So maybe the huge worry people had after the news that WHO would classify it as cancerous was a little too much. I think the media could have reported on it in a bit more responsible way.

  • Woland@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    About the MSG hysteria, it’s not even rooted in actual medical data, just run-of-the-mill xenophobia, which in itself is absolutely wild to me. It’s like a whole chunk of the population collectively decided to develop the palate of a toddler, turning up their nose to “foreign” food.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate “Researchers, doctors, and activists have tied the controversy about MSG to xenophobia and racism against Chinese culture,[62][63][64][65][66] saying that East Asian cuisine is being targeted while the widespread use of MSG in other processed food hasn’t been stigmatized.[67] These activists have claimed that the perpetuation of the negative image of MSG through the Chinese restaurant syndrome was caused by “xenophobic” or “racist” biases.[68][69]”

    • Kinglink@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I didn’t dive deep on MSG just to not sound like I’m ranting about that specifically but you nailed it. It was more about Chinese restaurants (at least that’s how I heard it) and I remember my parents saying we don’t go to Chinese restaurants during the hysteria.

      Sucks because I love Chinese food, and Thai, Korean, Japanese and more.

    • gundog48@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not exclusively though. For many the fact that there a scary sounding chemical called MSG in their food is enough. Lots of people are obsessive about ‘additives’ and assume they are all bad.

    • else@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Perhaps, but I’ve seen prejudice against MSG in many Asian American families including those of Chinese descent. Anecdotally, it’s more than xenophobia at play for its reputation.