Ask for no MSG the next time you go out for dinner...

[HauptmannUK]

Problem in Thai cooking is the sheer amount of MSG added, and salt too. All the sauces have it and 'Rot Dee' powder is about 30% MSG, and then they add the Ajinomoto itself. A friend of my wife's cooks with huge amounts of MSG and after eating a 'cloying' taste remains in the mouth. A lot of Thais also like high levels of salt. My wife likes salt in food to the point it burns my lips.....

[impulse]

As a processed food, I look at MSG a lot like beer or wine.

There are hundreds of brands, and dozens of ways they're made.

Some people can drink beer and wine and not be much affected. Others can't.

Some brands of beer and wine are infamous for their hangovers. Other brands, not so much.

It's said that tens (perhaps hundreds) of billions of $$ of packaged food would be impossible to sell if it weren't for the effects of MSG- they would be bland and tasteless and unmarketable.

Funny how that kind of money can steer the science. And I recall all the science lining up behind the safety of cigarette smoking- for decades, if not centuries. Then, it didn't.

Edited June 16, 2016 by impulse

[jak2002003]

Having an allergy for MSG... mostly the allergy is actually an overdose of MSG. So having a little in sauce and other foods is not going to cause a reaction.. only having large amounts scooped into food will cause a problem.

[seajae]

If it is in small quantities its fine but if they add heaps I personally find that I become extremely thirsty and it doesnt go away for many hours. It gets that bad at night I cant sleep and spend the night guzzling water, seems that many people get a similar reaction, luckily it isnt a bad one but some people are extremely allergic to it(same as those that cant eat nuts etc). MSG is a flavour enhancer which means it is used to mask the true taste and the more the ingredients are not good the more msg is used. If quality ingredients are used and the person cooking is good at it they only ever need a small amount if at all as the natural taste is fine without adding it, other herbs/spices can give the food a better taste in any case without the side effects. It boils down as to what the person eating the food wants, msg usage in Australia is very limited and by law it has to be stated if it is in use along with any other ingredients that can cause possible allergic reactions, here no one really cares.

[bitcoinforever]

everything you need to know about MSG , do not eat it

http://www.foodrenegade.com/msg-dangerous-science/

[DrTuner]

If quality ingredients are used and the person cooking is good at it they only ever need a small amount if at all as the natural taste is fine without adding it, other herbs/spices can give the food a better taste in any case without the side effects.

Indeed. This is the reason for the overdoses of MSG being served here, very few can cook properly so they mask it by overloading the senses with umami, which the locals seem nothing short of being addicted to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami , especially

Like other basic tastes, umami is pleasant only within a relatively narrow concentration range.^[23] The optimum umami taste depends also on the amount of salt, and at the same time, low-salt foods can maintain a satisfactory taste with the appropriate amount of umami.^[26] In fact, Roininen et al. showed that ratings on pleasantness, taste intensity and ideal saltiness of low-salt soups were greater when the soup contained umami, whereas low-salt soups without umami were less pleasant.^[27]

You might also notice the locals dumping all the other condiments in full into their soups, further pressing the taste of the ingredients into the background. You have to, as the umami taste is otherwise way too overpowering. It's a true pity, as Thai food prepared with care can be amazingly complex and delicious.

Here's a tale of woe about it: https://dontcallmeafoodblogger.com/2012/04/25/umami-overload/

Edited June 17, 2016 by DrTuner

[farang000999]

This thread is hilarious. I like how the doctor was able to tell you the next day you had msg poisoning. Very scientific.

Just tell the chef, no knorr no soy sauce no oyster sause no msg next time before ordering.

There are zero scientific studies that have proven msg causes reaction when measured against a placebo.

that means if I give you something to eat and tell you it has msg you will freak out and have a headache even though msg is not actually present but if I give you something with msg and tell you it is not there you will be fine.

It is all in your head.

This is not new. Studies show that people think a $10 bottle of wine tastes better when you put a $10,000 price tag on it.

[farang000999]

So you guys aren't allergic to the msg in soy sauce and other thai condiments... Only when it is added directly as white powder... Very scientific... Also not effected when eaten at kfc or McDonald's or in a bag of chips... Hmm...

[impulse]

This thread is hilarious. I like how the doctor was able to tell you the next day you had msg poisoning. Very scientific.

Just tell the chef, no knorr no soy sauce no oyster sause no msg next time before ordering.

There are zero scientific studies that have proven msg causes reaction when measured against a placebo.

that means if I give you something to eat and tell you it has msg you will freak out and have a headache even though msg is not actually present but if I give you something with msg and tell you it is not there you will be fine.

It is all in your head.

And back in the '50s, Mom seemed to think that smoking left her short of breath. But all the science back then told her she was wrong. I guess it was all in her head, too.

Sad thing is, she'd have probably lived longer and been much healthier had she listened to her body and not the bought-and-paid-for science.

Tell the chef to leave it out? As if they actually do what you ask when you're not looking. They know their offerings taste like crap without it, on account of the poor quality ingredients they have to use to keep their prices down to compete, so- guess what?

