[CLUE-Cert] Tuesday's meeting

[Lynn Danielson]

On Sun, 2003-01-05 at 23:25, Sean LeBlanc wrote:
> On 01-05 18:11, Lynn Danielson wrote:
> > I just got around to updating the web page for this week's
> > meeting.  As suggested by most of the group last time, we're
> > now back to meeting at Hoong's for a premeeting dinner.
> > 
> > 'Hope to see you all there,
> 
> Did you and/or Jef ever check out that Indian buffet? Not that I don't love
> Hoong's. 

Yeah.  It was ok, but kind of strange.  It really wasn't a buffet.
Everything is a la cart and it adds up.  I think that other Indian
buffets are a better deal, but none of them have buffets in the
evening.
 
> This is rather off-topic, but I've just heard that the latest big danger is
> that MSG over long periods can supposedly damage the retina? Did anyone else
> hear this? I was curious, so I did some Googling. This is a refutation, but
> who knows:
> 
> http://www.glutamate.org/media/news/refute.htm 

No, I hadn't heard.  Probably like the aluminum/alzheimer's thing.
Circumstantial evidence at best.  I seldom use msg in my own
cooking and I believe that most Asian restaurants have quit using
it.  I think the place you're most likely to run into it is canned
soups, pot pies, dehydrated food stock, etc.  But chances are they
are using a lot less of it there too.  While I haven't heard of
the supposed msg/retinal degeneration link, people have been 
complaining of sensitivity to msg causing heart palpitations and
other obnoxious side effects.  Most places have stopped using MSG
because of this. 

Personally, I don't believe that I suffer any side effects from
MSG.  Not anymore than I suffer from the effects of salt (NaCl).
When I add MSG I try to add it in a ratio of approximately one
part salt to every eight parts of table salt.  One of the things
I like about MSG is that it is such a powerful flavor enhancer
that it allows me to significantly reduce the amount of salt I
would use otherwise.

Fwiw -- Lynn