A whole packet of MSG in the Som Tam? Trader explains why

[The Deerhunter]

18 hours ago, Ceruhe said:

This translated reads to me

"A chef that is using 100 out of 100 possible ingredients is bad because he uses that 1 ingredient that my bandwagon is against, he would be much better if he only used 99 out of 100 possible ingredients because reasons."

 

I'm aware of the controversy around MSG as a whole, albeit haven't read any studies to see just how manipulated the data of it is, but I'm very much in favor of "everything in moderation", be that salt, water, msg, sugar(!), coffeine, smoking or what have you.

 

Since everything kills you anyway, might as well enjoy what you have. If peoples greatest concern with buying street food is MSG, then maybe it's not the MSG one needs to worry about but a hard look in the mirror.

I've got a foot in both camps but my understanding is that MSG is added because "good old S&P" just isn't doing it

[Tropposurfer]

Som tum to go thanks ... don’t forget the heart palpitations and pet mak mak too????????????????

[PatOngo]

MSG "Make Same Grandma"

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, The Deerhunter said:

I've got a foot in both camps but my understanding is that MSG is added because "good old S&P" just isn't doing it

Proper umami comes from ingredients, not from a bottle. MSG is for those without talent and lazy.

[Just Weird]

18 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

You lot do know that the MSG myth has been debunked, right?

 

https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/msg-myth-versus-science/

...but...but...Thaivisa members are different!...and science doesn't matter.

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Ah, but I have a problem for you. The restaurant selected for best Thai food in Bangkok, Nahm, was founded by David Thompson. a farang. I guess Thais can't even do Thai food right.

 

https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/people/5-questions-with-chef-david-thompson-on-life-after-nahm

Ok, he got one Michelin star, that's great but it doesn't make his version of it "the best Thai food in Bangkok", unless Michelin sampled them all, of course.

[jak2002003]

 

22 hours ago, seajae said:

not good for those of us with an allergy to msg, I get violently ill if there is msg in food especially lots of it. They only use to to cover up old ingredients as fresh ones do not need it, where we buy ours they dont add msg because they use fresh ingredients

None of you have a allergy to MSG.  It's in your head.  It's also not about covering up bad quality food.  It's the same as adding salt.  They use it in very good quality foods too.  Do many people have an allergy to salt?  

 

13 hours ago, EricTh said:

it's a neurotoxin poison.

 

 

LOL.  Where did you come up with that one?  

13 hours ago, EricTh said:

Debunked by those manufacturers of Ajinomoto and their sellers.

 

I and some of my friends get severe migraine after taking MSG so how can that be a myth?

 

Funny how you have so many friends who get severe migraine after MSG.  I have many friends and don't know anybody who does.  How exactly have they traced their migraine trigger to the MSG.. how many hours, when by after eating it... or did they suddenly get the headaches on the last mouthful of MSG food?  You know its very hard to identify triggers for migraines right?  Most suffers have no idea what causes them.   I have migraines too... and MSG does not cause me to get a migraine attack.  

 

From your posts you clearly have an agenda.. and you won't even consider the scientific evidence presented to you, so I am sure you won't change you mind or have even the slightest doubt about MGC being toxic and so harmful.  

 

[Genmai]

14 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Don't spoil their Thai-bashing fun!  They need it to feel superior, leave them alone!

It's nothing to do with superiority and everything to do with personal choice. I don't care whether MSG is good or bad for you. The point is that I don't want it in my food.

 

Imagine you come to my restaurant. Do you have a dietary preference? Because I can find you papers debunking/proving every dietary choice under the sun. Pro vegan, anti vegan, pro carnivore, anti carnivore, you name it there's a paper for and against it. Would it be fair for me to disregard your choice because it is there for reasons of superiority? No.

 

In regards to MSG specifically - I don't want it in my food purely for the reason that it's a mark of bad cooking and poor ingredients! 

 

 

[Just Weird]

13 hours ago, EricTh said:

Debunked by those manufacturers of Ajinomoto and their sellers.

 

I and some of my friends get severe migraine after taking MSG so how can that be a myth?

 

"Debunked by those manufacturers of Ajinomoto and their sellers".

No, debunked by scientific studies".

 

https://www.livestrong.com/article/495019-monosodium-glutamate-benefits/

"Chinese food syndrome" was first noted in 1968, when the MSG used in Chinese food in American restaurants was blamed for symptoms such as profuse sweating, headaches, flushing, chest pain, dizziness, numbness in the face and neck and weakness. MedlinePlus states that numerous clinical studies have yet to conclusively tie the consumption of monosodium glutamate to these symptoms. Your body responds to glutamates in the same way, regardless if you consume MSG or eat foods with glutamates, such as mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese, states the IFICF.

 

MSG has hundreds of studies to support its safety, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation. Some of the following governmental authorities and other organizations have deemed MSG safe to use as a food additive: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the National Academy of Sciences; the European Community's Scientific Committee for Food; and the American Medical Association. Monosodium glutamate is not an allergen. The IFICF points out that most Americans get more glutamates from the foods they eat than they do MSG, consuming roughly 11 g natural glutamates to 1 g glutamates from MSG, per day.

