The stigma that is present from the virus causing people to hate on Chinese restaurants is awful. This issue has turned many peoples businesses to fail for reasons other than isolation.
It saddens me that so many Americans haven't gotten to experience the deliciousness of MSG enhanced food. All because of a joker...
Let's rename it as "MSG Syndrome", just don't deny that it exists. I once visited a home where, unbeknownst to me, the cook used MSG in a ham dish. I ate it and began to have the effects that I and my mother had gotten years before in a Chinese restaurant. I later learned about the dish containing copious amounts of MSG. It is unfair to stigmatize any group and it is also unfair to deny some people being affected by MSG.
5
Yes, everyone points out glutamate is a natural and essential part of our bodies, but they fail to point out that it acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter effecting nerve and brain cells. Perhaps it is a dose dependent issue and some people can handle larger amounts without symptoms, but my son with autism and a seizure disorder is sensitive. He frequently laments that he can't ever eat Doritos or Cheetos (msg is very high on the ingredient list)
It is unfortunate for those who are sensitive that msg in its many forms is used in such quantity in so many prepared foods. It is a cheap and easy way to add flavor.
3
The point is not whether MSG causes adverse reactions or not, but rather that labelling it as "Chinese restaurant syndrome" is inappropriate and racist. It's inappropriate because MSG is a common flavoring agent and it's found in many other non-Chinese foods, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Doritos, and Chick-Fil-A. But we don't see this ever being called Southern Fried Chicken syndrome. A better term would be "MSG intolerance". Food intolerances are very common and they do not represent allergy (which is an immunologic reaction) or a true toxic effect of the substance being ingested.
18
This article conflates whether MSG syndrome is real with documented xenophobia against Chinese Americans, necessarily resulting in countless reader comments such as "that sucks about anti-Chinese racism, but msg is worse." While part of the mess is from the shiftiness of campaign itself, the writer failed to shed any new light.
-Whether or not MSG effect is real, calling it "Chinese restaurant syndrome" when it appears in so many other foods (Doritos, Campbells, Hidden Valley Ranch) is clearly racist;
-Merriam-Webster, despite their sudden mantle of "wokeness," defines Yellow Peril as:
"1: a danger to Western civilization held to arise from expansion of the power and influence of eastern Asian peoples; 2: a threat to Western living standards from the influx of eastern Asian laborers willing to work for very low wages" - Zero footnotes or commentary.
Contrast with American Heritage's definition:
"n. Offensive
The supposed danger posed to Western interests by the increasing population of Asian peoples, especially as depicted in print media in the late 1800s and early 1900s."
Where is your outrage here, #Redefine? As for M-W, avoiding context = rendering yourselves irrelevant to the purpose of accurately reflecting our evolving language.
-Eddie Huang is a colossal windbag, Mai is a "personality" whom I've never seen linked to Asian American causes up to now, both are being paid by Aji-. If these are the torch bearers for spreading awareness of AA issues, we're screwed.
4
As an Asian person, I can honestly state that adverse reactions from MSG are not racist; they're real. I've somehow become intolerant to MSG over the years, and now when I eat at certain ramen restaurants (not all of them), I immediately develop stomach problems and sometimes even diarrhea. When I use flavor packets for packaged ramen at home, if the ingredients contain MSG, I have the same problems. If I don't use the packets, no problem at all. It took me years before I realized that MSG was the culprit.
This article is false and completely discounts people who have genuine allergies or food intolerance. I agree, however, that the phrase "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" is racist and should be changed to some other phrase specific to MSG, as other readers have suggested.
12
Everybody’s got an axe to grind.
1
By the way, Chinese parsley is not cilantro. (Definition on top.)
1
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is offensive. I refer to it as "MSG poisoning." And yeah yeah, I've done some research on it and there is a lot that says there is no such thing. I've been 'poisoned' half dozen times from food at several restaurants, over decades; Chinatown in NYC, once in Buffalo and the last time years ago in Middletown, NY. Usual culprits? Egg Drop soup and Egg Foo Yung. I got severe headaches (which I never get) and total body tremors and felt so bad I wanted to go to the emergency room (Didn't go. No insurance, and was afraid of the bill.) The last time, I went to a Chinese take-out that had the "No MSG" sign in the window. I got severely sick. The next day I called my county's Health Dept. My complaint was not really what the Health Department was in charge of, but they would investigate anyway. They found that the restaurant was using MSG, though not a lot. Here's the fun point. Because, at the time, I was a gluttonous pig, I ate enough of the Chinese food to counteract the low amount of MSG, thus poisoning myself. Now, I get Chinese food from a restaurant that does not use MSG, once every week or two. No reaction, ever. Maybe I'm an anomaly. So be it. Side notes: A friend that used to work for Accent would say his job was poisoning people. And, just because a billion Chinese people use MSG doesn't make them right. A thought I have is that people develop a tolerance or immunity by eating foods that have some about of MSG, thus no negative reaction. Enjoy.
4
I remember the day one of my best friends (an African American male), was teaching me his mother's recipe for fried chicken. One of the final ingredients (which he deemed crucial) to go into a brown paper bag, where the chicken parts would be shaken before being fried, was MSG. I asked him "Isn't that bad for you?" To which he replied: "Honey, only to white people".
8
He really showed this white folks.
I do not want to victimize either a culture or specific restaurants but I cannot tolerate MSG in food of any kind, whether Chinese or not. I get a severe headache within 20 minutes of eating food containing MSG and it makes me nauseous.
The attempt to portray MSG as having no negative side effects is another matter. What's next? Beer companies saying you don't get hangovers from beer?
5
Concern about MSG is not identically equal to the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. The latter deserves to be removed from our vocabulary.
However the article implied that concern about MSG and its possible not so pleasant side effects is a manifestation of xenophobia directed against Chinese-Americans. We see yet another amazing and creative entry in the matrix/pyramid of victimhood.
Or if you see it another way, stand up and demand MSG!
