3 ms·

There's not "nothing" wrong with MSG. But msg is fine in moderation, just like salt, fat and sugar are all fine in moderation too

by ChrisRR 6mo ago

tptacek 6mo ago
If there's anything wrong with MSG that isn't simply due to sodium intake, I think it's unknown to science (at least in the sense that there's no theory about it with any wide uptake). MSG is also intensively studied and has a very similar mechanistic story to aspartame.
- cyberax 6mo ago
  One thing that is "wrong" with MSG is that a lot of restaurants overuse it as a condiment. So you're paying money for a good food experience, but you're getting the taste equivalent of instant ramen noodles. I actually _like_ instant ramen noodles and MSG, and I use MSG when cooking. But it feels like cheating when fancy restaurants also use it.
  - TFNA 6mo ago
    > So you're paying money for a good food experience, but you're getting the taste equivalent of instant ramen noodles. Restaurants, even nicer ones, cut corners. This especially flared up in the news a couple of years ago when a posh UK restaurant served a cheese plate at a decently high price, where the label was still on the cheese and revealed it had come from an ordinary supermarket’s house brand. I’ve seen this personally, too. I ate sushi today at a sushi place where the menu said “crab sticks” were an ingredient of some rolls, but these were surely the imitation crab meat called surimi. Or another Asian place in my area is known for offering “duck” on the menu, but what you get is mock duck[0] wrapped around the meat, to make people think it’s the duck skin, but the meat itself is chicken. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_duck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_duck
SketchySeaBeast 6mo ago
Sure, but it feels like a silly distinction. The famous example is water, which fits those same criteria. Would we that that there's not "nothing" wrong with water?
- SketchySeaBeast 6mo ago
  *Would we say that there's not "nothing" wrong with water?
YeahThisIsMe 6mo ago
What's wrong with it?
- Cpoll 6mo ago
  It contributes to sodium intake, if you're watching out for that. Probably at about a third of table salt's sodium by mass, though. Might cause overeating too, because it's tasty. That's it.
  - YeahThisIsMe 6mo ago
    Tasty food will be my downfall.
FlamingMoe 6mo ago
And water

There's not "nothing" wrong with MSG. But msg is fine in moderation, just like salt, fat and sugar are all fine in moderation too

by ChrisRR 6mo ago

There's not "nothing" wrong with MSG. But msg is fine in moderation, just like salt, fat and sugar are all fine in moderation too

tptacek 6mo ago

If there's anything wrong with MSG that isn't simply due to sodium intake, I think it's unknown to science (at least in the sense that there's no theory about it with any wide uptake). MSG is also intensively studied and has a very similar mechanistic story to aspartame.

cyberax 6mo ago
One thing that is "wrong" with MSG is that a lot of restaurants overuse it as a condiment. So you're paying money for a good food experience, but you're getting the taste equivalent of instant ramen noodles. I actually _like_ instant ramen noodles and MSG, and I use MSG when cooking. But it feels like cheating when fancy restaurants also use it.
- TFNA 6mo ago
  > So you're paying money for a good food experience, but you're getting the taste equivalent of instant ramen noodles. Restaurants, even nicer ones, cut corners. This especially flared up in the news a couple of years ago when a posh UK restaurant served a cheese plate at a decently high price, where the label was still on the cheese and revealed it had come from an ordinary supermarket’s house brand. I’ve seen this personally, too. I ate sushi today at a sushi place where the menu said “crab sticks” were an ingredient of some rolls, but these were surely the imitation crab meat called surimi. Or another Asian place in my area is known for offering “duck” on the menu, but what you get is mock duck[0] wrapped around the meat, to make people think it’s the duck skin, but the meat itself is chicken. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_duck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_duck

SketchySeaBeast 6mo ago

Sure, but it feels like a silly distinction. The famous example is water, which fits those same criteria. Would we that that there's not "nothing" wrong with water?

SketchySeaBeast 6mo ago
*Would we say that there's not "nothing" wrong with water?

YeahThisIsMe 6mo ago

What's wrong with it?

Cpoll 6mo ago
It contributes to sodium intake, if you're watching out for that. Probably at about a third of table salt's sodium by mass, though. Might cause overeating too, because it's tasty. That's it.
- YeahThisIsMe 6mo ago
  Tasty food will be my downfall.

FlamingMoe 6mo ago

And water