Every once in a while, one flavor (pun intended) or another of this little food nonsense, rears its ugly head in my direction. It did so recently on the Skepticality forums so I thought I would shed some light here for all interested.

Full disclosure: I am a professional chef, and I have lived and worked in Hong Kong for some 14 years now. And, although I don’t use refined MSG in my cooking it is certainly in many of the ingredients I cook with (same as you). In fact that intense flavor is exactly what I was looking to create in my current menu items OMG Bolognese and 24-hour prime rib steak. And any chef worth their salt (pun intended) is trying to create abundant quantities of it when they make a rich stock or consomme.

But what is it anyway? MSG is the salt form of glutamic acid, which is an amino acid and the flavor compound responsible for the meaty or savory flavor known as Umami. Glutamates occur naturally in proteins and most aged foods including such things as meats, poultry, fish, cheese, tomatoes, legumes, mushrooms, seaweed, tofu, and fermented sauces (like soy, Worcestershire, Balsamic, and steak sauce).

Interestingly Roquefort or Parmesan cheeses actually have significantly more (10% to 40% more) free glutamate than any soy sauce. Those fermented yeast spreads (like Vegemite) have nearly twice the MSG, not added, but occurring naturally during the fermentation process.

MSG was discovered and identified in 1866 by German scientist Karl Heinrich Leopold Ritthausen. In 1907 a Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University identified brown crystals left behind after the evaporation of seaweed broth (then commonly used as a food flavoring agent) as glutamic acid. These crystals, when tasted, reproduced the flavor in many foods, most especially in seaweed. Professor Ikeda termed this flavor Umami, a Japanese word meaning "savory" or "deliciousness." Since its discovery the science and the culinary field alike have accepted Umami as a fifth distinct basic taste.

Due to its relative newness and possibly also it’s foreign source (Japan), MSG has been intensely studied. After thorough investigation MSG is listed among the safest food additives by the EU, WHO and USFDA. None of the claims of its ill effects have ever been anything more than anecdote that fails at the slightest scientific inquiry.

The most recent claim regarding the evils of MSG is that it has been found to cause obesity in rats. I did find a few (1, 2) studies using MSG to instigate overeating & obesity in rats, but none studying the mechanism, rather just noting the use. There was a study on MSG use in humans that did not show any correlation between MSG use and obesity.

A different study in 2006 did show a strong correlation between salt (sodium chloride) consumption and obesity in humans. However the researchers of that study surmised that the higher salt content of the diets caused more thirst and in turn more drinking of higher calorie beverages. So in an excellent example of why correlation does not equal causation, it was not the salt that caused obesity, but calories from the drinks used to quench the thirst caused by the salt.

At any rate, it seems clear that to date, there is no evidence that normal consumption of MSG has any notable ill effect on health. After all the Japanese, mass consumers of MSG in all forms, have one of the highest life expectancies and lowest obesity rates on the planet.

Free Running aka Parkour has been in the local news lately, and I was glad to see the media gave it a good review, while admonishing our little society for being too restrictive, shooing these athletes and generally being all bah hum bug on the issue.

I guess I am a bit old and round to take it up, but I have been an urban walker since grade school preferring to save my bus money for less approved uses. When I was an apprentice living on my own in Chicago. I often had only enough cash for rent and food so I would walk the miles and miles between work, home, and friends. Of course walking through the city streets I developed the habit of moving quickly and taking as many shortcuts as could be found. While my urban trekking was nowhere near the level of these stunt players, still I understand the emotion of finding a clear and unique path through the concrete jungle.

I am often annoyed in Hong Kong that our urban planners appear to give all benefit to vehicles. Often paths dead end unexpectedly so that walkers must go a ridiculous distance out of the way o get from point A to point B. I have considered jumping off a fly-over to save time on more than one occasion, and have frequently cut across busy four lane roads due to the poor urban planning. A city with air pollution problems, traffic congestion, and the usual CV health problems related to city-life, would do well to encourage any and all forms of extravehicular activity.

The media here gave most of its recent time to a young group called The Hong Kong Parkour Association, but I had learned of free running last year from the stunt group Zippies. So for balance I have given Zippies prime place on this little blog.

To all of you free runners. Love to see you, wish I could join you.

I am usually one of those annoying “seize the day” people who is always trying to suck all the marrow out of every moment. But today I really just let time flow by like a lazy river.

The only things I accomplished were: walking the dog, fixing the fish tank pump, cooking supper, and this blog entry. The rest of the day was spent in couch-potato mode. I watched some movies, and TV, read a lot, and just rested. Rest – long time no see.