3
I can understand why Chinese people or people of Chinese descent would object to the term "Chinese restaurant syndrome."
However, MSG does give some people headaches. It gives me a severe migraine. Other people have different problems with it. I hope we haven't reached the point where stating that MSG makes some people ill is going to be considered a slur.
4
If you see "soy protein" on your Campbell soup and other products, you are consuming MSG. That said, how much and how *pure* are another story
3
I had my first CRS attack when I was 6 years old eating with my family at Jade Pagoda in Coney Island. It felt like squeezing pain at the temples combined lightheadedness and and made chewing difficult because that exacerbated the pain. Then it happened again at the same restaurant where we would meet with my Grandparents on Saturday night and again when we went to their sister restaurant Jade East. When I told my parents they said "drink lots of water ....it's from the MSG". That helped but didn't totally resolve the issue so I asked them to tell the waiters to hold the MSG and that helped but then the food didn't taste as good (even to a 6 year old). Since then I've learned to actually taste MSG when it's very high in some foods, eat lightly and flush with water or I will get the same symptoms and it's quite common when I eat at restaurants that call themselves "Chinese". Now one can argue that these are really not really"Chinese" but some American variant or bastardization, nevertheless many of these establishments that identify themselves as "Chinese food" do have a tendency to load up on the MSG and when they do it causes problems for those like myself who are sensitive to this ingredient. I am a physician so I do know something about the physiology involved the understanding of which is still evolving. This is not a matter of racism or political correctness .....it is a real problem for those who experience it no matter what you call it.
5
MSG isn't a preservative. It's for flavoring.
3
The letter to the NEJM was a hoax, penned by one Richard Steel, an orthopedic surgeon taking a bet that he couldn't get published in that prestigious journal. Back then, orthopedics wasn't considered a prestigious field requiring stellar grades from med school. The old joke, what's the definition of a double blind study? Two orthopods reading an EKG . . .
He was a graduate of Colgate University and attended medical school at Temple University. Parents owned a place on the boardwalk, Steel's Fudge, that sold treats like salt water taffy, before they died young leaving the future doctor an orphan at the age of 5.
There is a real Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok, the link is unclear as Dr. Steel stated it was a play on words, human crock. Not quite fake news, the NEJM got plenty of similar letters back then in medical pranksterism. They were pretty wild and crazy in those days, residencies were spent living in hospitals. Almost literally "I walked 5 miles to school in several feet of snow, and it was uphill both ways . . ."
Here's the link that I found with a simple online search of the Chinese doctor's name- https://news.colgate.edu/magazine/2019/02/06/the-strange-case-of-dr-ho-man-kwok/
5
The idea behind a dictionary is to define words/phrases that people come across so that they understand what is meant. Eliminating words and phrases form dictionaries simply because of dislike or offense is offensive to the idea of learning.
Regardless of what word or phrase it would be perfectly appropriate to indicate that it is a controversial/offensive/inappropriate term when necessary - because that is also an important part of the definition.
Taking out an entry from a dictionary doesn't erase the past any more than removing art or burning book or shunning a person. The past still exists, flaws and all.
5
@Allison
No one in this article explicitly mentioned taking the phrase out. But that point is indeed muddled and vague: "...the activists hope Merriam-Webster will seek a thoughtful reconsideration, turning the phrase into a fragment of a different time." That could mean anything.
2
@ Allison Forest Hills, NY
You have raised a culturally important point, even though not exclusively related to the allergies of some Chinese foods.
Unfortunately, the generations raised on TV, iPhone, and Twitter do not consult the good dictionaries of standard English. For example, I enjoy watching the reaction of politically correct pharisees when I use "gay = joivial" and "verbal intercourse = conversation".
So. There's a substance that has the capacity to make some people (full disclosure: I am one of them) severely ill and the principal manufacturer of said substance is undertaking a campaign to have it removed from a popular reference book because said manufacturer's business is being harmed?
Makes perfect sense to me.
No, it doesn't. I go out of my way to avoid consuming MSG as much as possible because my physical reaction to it is immediate and unpleasant. Yes, MSG is present in lots of other food, but in much smaller amounts. And I don't eat fast food, regardless.
To those of us who are sensitive to it, MSG is a menace. Why not call it what it is? Why shouldn't people know what's in the food they eat? If it's harmless to most people, wouldn't you want to know what you're eating, regardless?
6
@Susan Yes, call it what it is: MSG intolerance or adverse reaction to MSG. The campaign is to stop calling it Chinese Restaurant Syndrome when it has nothing to do with Chinese restaurants and everything to do with MSG.
4
I am one of those people who has a severe reaction to MSG, and I certainly do not want to support anything that would reduce the labeling so that would make it harder for me to avoid. While some people may not have the reaction, I know that I do. Finding that out and avoiding MSG have changed the quality of my life. I used to get migraine headaches at least twice a week while growing up. Turns out, I was eating lots of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and other Campbell's soups that used to be loaded with MSG. It was not until I was an adult that I finally realized that eating food from my favorite Chinese restaurant always led to the same kind of severe headaches, including nausea, throbbing head, light flashes, and ultimately throwing up. Once I stopped eating Chinese food and stopped eating other foods with known MSG like ranch dressing and snacks like Cheetos, my headaches subsided. I also began exercising the muscles in my neck and back and getting regular massages, both of which have helped avoid tension-related headaches. But the change that has made the most difference in the quality of my life has been to avoid foods with added MSG. I have no difficulty with tomatoes or mushrooms or such foods, but I have definitely had very unpleasant reactions to MSG. Please keep the labeling prominent and encourage food manufacturers not to use it.
13
All of the packages of pure MSG I see in most Chinese supermarkets curiously say "made in the USA"... so I investigated the matter. With this in mind, I wonder how much of the nausea that people feel after consuming south eastern Asian flavor enhancers or other ingredients has to do with the imported products themselves the prolonging additives secretly in them or pest control measures taken in the facilities in which they are produced. Health and hygiene standards are different in China and other countries than they are here. Lots gets overlooked or elided in the litany of movements these "foods" go through as they get from there to here.
