Sunday, April 1, 2012

Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (中國餐館症候群)

Some westerners worry about Chinese restaurant syndrome ( known in Chinese as 中國餐館症候群) which is supposedly caused by MSG in their food. If you go to a restaurant with Americans or other westerners, remember that some people are allergic to certain foods. If they tell you about an allergy, this can be very serious. Pay attention! MSG probably doesn't make people sick, but be sure to ask your guests if MSG bothers them. If so, tell the staff to not use any.

Personally, I don't like to eat food with MSG. I feel that only lazy cooks use this to make bad food taste better. Smart cooks know how to make food taste good without adding MSG. What do you think? Does MSG bother you? Do you put MSG in your food?

10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I used to eat dish with adding MSG by my mom cooked when I was a child. But it was depend unknowing people said that the MSG will harm our health. Now, I don't have MSG in my food although I am not allergic to it

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  2. I think I eat MSG everyday. I never cook by myself, so, I think every food be sold have add MSG, thank god, I still live. but if I can, I rather eat without MSG. maybe I'll live more long time.

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  3. I think I don’t afraid of MSG because too many negative news about food, like pesticide residues, heavy metal pollution, growth hormone, Foot-and-mouth disease, birds flu, Mad cow disease, Beta-adrenergic agonist(瘦肉精) and so on. So I don’t care. Maybe everyone eat a lot of them unconsciously. You can’t make every food by yourself, so just eat. In fact, my mother still uses it to cook every day. If it could be choose, I would prefer to eat every delicious food better than live to one hundred years. (Perhaps I might have died in an accident not by eat these foods)

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  4. I know MSG will harm our health but I think in Taiwan a lot of people eat MSG beacuse MSG just like salts.
    maybe now some people change to don't eat MSG because MSG they will mark some people allergic.
    In my family my mother cooking her usually use MSG for every kind food, so I don't care of MSG.

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  5. We have not used MSG in our family for a long time. since we knew how the defects it is. But, on the weekend we have a lot chance to eat outside. It is not easy to avoid it. Sometimes, I will express my feeling, and asking them no to add MSG in our meals.
    Few years ago, My wife and I had noodles for our lunch buying from outside. Both of us felt very uncomfortable. like:
    palpitations and thirsty . since then, we paid more attention on it.

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  6. I cook are rarely put MSG, because the family does not like to have salt, drink plenty of water can drain the body of the MSG.

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  7. My home cook does not put MSG, soy sauce with salt, so that the body will be better

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  8. My home cook use a little MSG, it can make the food delicious. So I can eat a little MSG.

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  9. I think that MSG is unavoidable especially having food outside. Most of chefs add MSG in the dish even it is unhealthy, because it taste savory. After havin that disk, people always feel too thirsty to buy some drink sell in the restaurant. The boss makes money more faster.

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