 

"I and some of my friends get severe migraine after taking MSG so how can that be a myth?"

Unless you're "taking" MSG on it's own (but why would you?) maybe it's something else that's causing "you and your friends to get severe migraines",  (not just ordinary migraines, of course,  which if you really suffer from you'd know that migraines are severe by definition).

[Just Weird]

14 hours ago, EricTh said:

Google MSG poisoning.

Google 'MSG health benefits' while you're at it, just to keep the discussion fair and balanced.

[Mavideol]

17 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Then just move out of the city.????

why did you assume I live in a city... by any chance could you be wrong, guess what, you are.

[monkfish]

38 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

 

None of you have a allergy to MSG.  It's in your head.  It's also not about covering up bad quality food.  It's the same as adding salt.  They use it in very good quality foods too.  Do many people have an allergy to salt?  

 

LOL.  Where did you come up with that one?  

Funny how you have so many friends who get severe migraine after MSG.  I have many friends and don't know anybody who does.  How exactly have they traced their migraine trigger to the MSG.. how many hours, when by after eating it... or did they suddenly get the headaches on the last mouthful of MSG food?  You know its very hard to identify triggers for migraines right?  Most suffers have no idea what causes them.   I have migraines too... and MSG does not cause me to get a migraine attack.  

 

From your posts you clearly have an agenda.. and you won't even consider the scientific evidence presented to you, so I am sure you won't change you mind or have even the slightest doubt about MGC being toxic and so harmful.  

 

Well it effects me so maybe i'm just imagining it.
In small amount is't should be Ok but i've seen Thais put a couple of table spoonfuls in a 1 portion of Sumtam

Most Thais grow up consuming it and can't eat food without it.
What scientific evidence a couple of blog posts?

 

Quote

These toxic effects include CNS disorder, obesity, disruptions in adipose tissue physiology, hepatic damage, CRS and reproductive malfunctions. These threats might have hitherto been underestimated. In the meantime, people keep using ever larger amounts of MSG unaware of the possible consequences.

 

[Just Weird]

11 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

I'm not a specialist but why is the stuff forbidden in Europe? There are milligrammes in certain spice mixtures - that's it! 

"...why is the stuff forbidden in Europe?"

MSG is not "forbidden" in Europe.

[Just Weird]

4 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Like I have said many times, a lot of these 'studies' are paid by Ajinomoto and their distributors. MSG is big business for them so they don't want to lose their profit.

If you said so, many times, it must be true; which are the studies paid for by Ajinomoto that you know of?

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Proper umami comes from ingredients, not from a bottle. MSG is for those without talent and lazy.

You mean ingredients like salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, coconut milk, etc. that come in bottles?

[Percy P]

22 hours ago, drbeach said:

Well then Thais have no taste. If you have to use MSG to enhance the flavor of what you're making then you must be a terrible chef.

 

One can season food plenty with nam pla or even just good ol salt and pepper.

But by adding salt,pepper you are adding to the taste no different to adding MSG and salt is a killer.To much damages the kidneys, also can give you high blood pressure. 

if I get stomach upset ,half a tea spoon of SMG in half a glass of  warm water and the stomach upset gos as I drink it . Try it.

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

You mean ingredients like salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, coconut milk, etc. that come in bottles?

No, I mean like liquid smoke, artificial coloring, etc. Fakes.

[tifino]

I think that what gets attention; is that MSG is on a package's list of...,  in the stealthy fineprint!

 

 - if it is Not bad, then why semi-conceal it's presence?

 

 

Why cannot food labelling akin, say, for hypothetical example Salted Calamari,

be just as equally reflected with a respective MSG'ed  Calamari?? if that is what the resultant flavour is? 

 

If it looks like a duck... stand by your product

 

 

 

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, Just Weird said:

If you said so, many times, it must be true; which are the studies paid for by Ajinomoto that you know of?

It's obvious you didn't google and even read even one article. There are also many videos on this which would be easier than reading the articles. Start with the video below.

 

 

You can argue/communicate with the video producers if you want. I don't have any time to argue with you anymore so this is my last post with you, I only believe what I and my friends feel after taking MSG.

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, tifino said:

I think that what gets attention; is that MSG is on a package's list of...,  in the stealthy fineprint!

 

 - if it is Not bad, then why semi-conceal it's presence?

 

 

Why cannot food labelling akin, say, for hypothetical example Salted Calamari,

be just as equally reflected with a respective MSG'ed  Calamari?? if that is what the resultant flavour is? 

If it looks like a duck... stand by your product

 

Many are concealed in very small print or just numbers like E621. It's to confuse readers in order to consume their products.

 

If the product is so 'healthy', they wouldn't need to hide it under so many labels.

 

Watch video above, it's very informative. There're lots of other videos by the way...

[Myran]

"MSG allergy" can be filed under the same category as "electromagnetic hypersensitivity".