4
From the time I was a small child I experienced headache after eating Chinese food, a great treat in my household. My parents thought it was my imagination, so I was delighted to read about the syndrome when it was first publicized. Knowing the headache was coming never stopped me from eating all the Chinese food I could get. Still doesn't!
3
@Jane Starkweather
You can request that MSG not be added to your order. In a good Chinese restaurant, it isn't automatically added to everything (except the soup).
@Linda I tried that for awhile, then got an incapacitating migraine from pressed duck. When we complained, the restaurant said they didn't "add" MSG, but the ingredients already contained it. So I stopped eating Chinese more than two decades ago. Eating is supposed to be a pleasure not a game of chance.
MSG is a cheap source of umami. Better restaurants don't use it but use more natural sources.
According to Wiki: "Generally, umami taste is common to foods that contain high levels of L-glutamate, IMP and GMP, most notably in fish, shellfish, cured meats, meat extracts, mushrooms, vegetables (e.g., ripe tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, spinach, celery, etc.) or green tea, hydrolysed vegetable protein, and fermented and aged products involving bacterial or yeast cultures, such as cheeses, shrimp pastes, fish sauce, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, and yeast extracts such as Vegemite and Marmite."
3
@ken G Find me a better replacement for my tsukemono. Plenty of good and legitimate recipes use Ajinomoto crystals. I don't always want the taste of mushrooms, cheese, or kelp accompanying the umami flavors of my food.
4
MSG is a flavor enhancer, not a preservative. If is also a vital component of almost every protein in your body.
8
Dictionaries don't define words, they don't legislate definitions, they don't specify correct definitions. They report how words are used. That's all.
Some people experience negative effects from MSG. That's a fact. The term "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" (CRS) is inaccurate since MSGF is found just about everywhere these days. But it refers to a reality that many people experience. So it should be renamed "MSG sensitivity Syndrome." More precise.
The mistaken belief that one can legislate word usage has caused a lot of grief. Every time some unacceptable word is replaced by a euphemism, that euphemism eventually becomes an unacceptable usage. There's no point to removing the definition the M-W dictioanry, since sooner or later soemone will need to find out what it means.
10
@Wolf Kirchmeir : I agree. After "obese" replaced the blunt "fat", it became a rude term itself, and some people started using the ultimate euphemism "Bariatrically challenged".
Google "George Carlin euphemisms" for a Youtube clip from the late, great standup comedian that remains fresh, funny and thought-provoking almost three decades after it was first recorded.
2
My family used Ajinomoto in our dinners daily in the 1950s. Then everyone would sit around itching. Finally, when my mother investigated various health claims, she threw out the MSG and our skin got a lot more normal -- not totally well, because MSG was in lots of other foods, too.
My problem reoccurred after marriage: my mother-in-law swore it was harmless but after eating her cooking my itching returned. Both women used Ajinomoto like a perspiring man craves a salty drink.
All involved are of Japanese descent.
The fact that it is "NATURALLY" occurring is irrelevant. Poison Oak is naturally occurring; so are earthquakes and volcanoes.
Another caution: MSG manufacturers have been allowed to disguise their product with a panoply of cover names: any food substance that is "modified", "autolized yeast" are two of them. MSG almost always is listed among the "contains less than 2%" ingredients, but I have counted 3 to 6 cover names in a single product, meaning it could have 6 to 12% MSG.
24
@Norm Ishimoto we don't eat earthquakes and volcanoes, though. Your point is taken, but one must unnaturally select out foods to eliminate the substance.
1
My cousin is severely allergic to MSG and goes into a terrifying semi conscious state that can last up to an hour. Eyes open and alert to conversation around her but unable to move or respond. MSG is everywhere in innocuous items like packages of chicken broth and is hidden under a dozen names. A strong warning and a single name should be on packaging so that people are aware.
10
@Geri Bailey What names? There's only one name for monosodium glutamate. I think your cousin might have a different medical condition and she should definitely see a doctor.
1
The Chinese have been cooking with MSG for centuries!
MSG is just sodium and glutamate, the ionic form of glutamic acid, a ubiquitous and NATURALLY occurring amino acid. Amino acids are the constituent building blocks of proteins.
The Japanese identified a taste receptor of which Western scientists were completely unaware: the umami receptor. I think of the umami taste receptor as a synonym for "the "deliciousness" receptor.
Unknowingly, Western cooks were enhancing the umami flavor in their foods whenever they browned meats. Umami flavor is one of the major reasons why carefully browned meats taste so much better. People have always enjoyed umami flavor in foods high in NATURAL MSG: eg. mushrooms and spinach.
If you're allergic to MSG, then of course you must avoid it. But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy using it. It's just like those with a peanut allergy or any other food allergy.
I never use MSG when cooking for guests whose food sensitivities I don't know. This is not an entirely logical decision, however, because there's an endless list of foods that people to which people might be allergic. You can't avoid them all. Other than that, I think MSG is a wonderful flavoring ingredient and fine when used in moderation.
13
The words were helpful when they came out, I wasn’t making it up. As a child under ten and after, we ate at a Chinese restaurant often close to Philadelphia, it was the late 1960s/early 70s. I had reaction to the food every time— jaw and temple tightening and something like nausea. I had to go outside get air and wait. It took at least 30 minutes. At some point I stopped eating most of the food and traced it to spare ribs, wonton soup, egg roll. I stopped all meat or fried Chinese food and it worked. To this day now approaching 60 I can have trace amounts but always ask in restaurants or travel and am a pescatarian. The fear looms large as I am about to travel to Vietnam. What will I eat?
5
@a snyder Snyder: In the '00s I traveled in "Vina" frequently and food was a BIG issue for me. That was when I was in my late 50s. I was helping a friend develop a resort and we ate the full range of dining places, 5-star to zero-star and worse in six provinces.
