basic roti canai, some of which involve large amounts of margarine (roti planta), sugar (roti tissue), or both (roti bom).
Mamak stalls originated as roadside dining and this tradition continues despite the restaurants becoming bigger and more spacious. Dining areas commonly extend onto five foot pathways and busy intersections. This practice is illegal and hazardous to customers as well as road users. There have been cases of mamak stall patrons being killed in road traffic accidents while dining at the road side. Despite local authority efforts to remove illegal roadside dining, many restaurant operators continue to extend their dining areas onto walkways, roads and car parks.
Read more about this topic: Mamak Stall
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