By Jessie Yeung | 19 January 2020
CNN — If you’ve heard of the term “MSG,” you might have also heard of its common — but inaccurate — connotations.
For years, monosodium glutamate, a food additive known as MSG, has been branded as an unhealthy processed ingredient mainly found in Chinese food, despite a lack of supporting scientific evidence.
This perception, which activists argue is outdated and racist, is so widespread that the Merriam-Webster dictionary has an entry for the term “Chinese restaurant syndrome” — a type of condition that allegedly affects people eating “Chinese food heavily seasoned with monosodium glutamate,” with symptoms like dizziness and palpitations.
Now, activists have launched a campaign called “Redefine CRS.” Headed by Japanese food and seasoning company Ajinomoto, the online campaign urges Merriam-Webster to change its entry to reflect the scientific consensus on MSG — and the impact of misinformation on the American public’s perception of Asian cuisine. […]
Look up Excitotoxins (e.g., a book with that title from years ago) if you believe this crap about
how safe MSG is. (It has always given me and thousands more a headache when consumed in any significant amount.)
My first job, I was employed as a waitress at a Cantonese chinese restaurant. Owned and operated by chinese. They had 5 gallon cans of msg that would be heaped into their food by the spoonful as each dish was prepared. I can remember the owner getting very angry at me for not yelling out “no msg” on orders for those who requested it withheld.