In my experience, restaurants everywhere have no idea how much glutamate is in their food other than "the tiny bit" they throw into the wok; their suppliers of soy and other sauces often use MSG-based adulterates. And like you, I am very reactive to MSG.
Back to Vina. I can't remember a meal when I didn't suffer from MSG even when I asked it to be omitted. Breakfast was actually ok at the big hotels; they serve western style egg-centered dishes.
As a pescatarian you will be spared the candied meats (probably also with MSG). But their waters are severely polluted.
Their food styling is Chinese-based. While politically they are proud that they were ruled for 900 years by China and after numerous attempts evicted them, their culture is highly Confucian inflected, and their food is similar to China's.
I wish I could say I enjoyed eating there; only the French-style breakfasts were reaction-free. (Lotsa butter, though) I hope you have a better experience; at least they had a very gracious and customer-oriented approach to tourists.
2
@ a snyder great barrington, ma
For travel to Vietnam and/or other locations, which you suspect to be hygienically inadequte, ask yuor doctor for pharmaceutically prepared nutritive pills. One can take them three or four a day, not be hungry. The only problem is, if one has to sit through a long meal, without taking any food. Well, one can always talk non-stop ...
I agree that "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" is offensive and should be removed from the dictionary. I also would like to say that I know I am not alone in having a strong reaction to MSG. I lived in SE Asia for a few years and suffered reactions of numbness and headache to food prepared with MSG. When I found restaurants that advertised "no MSG" and when I asked wait staff and chefs at restaurants I frequented if I could have dishes with no or very small amounts of MSG, I enjoyed reaction-free meals. I don't see why this is any different from having an allergic reaction to shellfish or peanuts or.....
8
@Elaine I used to get very sick from donating blood and I was repeatedly told it was a psychological reaction from nervousness. I didn't want to believe it because how embarrassing!
The body is amazing in that it can truly manifest physical symptoms from psychological causes. I powered through until I wasn't afraid to look at the needle in my arm and now I can donate platelets weekly without any issues. Sometimes I will go months without donating and then go back and still no bad reaction. So at this point I have to admit that the nausea and vomiting were all physical manifestations of my own fear.
@Elaine No words should be removed from the dictionary. If a word offends you, don't use it.
2
So the reactions are all due to a fear of MSG - even when one finds out after the fact that the food contained MSG. Amazing.
4
Since many have already noted the evidence against condemning msg per se and its ubiquitousness, I’ll make a broader point: Merriam-Webster is and has always been a poor choice for a dictionary to onsult. Use American Heritage or Oxford. Even the few definitions shown in the illustration are all woefully lacking.
3
MSG migraine is real. I have ocular migraines triggered by MSG - aura and mild headache. The aura begins with a scotoma (blind spot), then progresses to bands of rainbow jagged ripples which spread to the periphery of my vision and then are gone. The attack - and it feels like an attack - lasts roughly 30 minutes. (Aging hipsters, no jokes about how you wish you could get these auras. The jokes are insensitive and boring.
I avoid food that contains MSG when it is accurately labeled. Too often, it's not. More than a few times, I've had the aura/headache, then asked about the food. Indeed, 100% of the time, it contained MSG.
12
This article valiantly tries to cover whether MSG is actually bad for you, Chinese American history, and philosophies behind how dictionaries should be maintained. What it Doesn't do is specifically address-
-What is #RedefineCRS asking Merriam Webster to do? Same definition, new footnotes? New definition altogether? What does "redefine" actually mean to the campaign?
-As for Merriam-Webster, the spokesperson immediately got defensive, saying Merriam-Webster doesn't ever remove words, though it doesn't seem from this article like that's what's being asked of them. What I see Brewster saying is, "No one told us about this, we only just found out this entry is problematic - we'll be sure to look into it." Could mean they're really looking into it, could be a classic stall.
As a Chinese American who has never had an MSG headache (despite being a lifelong instant ramen devotee) and who loves language, I'm all for the footnotes. Merriam Webster, as long as you're looking into Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, you may want to recontextualize your entry for "yellow peril" as well!
Definition 1, "a danger to Western civilization held to arise from expansion of the power and influence of eastern Asian peoples"; Definition 2, "a threat to Western living standards from the influx of eastern Asian laborers willing to work for very low wages" [no footnotes to either].
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yellow%20peril
4
CRS is racism, pure and simple. A few points:
1. "Chinese food" here really refers to "American-Chinese food". It's American, not Chinese. American-Chinese food is so different from actual Chinese food that I doubt Chinese people would even recognize it. (Chinese people have undoubtably eaten many more Big Macs than General Tso's Chickens or Crab Rangoons, which don't exist in China.)
Think "Chinese food" is giving you a headache? Even if it is (which it isn't) it's American food, not Chinese food.
2. MSG is found in foods the world over and is completely natural. Glutamate is one of the 20 amino acids, which you consume every time you eat anything with protein. You've got it coursing through your body right now. It can also be added to any food to give an extra boost of umami or "meaty" taste, one of the 5 basic flavors, just like adding salt to give a salty taste, sugar for a sweet taste, or lemon juice for a sour taste. The scary letters "MSG" don't automatically mean "toxic". (Chemophobia is real!)
3. There is not a single study that has shown any link between consuming MSG and headaches or other discomfort. ZERO. But still:
4. That doesn't mean that MSG can't cause any adverse reactions in some people (unrelated to anything "Chinese"). How to be sure? Buy some MSG yourself (it comes in bags at some stores), make two identical dishes, but add MSG to one, and see if that one gives you a reaction. If it does and the other one doesn't, you might have an MSG sensitivity.
7
@Canadian- Regarding #3; I just completed a recent study by going through the comments. So, you're wrong. So, we don't have to do #4. Signed: I Tested Positive
"... you might have ....?" How condescendingly generous.
4
@Canadian comments on American Chinese apply to most so called real authentic “ethnic restaurants.”
it also comes in red and white cylinders called ACCENT.
