A Good Restaurant



My definition of a good restaurant is one in which I can eat. Where I can eat is determined by one simple factor, whether or not the establishment uses monosodium glutamate, better known by its acronym, MSG.

I have always considered myself a pretty adventuresome eater. I’ve sampled things most people would never even consider putting in their mouths. Alligator, snake and countless varieties of fish and fowl has crossed my lips, as has just about every type of what is usually termed game meat.

If it had skin, feathers, scales or even an exoskeleton, I’ve probably tried it. I do, however, draw the line at insects. I have never intentionally or knowingly consumed an insect, except for the one that flew in my mouth and down my throat while on one of my only motorcycle rides.

Growing up and going to college in Chicago meant I could sample the delicacies of just about any cuisine. While I did have favorite places to go, I was always on the lookout for the new place, somewhere I’d never been.

I quickly learned the little hole-in-the-wall place, the family owned and operated ethnic restaurants usually were the best. These were places where the recipes were from grandma, and she was often still the cook. As a result I can say that at least my taste buds have travelled the world, from Ethiopia to the Ukraine, from Patagonia to Cambodia, as well as nearly every region of these United States.

About 10 years ago, I suddenly developed a food allergy. It hit me in the stereotypical way, at a Chinese restaurant. I was no more than a few bites into my main course, when I got a sudden, pounding headache. Looking up from my plate, it seemed the lights in the place suddenly blossomed with an aurora, and I was having a hard time focusing on my dining companions.

I’m not sure why I had the insight to ask the hostess if they used MSG, but I made the intuitive leap. Needless to say, we left without finishing my meal. As a thinking person, I figured if I were having an allergic reaction, I needed to get an antihistamine as soon as possible. I wanted to go to the closest drug store, my husband wanted to go to the ER. The compromise was to call my doctor. He sided with my husband.

In the minutes it took to get to the ER, I progressed from feeling strange to full blown anaphylactic shock. I could see that my hands and fingers were swelling, but was initially unaware of the most alarming sign. My lips, face and tongue were also swelling.

This last symptom probably accounted for the speed in which I was ushered into an exam room, where I was immediately hooked to an IV. I remember hearing the words “Benadryl, steroids, blood ox and airway”. The next thing I remember is waking up to the worried face of my husband.

Sadly, that is not the only time I have had what appears to be a garden hose in my vein, pumping me full of drugs to reverse the effects of consuming MSG. After that first reaction, I was diligent about checking the ingredient list of anything that went in my mouth. Before going out for a meal, I would either check online, in the case of a chain restaurant, or call ahead and ask what my family has come to call “The Question”: Do you use MSG?

As is often the case in life, mistakes happen. I had asked and was assured by the cook himself that he personally read the ingredient list of the item in question. Once again, before I had finished my plate, I started to feel funny and watched as my fingers begin to swell. As we were frantically collecting ourselves for the dash to the car and the hospital, the cook apologized. He had checked the meatball ingredient list, but not the gravy. Oops.

To this day, I marvel at my husband’s self-control. The manager was of course alerted to the commotion, and actually asked, “How long do you have?” as he looked at my swelling lips. My husband’s focus was getting me to the car as soon as possible, where I had a stash of Benadryl, which "should" hold off the worst of the symptoms until I could get to the ER.

Since that episode, I carry epinephrine injections at all times. I really believe if the situation weren’t so urgent, if he had not been so concerned with getting me medical help, I would have been bailing my husband out of jail for assault.

There is a lot of controversy about the validity of what is inaccurately termed “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” There are those who maintain it simply does not exist. My answer to that is, “Want to see my hospital bills?”

When your life may be at stake, one tends to become educated about that which may kill you. In this day and age, that means starting with the Internet. The very first thing I learned was that I was far from alone, but mine was at the extreme end of the spectrum of possible reactions.

The second thing I learned was that while there is a lot of controversy about the validity of the existence of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” the FDA has ruled that MSG is considered “generally safe,” it is required to be listed in the ingredients if it is present.

That seems to me like an interesting contradiction. If the substance was safe, then why is it required to be listed? But the fact that it is federal law to list it has made my life much easier.

The sum of what I learned about MSG is this:

It is not considered a food, therefore, not technically classifiable as a food allergen; it is a flavor enhancer, akin to a spice yet not classified as a spice either. It is a food additive. It is actually a neuro-excitor, or neurotoxin.

Though it has been around for about 100 years, exactly how it works is still being studied. The easiest way to explain what it does is to say it excites the nervous system, amplifying the receptors in the body. In other words, it makes things taste "more."

In the digestive tract, it makes the nerves sense there is more food there than actually is, hence the old joke about being hungry again three hours after eating Chinese food.

There is a lot of research and heated controversy about that research on how bad MSG really is, or if it is actually bad at all. There is good science behind the claims that MSG is responsible for an entire host of ailments, symptoms and syndromes. It is blamed for everything from autism to Alzheimer's, obesity to Parkinson’s, if not as a causal agent, than as a contributing factor in aggravating symptoms, which the MSG industry hotly refutes.

The only thing that is undisputed is that it is not good for anyone. The industry that produces and promotes MSG does take issue with that fact, saying that while it may not be good for you, it isn’t bad either. The FDA does states that approximately 30 percent of the population may have adverse reactions to consuming MSG, though they qualify that statement with citations of ongoing research, controversy, etc., etc.

While the controversies rage and continuing research is challenged, the use of MSG is thankfully on the decline. Ten years ago, I could recite the short list of items I could safely eat. I knew by heart which brands of salad dressing, which varieties of snack chips, and which soup bases to buy at the grocery store.

I was amazed and dismayed to find it was in more foods than I could imagine. Of course, a couple of my favorites were off limits and as is always the case, I craved those things above all else. When looking for a snack, I've never had much of a sweet tooth, always  preferring the salty and the savory. While I’m sure it is possible, I’ve never seen MSG in ice cream, but I’ve yet to find anything nacho cheese-flavored without it.

Once upon a time, soup was my favorite food. I would happily order a bowl as my main course. Now, it is a rare treat to find a restaurant that is not a chain or franchise that makes soup with a base or bouillon that does not contain MSG.

The simple fact is that restaurant suppliers charge more for soup bases, marinades, seasoning mixes and bouillons that do not contain MSG. Smaller eateries need to economize wherever they can, and sadly end up buying these lower cost supplies that contain MSG, thus removing those establishments from the list of places we patronize.

In the past, it was those small, family owned places that had the varieties and flavors of soup I loved the best. I don’t remember the last time I had sweet and sour cabbage, split pea or navy bean soup that I didn’t spend all day creating in my kitchen.

The sum effect is we rarely go to local restaurants. Now, if we do try that new place in town it is with great reservations, pardon the pun. I have to search the menu for items that are likely not to be created with any type of gravy or marinating, or trust that the staff isn’t going to make a mistake. The next reaction I have could well be my last, as allergic reactions tend to grow more severe with repeated exposure to the offending substance.

The restaurant business is notoriously tough. One in four new ventures closes in the first year. I have often said that if a local restaurant chooses to be MSG-free, and advertises that fact, they will have a loyal and constant customer base.  

Now that there are several places in town available for a new restaurant, I can only hope there will be one of them I can patronize.