Monosodium Glutamate.
A popular ingredient that is commonly used in Chinese cuisine. I can vouch for this I am Chinese. One of the ways you can tell they used a lot of MSG if you are drinking a lot of water.
LIKE jugs and jugs of water. Like my body became a dessert and is desperate need of water.
I am not a big of fan of MSG, and is one of the reasons why I don’t like to dine at Chinese cuisines much.
But other than personal preference, are there any health benefits / draw backs to MSG?
I shall find out!
Benefits of MSG
- As a flavor enhancer, MSG encourages appetite – I don’t need no more things that encourages my appetite though!
- It serves an substitute to Salt – Okay that’s good, but isn’t it as bad as Salt?
Drawbacks of MSG
- MSG causes headaches, dry mouth and for more serious affects includes numbness and chest pains – that’s fucked!
- MSG has lead to overeating and as a result obesity – so basically point # 1 under Benefits should be deleted
- Studies have shown MSG raises blood pressure
The drawbacks of MSG seems to outweigh the benefits. The benefits are also not really “benefits” in my opinion, so I say a big “fuck you!” to MSG.
Living in Hong Kong, it’s hard to find a restaurant that does not serve MSG. And if you want to eat at an Asian restaurant then just forget about it!
So I was plenty surprised when this Taiwanese restaurant called Market Night that claimed they don’t use MSG!
Let’s see if the food here actually tastes good!
Food at night market:
- A non MSG Beef Noodles dish? Don’t mind if I try! Beef was good, however the soup base was too oily. Life Boss and I had stomach issues afterwards….so FAIL # 1!
- Vegetables. No MSG meant this tasted like the vegetables I have at home. Pretty good.
- The chicken dish. Quite flavorful, so much flavor that I started questioning whether MSG was added! Better not or else I would be pissed off!
- Fried vegetable rice. Nothing special really with this one….
- Dumplings because Life Boss and friend loves dumplings. It was so – so in my opinion. Had better dumplings in my life.
Although the food was not bad, the beef noodle fails causes me to not come back again. You are a Taiwanese restaurant! Your beef noodles should be your signature dish, should be blowing me away.
But blow away you did not.
Not having MSG is good, but when you use so much damn oil then it defeats the purpose!
Written from Hong Kong, Home on January 25, 2018
EAT SOME CHOI 