1
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome was probably a reaction to Borax or Pang Sa used to tenderise meat in Chinese food.
This use is now illegal in Australia and New Zealand but was used for many years.The meat had a certain taste when used.
Borax was sold in the food aisle of Chinese Food supply shops.Look into the affect this has on your body and you will see the culprit.
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is never mentioned here now.
Poor old MSG got the blame.It is in so many nacho,potato chip
and naturally in foods like parmesan ,tomatoes etc and people seem to be PK with it.
1
This article is a mess. A short sentence claiming that "MSG isn't bad for you," followed by disclosure that actors are being paid to promote it while tying criticism of its usage to biases against Asian immigrants. Truly Machiavellian when we can have a corporation push its product with paid actors who can then assert that any criticism of their message is tied to racist tropes. Let's unpack this. Yes, Asian immigrants have been subject to discrimination and derogatory stereotypes. This however, has nothing to do with the fact that many food items while not inherently "bad for you" can still trigger dangerous reactions in certain people (peanut allergies, tree nut allergies, gluten intolerance). The fact that many people react negatively to MSG is a fact. Let's not accuse them of racism. The equivalent is my accusing a dinner guest of racism for having stomach discomfort after eating my fiery chicken vindaloo. Besides any good cook knows that MSG is an unnecessary crutch.
12
This is crazy. Come experience the migraines I get after ingesting msg, and then tell me that it’s imaginary. Was this article paid for by a manufacturer or msg?
27
People might be interested to know Dr Robert Ho Man Kwok is potentially the racist pseudonym of Dr Howard Steel, who sent the original letter as a prank, and has admitted to this? The NPR piece on it seemed to have solid reporting to me.
(Dr Robert Ho Man Kwok was a real person, who also claims to have written the letter. It seems that it is now impossible to verify who wrote it.)
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript
I found it distressing that Dr Steel he couldn't see the link between his "harmless" prank and the decades of food related xenophobia (of all things!) he inadvertently caused and encouraged. Countless Asian-Australians (and Asian-Americans, and other people of Asian ethnicity in diaspora countries, no doubt) were taunted in the schoolyard over their lunchboxes because of things like this. It was not a harmless joke.
9
@Caitlin Thanks for remembering the NPR piece. When I heard on NPR I thought it was compelling and strange. The author of today’s article should have referenced if only because of the odd way MSG was propelled into our consciousness.
4
The reasoning in this article, jumping to the extreme conclusion that the phrase is based on xenophobia/racism, seems to be just a way for the MSG industry (and the writer) to shame sufferers into keeping quiet.
7
I thought Chinese Restaurant Syndrome was mainly associated with diarrhea.
2
Do people realize that MSG is in almost every snack like potato chips and pre-packaged seasoning for meat and poultry?
The racism associated with MSG and Chinese food is absurd.
The people who claim "Chinese restaurant syndrome" are fools.
5
Let’s face it, Ajinomoto makes MSG. They want to change people’s view on MSG so they can sell their product, that’s all this is about.
Doctors say it does this: ‘symptoms: numbness, headaches and palpitations after eating Chinese food’.
To counter that, we now have Eddie Huang, a comedian, and Jeannie Mai, a television personality, to tell us MSG is good for you.
And they are not even doing it because they know something about it, they are doing it for cash: ‘The actors are being paid, a spokeswoman for the company said’
You could not write a better story - The Doctor says X, but who cares because the clowns say Y.
Hilarious.
9
Here’s an idea: Stop making MSG.
5
This is a bit funny because real Chinese food, especially the spicier Sichuan variety, has a numbing effect that people love, and it's based on rattan pepper.
https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/kiss-your-lips-goodbye-and-savor-the-mouth-numbing-spice-at-the-heart-of-sichuan-cuisine/
2
Dr. Ho Man Kwok and Chinese Syndrome started out as a joke! See https://news.colgate.edu/magazine/2019/02/06/the-strange-case-of-dr-ho-man-kwok/
2
MSG is not a preservative. This is some bad reporting.
3
MSG was first discovered occurring naturally in seaweed, and subsequent research identified the umami taste, which is detected by specific glutamate-sensing receptors in the tongue. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami#Taste_receptors and the next section on "Consumers and Safety": the FDA regards MSG as safe.) The umami receptor apparently evolved to sense dietary protein and protein components (glutamic acid is one of the amino acids).
The article's statement that MSG occurs naturally in 'SOME tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese" is inaccurate: it occurs in tomatoes, period (which is why they are savory), and increases in cheese with aging (parmesan has much more MSG than queso fresco or cottage cheese).
That said, MSG is a pretty intense-tasting ingredient- 1/2 tsp adequately flavors a pilaf recipe made with 2-2.5 cups of dry rice - but if added too liberally to a dish, the effect is overwhelming, similar to an over-salted or cloyingly sweet dish. (I use MSG to jazz up vegan bean/legume recipes - it confers a meaty flavor - but sparingly.)
The reaction to MSG that many people report (assuming they aren't placebo-reactors) may be dose-dependent, in the same way that some people are hypersensitive to the flavor of cilantro or the bitterness of kale and collard greens (which, like all members of the cabbage family, contains bitter isothiocyanate-containing glycosides, but in greater proportion).
9
If MSG caused all of the problems it is claimed to cause, there would be a billion people walking around Asia with chronic migraines.
13
If lactose intolerance had been called Swiss Fondue Disease for fifty years people would probably point out that the term was inconsiderate. If people were warned never to eat dairy because some people are lactose intolerant it would be considered overkill at best.
The point is that MOST people don't have a problem with MSG in moderation. (Those who do know who they are.) Keeping the definition would allow someone coming across the term to be able to look it up and find out what it means, which is what a dictionary is for. Including the information that it's an outdated and uncharitable term for sensitivity to MSG would be helpful to a contemporary English speaker.
But let's keep the outrage machine going because that's what we do!