Edited June 18, 2016 by impulse

[tuktuktuk]

I love it

• if I eat too much salt I will die
• if I eat too much msg I will die
• if I eat too much sugar I will die
• if I drink too much coffee I will die
• if I drink too much water I will die
• if I eat too much meat I will die
• if I eat too much fish I will die
• if I drink too much alcohol I will die
• if I smoke too much I will die

my conclusion:

• I will die

[impulse]

my conclusion:

• I will die

The 2 questions you omit:

How long will I live and at what quality of life?

[grin]

MSG contains sodium although about one third as much as an equal amount of salt. If you need to limit the amount of sodium in your diet then theoretically you could substitute MSG for salt to reduce your intake.

My Thai doctor who was educated in Japan told me that there have been a number of studies in Japan about ingesting MSG over a long period of time. He said that so far the results are mixed and that further studies are being done but it is generally accepted that MSG intake affects both glucose intolerance and high blood pressure. He said that in Japan doctors advise their patients with type 2 diabetes or hypertension to limit their intake of both MSG and salt.

Grin

[farang000999]

It is just as dangerous as table salt.

[tuktuktuk]

<p>

my conclusion:

• I will die

The 2 questions you omit: How long will I live and at what quality of life?

Actually I didn't ask any questions, but I get your point. My point is that anything to excess seems to lead to trouble. A little MSG is probably OK.

[tartempion]

It does happen after some Thai food eatery that I can not sleep, have this dry and foul taste in my mouth. Yes confirms my wife, food we had was loaded with MSG.

[jak2002003]

Please listen to what I am saying.

People are very unlikely to have an adverse reaction the MGS in small amounts, such as found in soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc.

But they can have very real reactions if the person cooking the food piles the stuff in.

People can have allergies to anything.. from flower pollen to sunlight. So why do you think people can't be allergic to MSG? there are even cases of people being allergic to WATER on their skin!

[spidermike007]

There is nothing wrong with having dietary preferences. I ask for mai sai pan chulott all the time. They almost always get it (seems to be pronounced many different ways), and it is no big deal. I feel better without it. Many studies have come to the conclusion it is harmful. Some of us are more picky about the foods we put into our bodies, than others. Personally, I do not taste any difference, so why eat it? It is just more salt in the food, which I do not need anyway.

Why get down on a guy because he has food preferences? Who's life is it anyway? Eat as you please. I am not going to offer you any advice, nor criticize your actions.

Besides, what the FDA says has little to no relevance to my life. They are a lying, cheating governmental organization that will say or do anything if enough money or influence is at stake. I do not trust them one iota.

[Hardback]

I do not eat a lot of salt but every time we go to a Chinese restaurant or even Indian

the meat is soft I cook my meat for hours never get it like that so what is wrong whit it ?

Traditionally, Chinese cooks have used cornflour to soften or "velvet" meat for stir fries. It really does work. I'm not 100% sure that that is what is happening here - but the softening definitely doesn't come about due to MSG.

[SoiBiker]

There is nothing wrong with having dietary preferences. I ask for mai sai pan chulott all the time. They almost always get it (seems to be pronounced many different ways), and it is no big deal. I feel better without it. Many studies have come to the conclusion it is harmful. Some of us are more picky about the foods we put into our bodies, than others. Personally, I do not taste any difference, so why eat it? It is just more salt in the food, which I do not need anyway.

Why get down on a guy because he has food preferences? Who's life is it anyway? Eat as you please. I am not going to offer you any advice, nor criticize your actions.

Besides, what the FDA says has little to no relevance to my life. They are a lying, cheating governmental organization that will say or do anything if enough money or influence is at stake. I do not trust them one iota.

Ordering your food however you want it is fine. Starting a thread by telling other people how to order their food, however, is a dick move.

[spidermike007]

There is nothing wrong with having dietary preferences. I ask for mai sai pan chulott all the time. They almost always get it (seems to be pronounced many different ways), and it is no big deal. I feel better without it. Many studies have come to the conclusion it is harmful. Some of us are more picky about the foods we put into our bodies, than others. Personally, I do not taste any difference, so why eat it? It is just more salt in the food, which I do not need anyway.

Why get down on a guy because he has food preferences? Who's life is it anyway? Eat as you please. I am not going to offer you any advice, nor criticize your actions.

Besides, what the FDA says has little to no relevance to my life. They are a lying, cheating governmental organization that will say or do anything if enough money or influence is at stake. I do not trust them one iota.

Ordering your food however you want it is fine. Starting a thread by telling other people how to order their food, however, is a dick move.

I completely agree. Live and let live. Whatever your preferences are, keep them to yourself, unless asked. Otherwise, you are no better than a Mormon missionary, or a Jehovah's Witness. Who on earth needs people knocking on their doors, preaching the word of the Lord? What nonsense.

I always have a good line for these freaks. I tell them I am a believer. But, discussing the relationship I have with my creator is about as undignified as discussing making love to my wife. Why would I talk about something so personal, with someone I do not know, unless of course there was no relationship, and it was all just a house of cards.

Anyway, whether it be religion, diet, or any other passion, obsession, or preference, nobody needs, or wants to hear about it, unless they ask.

I have often noticed, that someone who is not particularly comfortable, and not all that secure with their newly found obsession, likes to talk about it to anyone who will listen. Once you practice for many years, there is no longer any need to tell the world about it.