Food A We Know It...Dining Experiences in Manila - Part 1

Upon my return to Manila, Philippines, not only was I scared of so many stories of unresolved crimes everywhere, the danger we all know about - theft, kidnapping, car napping, being mugged even at broad daylight,   taking cabs especially at night, and more. And what I feared too was the weather being too hot; too humid, especially during summer as it becomes really unbearable-at least for me. Moreover, I was away for years, did not keep in touch with old mates, my family relocated to the US, and, found myself all alone. Then on my first day, I got ill with this unimaginable painful headache. I checked into the ER.

 I thought it was the extreme heat and pollution. Or the stress of it all. Little did I know that the culprit was...the food I ate!

Apparently, a former helper added something to her cooking. Something that is commonly used still in this country despite the danger it poses especially to people who are allergic to it, or hypersensitive to it. I never had this for years in the UK because I do not think this food additive is even allowed to be used over there for cooking. Nor ever had it again after my trip in Singapore sometime in early 2000 when I got so dizzy that I fainted right then and there after meal! And I discovered, I am allergic to MSG.

MSG, or also known as Monosodium Glutamate . 

What is MSG really? What are side effects to your body when you take in MSG in your food?  How do you know when you have ingested MSG?

I have found a very good website, http://www.truthinlabeling.org, that discusses about this food additive – what is it, what is it made of, and everything you need to know about it.  Let me quote them:

            “Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid.”

            “It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavour enhancer. It has the HS code 29224220 and the E number E621^[1]. Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ajinomoto, Vetsin, Accent and Tasting Powder. It was once made predominantly from wheat gluten, but is now made mostly from bacterial fermentation; it is acceptable for coeliacs following a gluten-free diet.^{[2][3][4][5]”}

One thing I have realized here in Manila is that most of the restaurants use MSG in their cooking. I have thought that my food was free of MSG because I do not use this Knorr Seasoning, or Vetsin (which the helper then used to add to our meals that caused me extreme headache!). I thought I was safe. But I was not aware that our food seasoning has added MSG but not labeled as such and disguised in various ways and added to frozen foods, spice mixes, canned and dry soups, salad dressings and meat or fish-based products. In some countries, like the Philippines, it is used as a table-top seasoning.

TO BE CONTINUED: WANT IT OR BIN IT...?