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What seem to be allergic reactions aside, my understanding is that msg is actually preferable to salt because less of it is needed to have a similar effect.
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DO NOT tell me MSG is harmless!! My late mother was severely allergic and sensitive to MSG. She'd eat out, ask if they used it, they'd say no. Sadly, it's marketed under a TON of names. So she'd eat the food and be violently ill.
She'd be in bed for days, such severe migraines, pain, nausea, hallucinations. She literally wished for death for years, when this happened. She suffered all her life.
There's tons of others who experienced the same reaction.
We might have glutamate in our body. BUT MSG is a different, highly concentrated form. Due to its being marketed under many names and due to it being in tons of food, it's very dangerous for many. Esp those who are not aware of the dangers.
My mother was a nurse who spent a lot of money on medical tests for years. That's how she determined MSG was highly toxic to her and others. Way before the net!
Merriam-Webster would be doing the public a great disservice to remove this. Bowing down to greedy corporate power which don't care about real experiences is not fair nor ethical to the people who suffer so badly when ingesting MSG or its various forms and names. Esp migraine sufferers who don't know the relationship to migraines and MSG!!
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@Jenny It's interesting how often we come across people who will complain about pains/ills from eating Chinese food laced with this deadly toxin called MSG, but then scarf down a bag of Lays or Doritos with no problem.
Unless they are sensitive to MSG laced in both foods, then they do no suffer from "allergies", but rather a racist and biased mindset.
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The entire MSG scare came from a single speculative letter published in a journal decades ago, without specifics or data.
Since then, no serious study has backed this up. Instead, the only evidence cited in the comments section are anecdotal experiences of a minority of people feeling unwell after guzzling down fatty fried spicy food washed down with a glass or two of wine.
Color me surprised.
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Glutamate is one of the twenty naturally occurring amino acids that make up every protein in your body. Humans have about 20,000 different proteins which perform many essential functions in your body and in every organism on earth. Glutamate also functions in humans as a neurotransmitter. So it is not some exotic chemical that evil corporations are putting into our bodies. Though they may be giving us more than we need.
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I have experienced those sensations and the migraines. I didn't realize it was from MSG for a long time. Now I just avoid it. A lot of Goya foods have MSG added to them. I read the labels carefully.
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This article is offensive to me. I have allergies that seem to be related to Chinese food. I don't know what it is, maybe MSG, maybe some other common ingredient, I'm not sure, but it happens. Why would this fact of my experiences be inappropriate?
I have this thing that happens to me when I eat Chinese food, but, I wish I could still enjoy Chinese food from time to time. My response to it does not cause me to have any ill will towards Chinese people, nor does it cause me to view the cuisine as "lesser" in any way. I just don't handle it properly, and that's okay.
But the implication here is that people are hatefully being allergic to Chinese food, or something?
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@Jonathan
Allergies can be psychosomatic in nature. This doesn't mean that they aren't real or that you're unconsciously racist. There are just multiple causes of allergies. It might be things like stress around new ingredients, tastes or locations, or an event associated with a time you ate that food.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/well/mind/allergies-symptoms-emotions-psychology.html
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No scientific study ever has been able to find legitimate problems with MSG consumption. I use it at home in all my Chinese American food, chili's, soups, gravies, dressings, etc.. It is a fantastic flavor enhancer, and I believe it is incompletely safe. I ave been using it since the seventies and have never made anyone sick or given them a headache. You can buy it by the pound on Amazon, for under ten dollars and it will last for years. If you like to cook try it, you'll like it!
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For me, MSG triggers very severe migraine headaches. Some college classmates even conducted a blind test on my by randomly adding to my food without my knowledge to test me. No, I didn’t consent to the testing. But it did prove a point. It causes my migraines. I avoid the additive as best possible. It is in so many foods it is difficult to avoid sometimes. For example, I won’t have soup or anything with gravy in a restaurant because so many of the commercial soup and gravy stocks have it. I’m just grateful for Imitrex that counteracts the migraines reasonably well. As far as I’m concerned, MSG is just a shortcut to fix bad tasting food.
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@David Pinski While your symptoms may be a real reaction, there's nothing bad about MSG, nor a fix for bad tasting food. It's delicious and makes foods even better, like salt, which is deadly for some, but is a key to life for all.
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@David
So you are okay with somebody who has real reactions to MSG but you are in denial at the same time. For some people it's peanuts. For some others it can be MSG. Your salt analogy makes no sense. Salt is deadly for snails not people.
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@robomatic migraines have many triggers, including emotional ones. Just a thought. But if one believes something, and its just about not eating a food group, it doesn't really harm anyone.
This numbness happened to me years before anyone named the syndrome. So "confirmation bias" is irrelevant as far as I am concerned. I don't know the cause. I eat restaurant Chinese food frequently and no 'syndrome". But -- when that numbness occurs, it is only in Chinese restaurants.
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@kastle brill
My first experience was eating at a Chinese Restaurant before I'd heard of CRS or MSG. It did not discourage my patronage of restaurants or Chinese food. For me the experience is unique not painful. I'm just careful. But I have run into people online who are eager to tell me that it was imaginary.
@kastle brill Maybe it's the Szechuan peppers that cause numbness too?
I'm curious how you would feel in a blind taste test.
The sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid, is found in tomatoes, grapes, mushrooms, and corn.
It acts on the tastebuds by opening them, making them more receptive to "tasting."
There's nothing inherently wrong with it, or bad about it. Many studies, other than those sponsored by the Glutamate Association, have been conducted, and it is generally recognized as safe. In the quantities in which it is consume, as in all "chemicals" (artificial sweeteners, etc.) it's not doing us any harm.
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"But MSG isn’t bad for you."
That is because the Glutamate Association has paid for studies to exonerate MSG. This is how they do it: First, before you can become a part of their study you are interviewed by phone. You are asked if you are sensitive to MSG. If you answer affirmatively, you can't be in the study. Then, for a control beverage they use aspartame. Aspartame, like MSG, is also a neurotoxin. The study results? 15% of both the drinkers of the MSG beverage and the aspartame beverage reported a reaction. As the control was the same, this means that MSG is benign.
