Again, not true.
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Did MSG (monosodium glutamate) get a bad rap?
- Thread starter ColdPizza
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Again, not true.
There is no problem with sweeteners and diabetes...
sasimirobot
Junior Member
My GF (Chinese) is quite a gifted cook, she refuses to use it, claiming it is "cheating". When she isn't looking I sprinkle it on because occasionally Chinese food can be pretty bland.
I hate that touristy places now in Asia have NO MSG signs because modern day hippies think "chemicals" are bad. It can be super tasty when used the right way, and why should I have to suffer because people are stupid.
I also used to work in Thai restaurants that wrote, "no added MSG" on the menu, while the chefs gave no fucks about adding it to dishes, there were literally barrels of the stuff in the kitchen.
I hate that touristy places now in Asia have NO MSG signs because modern day hippies think "chemicals" are bad. It can be super tasty when used the right way, and why should I have to suffer because people are stupid.
I also used to work in Thai restaurants that wrote, "no added MSG" on the menu, while the chefs gave no fucks about adding it to dishes, there were literally barrels of the stuff in the kitchen.
Doogington
Member
MSG is naturally occurring in tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, potatoes, mushrooms. See if any person that claims they have an aversion to MSG if they avoid those foods.
It's basically FUD made up by white people to boycott against Asian food during the 90s.
The irony behind all this is that a lot of non Asian food also has it and in vast quantities.
I remember talking to a person who I was studying with at college was talking about how Asian food gives him headaches while eating KFC meal. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes.
The irony behind all this is that a lot of non Asian food also has it and in vast quantities.
I remember talking to a person who I was studying with at college was talking about how Asian food gives him headaches while eating KFC meal. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes.
WaterAstro
Member
Depending on the diet, it might be better than salt because it gives more flavour, therefore you can use less of it to reduce sodium intake.
Err no, Dashi is is a natural soup stock made from bonito flakes and kombu seaweed. The dashi powder that a lot of people use is just that, with msg, in powder form.
The taste between the powder version vs the real thing is so different. Miso made with real dashi is far better.
Always-honest
Banned
I aso have an intolerance or allergy for it.
But i think a lot of food doesn't need it. Ot tastes fine without it. Unless you eat shitty supermarket meals. They use it to make shit taste a little better.
Some of the cardiologists at my work are telling people to switch the salt shaker on the table for an MSG shaker, not sure how much that is worth though.
I've only done cursory study on the subject so forgive my ignorance but isn't most if not all of the bad rap from one dude that ate at a Chinese place and got as headache?
I've only done cursory study on the subject so forgive my ignorance but isn't most if not all of the bad rap from one dude that ate at a Chinese place and got as headache?
WaterAstro
Member
Allergy to MSG?
If you're allergic to that, you're allergic to salt...
If you're allergic to that, you're allergic to salt...
Always-honest
Banned
Nope.
It is kinda cheating since you should be able to add MSG to whatever you cook from natural ingredients anyway, like they used to before MSG was isolated and mass-produced.
That said, adding a little bit to spruce up your cooking is okay if you're not a pro-chef in my books. Doing it wrong is walloping spoonfuls of it like I've seen happen in China.
Problem is there's no evidence it's even a real thing. Most people who claim to be allergic claim to have reactions only when they know the food has MSG added, even though it's in pretty much all savoury processed foods, and is also naturally occurring too. It has not been reproducible in experiments.
Bartholomuse
Member
Oh my.
Show them a pic of KFC's seasoning mix.
They'll magically be having adverse reactions the next time they have KFC.
Pretty sure the point that person is making is that what is giving dashi it's flavour is just naturally occurring MSG in bonito and kombu.
Always-honest
Banned
Yeah i don't know either. All i know is that i have reactions to (mostly processed) "food" that have a lot of this stuff in it. i don't have it with salt.
It's shitty and i'm fully aware most people don't have it.
Wheter it's allergy or intolerance, there is a reaction.
Food that has a lot in it feels/ tastes agressive in my mouth. My problem is that other people (gaffers who don't experience it) basicly say i'm crazy. I'm the most rational person on earth probably.
Anyway, it's not as bad as it's used to be.
Edit: lol at above. KFC is world champion with that stuff.
If it happens with (mostly processed) food then it's likely something else in the processed food causing it or what you have is more of a sensitivity rather than an allergy or intolerance.
Someone earlier compared MSG to sweeteners, but unlike sweeteners which are using alternative chemical compounds to replicate sugary sweetness, MSG isn't trying to replicate anything, it straight up is glutamate and salt (sodium). Our bodies don't care whether we get glutamate from the tomato itself or if it was sprinkled on top. People who say they have an adverse reaction might be eating too much of it, but then again, plenty of people have an adverse reaction to eating too much salt or sugar [and people already each waaayy too much of those two], or pretty much anything else regarding food. Which again, is no reason to single out MSG as some thing that is any worse than other ingredients.
I also think it's likely that people do eat/use too much MSG because it is something better suited for enhancing flavors already in a dish. Add too much salt and it's super easy to tell it's too salty. Add too much sugar and it's super easy to tell it's too sugary. With MSG, you can probably go a lot further before it starts tasting off. I think the 'aggressive' taste is you getting a strong taste of glutamate. MSG crystals themselves don't actually taste good, but they still give that savory, mouth watering sensation, and that's why you only need to use a tiny bit while paired with another savory food. But if people are just dumping it into their food, expecting it to taste better, they might be adding enough for you to taste the glutamate itself and this is something I've definitely experienced.
And in any case, it's ridiculous how MSG gets dragged through the mud. Even its worst case scenarios don't even come close to some of the most mild allergies because its history is filled with so much bad "science."
LOL
Overhere people use it more than sugar or salt.
Most street food vendor in Southeast Asia will use plenty of MSG in your food.
RumblingRosco
Member
If there was proof that MSG literally was a carcinogen, it would have been banned decades ago.
Although cigarettes are still legal, so maybe I'm too optimistic.
Stormwatch
Member
I find that I am sensitive to it. I get headaches and sometimes even feel a bit itchy. I can't eat things like Doritos or moderate quantities of fast food chicken without getting those symptoms. I've even had times where I've eaten something like a canned soup that I didn't know had MSG in it and got those same symptoms. It was only when I went back and looked at the can that I noticed it had MSG. I have the same problem with Sucralose sometimes as well.
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
Do you not eat chicken?
Clockwork5
Member
It makes things taste better. It's ok in my book.
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