weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Matthew P. Wiener) (02/14/86)
In article <242@imagen.UUCP> jay@imagen.UUCP (Jay Jaeckel) writes: > Similar question: Does anyone know anything about how widespread the >use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) REALLY is? > I've heard it said that restaurants using this must post a notice to >this effect. I don't know if that's a Federal law or a state law in >California or elsewhere (or just a bogus rumor). In any case, I've never >seen such a notice on the menu or in the window or elsewhere at any >restaurant -- including Chinese restaurants, which are allegedly the >biggest users of MSG. (Anyone know if this is true?) > Occasionally I ask a server if MSG is used. They never know. Most(?) Chinese restaurants will prepare the food without MSG if asked. The waiters usually give you a strange look, though. I'll never forget the one time when the food came, all my friends were given their dinner, and I was given an empty bowl! The waiter said, "One bowl, no MSG." My real food came a minute later. As a connoisseur of great humor, I was overjoyed and left a big tip. ucbvax!brahms!weemba Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720
mikel@cory.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike Liang) (02/14/86)
I'm just wondering, what's so bad about MSG? Mike
weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Matthew P. Wiener) (02/14/86)
>I'm just wondering, what's so bad about MSG?
What does it matter? I hate all condiments, from ketchup to
salt to mayo etc., with a *few* exceptions. No doubt they all
cause cancer in massive overdoses in mice, but so what?
ucbvax!brahms!weemba Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720d@alice.UucP (Daniel Rosenberg) (02/15/86)
If, in a Chinese restaurant, you would like to have your food prepared
without MSG, try this (Mandarin dialect)
bu yao fong wai djing
(Don't flame for innacuracies; I got this from a Chinese friend.)
--
############################################################################
# Daniel Rosenberg / Bell Labs / Murray Hill / I disclaim.
# {ihnp4;allegra;research}!alice!d || {ihnp4;allegra;research}!charm!danmo@well.UUCP (Maurice Weitman) (02/16/86)
In article <242@imagen.UUCP> jay@imagen.UUCP (Jay Jaeckel) writes: > Similar question: Does anyone know anything about how widespread the >use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) REALLY is? (etc.) Actually, most Chinese restaurants do use m.s.g., and will, with varying degrees of conscientiousness, omit it on request. Be aware, however, that most sauces, soups and some other dishes which are prepared in advance, will contain the nasty stuff no matter what your request. This is also true of many other restaurants' salad dressings and soup stocks which are not made fresh by them, but are bought in bulk from food processors. -- Maurice Weitman 9600 ..!{hplabs,lll-crg,ptsfa,glacier}!well!mo | 57600 (415)549-0280 voice (415)549-0388 modem-2400 this^is not 300 mcimail mweitman source bdk788 a pipe 110 P. O. Box 10019 Berkeley, CA 94709
chai@utflis.UUCP (02/17/86)
In article <4981@alice.uUCp> d@alice.UucP (Daniel Rosenberg) writes: >If, in a Chinese restaurant, you would like to have your food prepared >without MSG, try this (Mandarin dialect) > >bu yao fong wai djing OK, that's quite correct, but I'd rather spell it : boo yao fong way djeeng. I'd hesitate to post the Cantonese equilvalent, since with the wrong pitches it's likely to sound unintelligible, but here goes: bud yew fong may jing. (the "may" must have a low pitch) But the best bet is to say it in English! [Incidentally, wai/may = taste; djeeng/jing = essence] -- Henry Chai ( guest on suran@utcsri ) {watmath,ihnp4,allegra}!utcsri!utflis!chai chai%utflis@TORONTO
jeffw@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) (02/19/86)
In article <4981@alice.uUCp> d@alice.UucP (Daniel Rosenberg) writes: >If, in a Chinese restaurant, you would like to have your food prepared >without MSG, try this (Mandarin dialect) > >bu yao fong wai djing > Yeah, but if you use the wrong inflections, they'll look disgusted and throw you out. How would you like it if someone called your pet lemur a...oh, never mind. :-) Jeff Winslow
joe@oucs.UUCP (Joseph Judge) (02/20/86)
> In article <4981@alice.uUCp> d@alice.UucP (Daniel Rosenberg) writes: > >If, in a Chinese restaurant, you would like to have your food prepared > >without MSG, try this (Mandarin dialect) > > > >bu yao fong wai djing It's not too polite just to say, "Don't want ..." You might want to say, "Please, I don't want ..." by saying: Qing, wo bu yao fong wai jing Qing sounds like 'ching' yao like 'yow', wai like 'why' . and please remember that: bu is usually falling but in front of yao (also falling intonation) the bu (falling) changes to a bu (rising). zai jian, Tongzhi Joseph "See! it's a usefull language" Judge -- Joseph Judge 414 Morton Hall Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701 {amc1,bgsuvax,cbdkc1,cbosgd,cuuxb,osu-eddie}!oucs!joe