It isn't hard to create a study to get the results that you want. And the outfit hired to do a study knows if they don't get the desired results they won't be hired again.
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@Don Wiss Can you provide some links to back up these claims? Studies in the literature typically require stating who funded the study. And badly run studies typically are called out in follow-on papers by other groups.
The problem is ultimately that we consume plenty of glutamate (tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweed, etc), and it's required by the body (neurotransmitter, not typically a neurotoxin unless it accumulates in very high concentrations).
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@Don Wiss Or it's the several billion people who have been eating it for 120 years without ill effect, in fact, having longer lives than western diet eaters.
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The problem with MSG is overuse, I think. It can be an easy way to amp up the flavor, similar to over-salting.
Maybe it has historically been overused by restaurants producing low-quality food, and that association has led to its bad reputation more than some kind of anti-Chinese bias?
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For all of you here who are adamant about MSG making you ill, how are you sure that it isn’t the copious amounts of weeks-old oil and cups of sugar and deep-fried everything instead that defines the cooking of most American Chinese restaurants? Scientists have done blind test after blind test with two identical dishes except one has MSG, and every time they have found no correlation between MSG and negative health effects.
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@Mike Yeung
Anecdote is not evidence.
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I'd be interested to know how many of those who comment here, not to mention millions of others, and claim MSG causes their symptoms, experience the same symptoms when they eat Doritos, use salad dressing, and ingest hundreds of other foods that they don't know have added MSG.
The human brain is a complex thing. People don't realize the brain is where they experience symptoms, not on their cheeks or whatever, and the brain puts together symptoms from many sources, including expectations. They may actually experience these symptoms after eating Chinese food only because they expect to experience them. At this point so many valid double blind studies have been done, including on folks who say they are affected, that show MSG does not cause such symptoms, that it's truly remarkable this idea remains so widespread.
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@John Binkley I actually do experience the same symptoms and have to avoid things like Doritos etc. I have sensitivities to "additives" I have been professionally diagnosed and must prepare almost all of my food. So, no not in my head.
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Every neurologist/migraine specialist will tell you that MSG may trigger migraines in some people. I’ve eaten Doritos and had massive migraines. I don’t need a study to tell me MSG is bad for me. And why is it ok to analyze and doubt people who believe MSG triggers migraines? Because some guy made up an article many years ago?
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@Eric I’m with you. I too react horribly with migraines within minutes to anything with Msg or it in other forms such as yeast extract and the dozens of other names msg hides in . I eat essentially no processed foods. If I do eat one such as a pasta, I can see ingredients are water and flour. I read all labels. I mainly cook from scratch even making my own broth using water, own dips ( using fresh herbs, own baked items, can’t tolerate mixes), don’t eat flavored chips, etc. as I can’t eat any prepared broth , it is truly in most packed foods. Eating out is a nightmare and I ask for plain grilled foods and specify no seasoning. I don’t only get sick in Asian restaurants. Although msg may be naturally occurring,what’s in these foods is processed and not the same as eating one tomato.
Point about xenophobia taken.
All the same, as someone who grew up on the West Coast and regularly consumed Chinese cuisine in restaurants while growing up, I can attest to the fact that MSG is toxic, in my case. For years, I did not understand why I stayed up all night with twisted guts and stomach upset on certain occasions. They I moved away from my hometown, only eating out at Chinese restaurants when I came back to the home region. Gradually, by process of elimination, I figured out that it was MSG that was making me ill. In fact, the toxicity appeared to increase with time. I do not know if this is due to the manufacturing process or MSG itself. I can simply vouch for the fact that the monosodium glutamate in anything from Dim Sum to seaweed salad (Japanese cuisine) prepared in the United States, makes some people very sick.
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... By the way, every good to great home cook of Asian cuisine I know, NEVER resorts to MSG to fine tune flavor.
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@DM Well, they likely don't add preservatives either, nor have they ever added vitamins. But ajinomoto has been used by chefs for a long long time.
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This is a nonsense article. As a journalist and someone who suffers -- as many do -- from reactions to MSG, the logic here is all over the place. On the one hand, the writer tells us of a commercially motivated campaign that so far is limited in its impact on the public's awareness. And on the other hand, the reader is told that the negative human impact of MSG is suspect.
Much of that suspicion appears to originate with an assertion of racism on the part of those who originated the term, "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome". Whether or not such bias was behind its creation, a bit more research is needed before committing to the publication of such an article.
I have firsthand knowledge of the ways in which MSG can adversely effect a person. I've experienced severe headaches as a result of MSG ingestion, which typically last about 36 hours. For an aunt of mine. she is highly allergic to the substance, causing not only headaches, but skin redness and tightening of her airways. Consumption of the substance results in a guaranteed trip to an emergency room.
But why take my word for it? A simple call to an allergist or research in a medical library will also produce evidence of MSG's negative effects on individuals. This not a matter of racism, but medical science that is being torpedoed by a manufacturer seeking to exploit a poorly named entry in a dictionary.
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There is a "This American Life" episode about whether or not the initial letter blaming MSG was even real or a hoax - someone betting a friend they could get published in the NEJM.
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The link for the text saying "MSG isnt bad for you" essentially says there's no consensus, and further research is needed. "Not bad for you" seems a misleading leap!
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Hardly is this news new. David Chang, among other knowledgeable chefs, have been talking about this for some time:
https://www.eater.com/2012/9/25/6542147/watch-david-changs-mad-talk-on-the-stigma-of-msg
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I love all foods, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc. foods.
Years ago I would get a mild headache or other symptoms after eating at some Chinese restaurants. After I heard that MSG may be a cause, I began excluding restaurants that used it as an ingredient. When I ate Chinese/other food at restaurants that claimed to not use MSG, I was fine. Every once in a while I would eat at a Chinese restaurant that said they did not use MSG but I would still have the same effects after eating there - making me doubt if their "No MSG" claim was valid. It's possible my symptoms were caused by another ingredient and not MSG, however I have found no positive link to any other ingredient - and I eat all cuisines.
