MSG - "Poisoning" chain letter meme

[Boerseun]

Seems we not only detect sweet, sour, salt and bitter, but we have receptors for a fifth flavour, called "umami".

 

This receptor picks up glutamates, and monosodium glutamate is added to food to tickle this particular tastebud.

 

This "taste" was proposed in 1908 and the existence of the receptors were confirmed in 2000.

 

This is not a Japanese phenomenon or anything strange, lobster meat, crabs, shrimp, parmesan cheese etc. are all rolling in MSG, though nothing more than the naturally occurring levels - reactions to Japanese food may be due to too much added MSG. If you use Soy sauce in cooking, it's because your body craves MSG.

 

It's as natural as water. But, like water, if you consume too much of it, you will probably die - or be very uncomfortable, in the very least.

 

MSG is not evil, though - the Japanese add it to their food because we've got receptors for it and crave it. They merely identified it and slapped a label on it.

[Michaelangelica]

Seems we not only detect sweet, sour, salt and bitter, but we have receptors for a fifth flavour, called "umami".

 

This receptor picks up glutamates, and monosodium glutamate is added to food to tickle this particular tastebud.

 

This "taste" was proposed in 1908 and the existence of the receptors were confirmed in 2000.

I cannot taste MSG.

The concept of umani is foreign to me, yet i am allergic to MSG in high doses or when my immune system is 'down" or overloaded(?).

 

This is not a Japanese phenomenon or anything strange

,

The Japanese seem to handle it OK. Is their a genetic factor here?

[Boerseun]

I cannot taste MSG.

The concept of umani is foreign to me, yet i am allergic to MSG in high doses or when my immune system is 'down" or overloaded(?).

Pretty strange on this side, too. I've been reading up on this "umami" taste, and everything they say tastes "umami" simply taste salty to me. I want some clean MSG (powder?) so I can taste for myself what they mean by it. I think that MSG (or any other glutamate, for that matter) is perfectly natural and occurs in most savory foods, but the Japanese probably add too much of it to increase "umami".

The Japanese seem to handle it OK. Is their a genetic factor here?

I don't think so. I think they're just used to it. I also don't think the obesity it supposedly causes according to the chain letter is true, because the Japanese have a much lower obesity rate than the US, and they should be consuming a lot more MSG than the average Yank. I think the killer in the 'States is the Fast Food culture, where deep-frying is an institution.