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How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

fivethirtyeight.com

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Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#111

Post by throwaway5t21 »

Spooky23 wrote: post #90
LaGrange wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...that's a much more common case than you seem to imply, and your insistence that your marriage choice is some sort of an argument here only increases the likelihood.

Sorry, but this is an intellectual lazy argument that undermines discourse. Highlighting a close personal relationship like a marriage that spans cultures isn’t the same as the “some of my best friends are black” trope. It’s a useful context that implies a deeper understanding of differences between cultures and thinking. I have nothing to add about restaurants, but I would illustrate this by my experience growing up…

That’s only if the marriage is based on love and actual understanding. If it’s a mail order bride situation, then racism absolutely would exist.

An old co-worker of mine that we all disliked would constantly call his Vietnamese wife is “war bride.”

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#112

Post by hopler »

mlrtime wrote: post #94
pjc50 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't presume, ask; something like "do you have any dietary requirements?" along with a dinner invitation. Covers everything from vegetarianism to highly specific allergies. Also puts the ball in the other person's court to be clear upfront before anything is cooked or purchased.

Nobody will mention MSG in this scenario unless they have a very acute allergy to it.

Then everyone gets MSG if the chef wants it. Chef is not telepath.

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#113

Post by hopler »

gotocake wrote: post #25
batbomb wrote: post #13

Just use yeast extract and magically nobody will get headaches.

Something similar is done to placate “intelligent free thinkers” who think nitrates and nitrites are the devil. If you go into a Whole Foods practically every cured meat is labeled “Uncured! Nitrate free!” If you follow the inevitable asterisk though, you see the the caveat “Except those derived from natural sources, such as celery juice.” facepalm Just... eat less bacon, and don’t kid yourself that it somehow matter…

Nitrates are unhealthy, even if vendors are intentionally misleading about celery.

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#114

Post by hopler »

soft_dev_person wrote: post #60
rubyn00bie wrote: post #3

FWIW I've always called MSG "Makes Stuff Good," because it does just that... I realized it wasn't bad mostly because there was no seeming regularity to if I felt bad after eating foods with it. Eventually it dawned on me that perhaps overeating an abundance of oil in foods with it probably makes me feel like shit, and... yep, it was the oil (maybe others will have similar anecdotes).

I think it makes everything taste the same in an intense but uninteresting way, to be honest. It gives it the bad Chinese restaurant quality. Quantity matters, obviously.

I read a comment years ago about a chef who stays that msg makes water taste like soup. So yeah, it improves the taste, but not in a good way. It's similar to drinking tea with a cup of sugar mixed in. msg isn't as bad as sugar when normalizing on how much people consume, but it's still used as a replacemment for good food.

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#115

Post by zug_zug »

This is a garbage non-article.

It admits some people have sensitivity to MSG.

It doesn't offer evidence against some other additive in chinese food is making people experience racing heart.

It doesn't even consider the possibility that in the past MSG had some impurity that caused a health issue that may not be reproducible now.

It doesn't even consider how detached the long-term effects of food are (think how long it takes to put on weight).

It likens the situation to anti-vaccine, which is basically the new Godwin's Law.

It has an obnoxious air of "Science knows everything right now and anybody who doesn't believe me is anti-science."

(The problem is that studies take decades to come to a consensus. The initial studies about leaded gasoline said it was totally safe, for example. But in this case the author doesn't bother to cite a single study that supports his case! Rather he just relies on name-value and a tone of superiority)

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#116

Post by lugg »

maaaats wrote: post #89
psiops wrote: post #77

I have no antipathy towards MSG. I can taste that it tastes good. The thing is really: It messes with my sleep . I don't know how, but sometimes I get a high dose in me and I just cannot get to sleep, like at all. Elevated heart rate, mind racing, all night long. _That_ I do not like. I don't believe it's an evil chemical, it's naturally occurring after all. But yeah, if someone knows a hack to cure the occassional i…

See comment from tptacek from an earlier discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10866718

Could the intense short lived headaches be caused by something other than glutamate? I consume a lot of msg and aren't bothered by it but I do get severe acute head pain when I eat McDonald's spicy buffalo sauce. Kind of freaked me out the two bites I had before quitting.

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#117

Post by Rooster61 »

Though I am skeptical of the bad rep MSG gets, I find that I can get the same umami flavor for the most part from using nutritional yeast. I like the fact that it gives me control over the umami aspect of what I'm cooking without altering the salt content. That let's me control the saltiness of the food with actual salt rather than adding MSG and hoping I'm not oversalting for the sake of having that "secret sauce" effect MSG imparts.

I have no idea if it's truly healthier than MSG (the claims on both substances are many and varied, both heavily skewed by questionable research), but it's a great ingredient to cook with.

(Full disclosure, I'm not a vegetarian/vegan, so no bias there. I know nutritional yeast is usually tied to that group, but I'm just a person who likes cooking with just about everything I can get my hands on.)

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#118

Post by setr »

SiempreViernes wrote: post #101
loceng wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presuming all backgrounds of people who have had different evolutionary paths are the same or would react the same biologically to different chemicals doesn't make sense to me. For example, many Asians from my current understanding - and correct me if I'm wrong, can't process Alcohol the same way the rest of us can - which leads a higher percentage of them getting a red face. I too would get a bit of a "high" - wheth…

By numbers (and likely volume and mass) it is non-asians are more properly labelled "the rest".

Pretty sure asian in this case is limited to east-asians, in which case you’re at a meager 1.7B humans

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#119

Post by xutopia »

Rooster61 wrote: post #117

Though I am skeptical of the bad rep MSG gets, I find that I can get the same umami flavor for the most part from using nutritional yeast. I like the fact that it gives me control over the umami aspect of what I'm cooking without altering the salt content. That let's me control the saltiness of the food with actual salt rather than adding MSG and hoping I'm not oversalting for the sake of having that "secret sauce" e…

I find nutritional yeast tastes cheesy. It's just not the same as MSG. I also find that MSG goes a long way... just a dash in an entire casserole can elevate the taste without going into salty territory.

Re: How MSG Got a Bad Rap (2016)

#120

Post by hopler »

kazinator wrote: post #42
bobthepanda wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MSG naturally occurs in naturally ripened tomatoes and some cheeses. Do you also have issues with those?

Reactions to MSG are not allergic. It's not like eating something cooked in a pot that previously had shrimp type of thing. A fairly macroscopically large dose of the stuff does something with the blood flow in veins around the head or sensitivity of nerves or something. It's not a serious medical condition, like an allergic attack; just a nuisance.

The MS in MSG is for sodium, so yeah a large dose hurts. "MSG good or bad?" isn't the main question. "MSG vs salt" is.
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