To me, MSG did cause symptoms -- even when I did not know whether it was used. So "confirmation bias" or a "reverse-placebo effect" are unlikely to have caused my symptoms.
This corporate campaign to influence Merriam-Webster is driven by a company that manufacturers MSG. For this reason I don't agree with it. It does not reflect the views of broad society, but rather by Ajinomoto's social media warriors. It reveals a "bad" side of social media.
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Some restaurants that claim not to use MSG may not directly add it to their food, but it is already in their ingredients like soup stock and breading that they do use.
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I wonder if certain reported effects were due to other substances that are high in naturally occurring histamines, which some individuals are sensitive to. For example soy sauce and fermented foods are high in histamine as are many other foods.
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Indeed! Thinking of ingredients like shrimp paste...
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@J. Not "histamine", tyramines. They are found in aged foods such as cheese, soy sauce, dried salami, dried fruits, etc.
And I can say with 100% certainty that MSG has caused me severe, migraine-level headaches. This was a no-brainer. Ate Kentucky Fried Chicken, got a headache. Called corporate and was told the product contains MSG.
Same for Doritos. Same for many barbeque flavored chips. Same for soups and dips or dips made from soup such as Lipton Onion Soup.
Further, one need look no further than the National Institutes of Health to find factual evidence of MSG's toxicity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5938543
Nice try on the part of Ajinomoto executives, but their skewing of the facts may end up causing more public relations damage than good.
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I'm not sure it was confirmation bias when, at age 7, I experienced something nobody else in my family had (numbness in my cheekbone area), and it wasn't until my somewhat panicked parents talked to my pediatrician that they learned what it was.
This doesn't imply it was MSG, though; I only ever got it from eating Chinese food but we had no way to reliably test what the actual culprit was.
1
While the term "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" is unfortunate, let's not lose sight of what's really at play here. The "activists" are nothing more than individuals directly connected to Ajimomoto's commercially motivated campaign, which thus far is limited in its impact on the public's awareness. The ultimate goal is to bluff the public into thinking that MSG "isn't bad for you" and to cast doubt on the negative health impact of MSG.
The corporation's efforts use an effective Trojan Horse; the assertion of racism on the part of those who originated the term, "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome". Whether or not such bias was behind its creation, it should not detract from the ingredient's proven negative effects.
I have firsthand knowledge of the ways in which MSG can adversely impact a person. I've experienced severe headaches as a result of MSG ingestion, which typically last about 36 hours. For an aunt of mine. she is highly allergic to the substance, causing not only headaches, but skin redness and tightening of her airways. Consumption of the substance results in a guaranteed trip to an emergency room.
But why take my word for it? A simple call to an allergist or research in a medical library will also produce evidence of MSG's potential hard on individuals.
When one gets past the pretense, what's left is medical science... and that is being torpedoed by a manufacturer seeking to get mileage from claims of Xenophobia.
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@H. Stern
There is no valid evidence that MSG is bad for most people. A small minority of people may have an adverse reaction to it, that doesn’t make it bad. People are a,so sensitive to gluten, milk, eggs, or nuts, but that doesn’t make them bad.
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@H. Stern but, it is racist.
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@Lucy H
No, its not bad unless people who are sensititve to it eat it.
1
It is unacceptable that dislike of MSG fuels xenophobia. However,
I would disagree with the contention that MSG is not harmful. I do not understand why or how MSG used in restaurants makes me ill, but it does. Either it is toxic, in my case, or possibly a residue of its manufacturing process is toxic. I came to this conclusion over many years. In the beginning, I had no idea why I spent nights with headaches and severe stomach pains. Gradually, over time and by process of elimination, I figured out that it had to be the MSG in anything from Dim Sum to seaweed salad (in sushi places). Otherwise, I suffer no other allergies and have no other dietary restrictions, although my family and I try to eat organic as much as possible.
By the way, all the home cooks around me who prepare good to great Asian dishes - NONE of them use MSG in their cooking to create complex and delicious flavors. MSG is not indispensable to Asian cooking.
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Its in a lot of flavorings, sometimes naturally, so just because an “msg powder” isn’t added doesn’t mean it isn’t present.
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@DM
MSg is also parents in a wide variety of non Asian foods. Pretzels, salad dressing, soups, crackers, and cold cuts often contain it. Do you get sick when you eat those foods or only when you eat in Chinese restaurants? If you only get sick with restaurant food, something else my best going on.
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@DM
MSg is also parents in a wide variety of non Asian foods. Pretzels, salad dressing, soups, crackers, and cold cuts often contain it. Do you get sick when you eat those foods or only when you eat in Chinese restaurants? If you only get sick with restaurant food, something else my best going on.
Do you realize thar MSG naturally occurs in seaweed? If you get sick from the nori used in Sushi, you are sensitive to the seaweed itself. Seaweed is indespensigle to some Asian dishes, including seaweed.
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I home cook a lot of Sichuan dishes. In fact, I like Sichuan food so much that I grow my own "facing heaven" chile peppers every summer. Between the heat of the chiles and the numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns, I don't really think I need to enhance the flavors with MSG.
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@ABD I was going to make a similar point about the numbing properties of Sichuan peppercorns potentially being responsible for what consumers are linking to MSG oddness.
An interesting note about the sensation... apparently something in the Sichuan peppercorns (berries of the prickly ash tree) stimulates the same nerves that sense touch and vibration. I find the sensation pleasant but it's no wonder that some may find it unusual or disconcerting if unfamiliar or unexpected.
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Although I grew up in the former Empire of Manchu-Di-Guo (Manchuria), somehow I remained neutral to the Northeastern Chinese cuisine. Never had any adverse reaction to a meal in a Chinese restaurant.
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