 

Yes, people who "suffer" from it actually experience symptoms, but not because they're actually sensitive to the perceived causes, but because of the placebo effect. Double-blind tests have proven that these people can't actually tell when they're being subjected to MSG or electromagnetism.

 

Yes, really high doses of MSG can be bad for your health, but so can literally anything – "dosage makes the poison". 

[drbeach]

4 hours ago, Percy P said:

But by adding salt,pepper you are adding to the taste no different to adding MSG and salt is a killer.To much damages the kidneys, also can give you high blood pressure. 

if I get stomach upset ,half a tea spoon of SMG in half a glass of  warm water and the stomach upset gos as I drink it . Try it.

MSG isn't good for you either. No one said dump half a bucket of salt. One teaspoon or less is enough. Hardly enough to cause any problems. Or you can leave out the salt and use nam pla since that stuff is already full of salt.

 

Again, no real chef uses MSG. Period. Anything with MSG in it isn't worth eating. No fine dining or respectable restaurant in the world uses the stuff.

[Myran]

1 hour ago, drbeach said:

MSG isn't good for you either. No one said dump half a bucket of salt. One teaspoon or less is enough. Hardly enough to cause any problems. Or you can leave out the salt and use nam pla since that stuff is already full of salt.

 

Again, no real chef uses MSG. Period. Anything with MSG in it isn't worth eating. No fine dining or respectable restaurant in the world uses the stuff.

No one said dump half a bucket of MSG either, one teaspoon or less is enough, which also isn't enough to cause any problems.

 

Plenty of chefs use MSG, they just don't advertise it as it doesn't matter. As a waiter and bartender with three years of restaurant education and several years of working in the industry behind me, including in fine dining, I know what I'm talking about.

 

You just don't know about it because you wouldn't in your life be able to tell the difference unless you had two identical dishes, except for MSG, in front of you to compare.

[fxe1200]

On 9/3/2019 at 4:23 PM, PremiumLane said:

You lot do know that the MSG myth has been debunked, right?

 

https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/msg-myth-versus-science/

https://www.livescience.com/47931-msg-not-safe-for-everyone.html

 

"The moral of the story is simple: Blanket statements like "MSG isn't bad for you" are misguided — they give a false perception of safety to a compound that not everyone should be consuming."

 

 

[Naam]

6 hours ago, Just Weird said:

17 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

I'm not a specialist but why is the stuff forbidden in Europe? There are milligrammes in certain spice mixtures - that's it! 

"...why is the stuff forbidden in Europe?"

MSG is not "forbidden" in Europe.

of course not. i get mine from Germany and enjoy the result in food preparation.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromat

[Sydebolle]

4 hours ago, Naam said:

of course not. i get mine from Germany and enjoy the result in food preparation.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromat

Aromat is a Swiss invention and consists of "iodised salt, flavour enhancer (monosodium glutamate), lactose, wheat starch, yeast extract, onions (3%), palm fat, sunflower oil, salt, anti-caking agent (calcium silicate), spices (garlic powder, turmeric, celery seeds, cloves), mushroom powder, bay leaves powder". 

I clearly stated "There are milligrammes in certain spice mixtures - that's it!"

The clip in question refers to plain, pure MSG in 500 grammes packagings thrown into Somtam. Too much of the stuff results in being quite thirsty after the meal. In Europe they mix a small percentage into herbs and spice mix powders; here you can buy it in 25kgs bags in i.e. Makro. 

You cannot buy it in pure form in such quantities for health reasons (except Asian shops, where it is marketed by, among others, Ajinomoto). 

[Naam]

8 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

I clearly stated "There are milligrammes in certain spice mixtures - that's it!"

sorry, you statement is no proof. Knorr does not publish the percentages of individual ingredients.

[ben2talk]

22 hours ago, Percy P said:

But by adding salt,pepper you are adding to the taste no different to adding MSG and salt is a killer.To much damages the kidneys, also can give you high blood pressure.

if I get stomach upset ,half a tea spoon of SMG in half a glass of warm water and the stomach upset gos as I drink it . Try it.

Actually adding salt and pepper ARE different to adding MSG.

I find that for my sauces, a half teaspoon of MSG and about half the salt I'd use before give a pretty different, and better flavour, when I'm cooking up sauce for my freezer.

 

I generally use half a teaspoon of msg for a batch which is enough for 12 dinners.

 

When I was smoking (up to last year) sometimes I'd get complaints my cooking was too salty - msg helped me cut down then, and I cut down even more on salt in the last year after quitting.

[Sydebolle]

4 hours ago, Naam said:

sorry, you statement is no proof. Knorr does not publish the percentages of individual ingredients.

I am sorry too, I was in the Knorr factory in Thayngen, Switzerland on a factory tour years ago where they made this statement - your call! 

[Just Weird]

21 hours ago, DrTuner said:

No, I mean like liquid smoke, artificial coloring, etc. Fakes.

Umami doesn't come from food colouring as it is tasteless and umami is a taste. 

 

What do Thais use "liquid smoke" for?