Bertrand Russell, one of my favorite thinkers once said: :”The time that you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Today I wholeheartedly agree.

Also known as Acute viral nasopharyngitis, or acute coryza, the common cold, is a highly contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by picornaviruses or coronaviruses.

Common symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough; sometimes accompanied by muscle aches, fatigue, malaise, headache, muscle weakness, or loss of appetite.

No vaccines are available; however, once one has caught one of the many cold viruses, one is immune and may never catch that particular strain again

All’s I know is when I get one I really don’t enjoy it very much…HACHOO!

The method of empirically quantifying, testing and refining our knowledge of reality has given us wonders that never cease. Pyramids, great walls, lighthouses, golden gates, medical miracles, and technological wonders that have dramatically increased humanities lot in life. We live longer, healthier, have more freedom and prosperity than ever, all as a result of these wonders of science and reason.

Not one of those myriad innovations was delivered through holy revelation. Not a single formula or blueprint was found within an ancient scripture or holy book Every one of these wonders was generated by humans making empirical tests of the world and discerning physical laws that allow and indeed support such magnificent work. Long story short…it is the scientific method – science itself that has given us all of these things.

I ask, what – other than war and hatred – has been gained from revelation and scripture?

My sister copied me on a bulk email going around similar to this. She did a great job on bringing up the problem of evil, but she seemed unsure of herself . I think her approach shows she already has the correct and most logically sound answer.

Occam’s Razor – tells us that entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity. Ergo, while there is no possibility to disprove god, there is certainly no need for the hypothesis either. The "god hypothesis” doesn’t really explain any phenomena. It is impotent at delivering knowledge or aid, and seems only to be potent when used as a tool to control through ignorance and fear.

I would guess that the philosopher of the bulk mail story (where he/she a good one) would not have backed down, but would have continued the argument first with an "OK you have made a claim about a testable property of god (absence of evil) test and prove your work.” And then with an obvious note that the child’s statement really doesn’t answer the problem of evil at all.

As Epicurus first noted: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? Claiming that evil is just an absence of god does not answer the problem of evil or anything else.

Regarding the science part of the story (there really was none only the word thrown about recklessly but anyway): What a lot of people don’t get about science is that it is not a dogma of revelation like religion, rather it is a method of doubt, approximate understanding, and continual revolution.
My sis is too cool.

I saw someone in line at the bank today…one of those encounters where something primal suddenly kicks in, then all the gauges and meters go haywire. Lust, desire, biological urge, whatever.

Strange how just seeing a particular body configuration can send the basal systems all goofy like that. This must be the root of all love at first sight. And to be honest it probably happens to me about every month on average.

I see someone who I know nothing about and something just clicks. In that moment I would willingly invest serious time and effort in getting to know them. And I know that most of what I think I see in them is just make believe – stories my brain has fabricated, but still, the urge is powerful. This brain…weird.

Imagine, you are an adult lost in the wild along with several near-teen children. You have in your possession, enough food either to nourish yourself and not the children or enough to nourish them but not yourself. Dividing between all will nourish no one.

The children are young and healthy, but inexperienced and lean, so not as able as you to care for themselves or survive long. You are old, fat, and more experienced, but your age and size are a detriment to your ability to forage.

What do you do?

This news item made the rounds today, of a place in California that is boasting the world’s record cheeseburger. Alleged to be 222 pounds and boasting 480 slices of cheese, it had to be served in slices. Why? Forget for the fact that this kind of piggish zeal for monster portions is bad for the consumer as well as the world, its just bad cookery to boot.

If you want to boast a culinary innovation make something new. Do a cheeseburger up in a startlingly original way that takes the experience of the burger to a new high. Don’t just pack on pounds…more of the same old shit is still shit.

Besides, who ever heard of eating a slice of cheeseburger? Really.

So the stupidity that is NOT being digital, continues to plague me. I am working on a professional certification program that is pretty intense and includes requirements to prove past education, work experience, ongoing education, participation and publication in my field, as well as written and practical examinations.

So in gathering my credentials I had to get transcripts of a GED from 25 years ago. I contacted the relevant authority and was given a web page. On the web page was a downloadable 1 page PDF form to request transcripts. The form had phone, address and email, but no fax number for the relevant authority. So in November I printed the form, filled it in, signed it, scanned it made it into a PDF, and attached it to an email requesting processing, and to please let me know any problems.

In late December having heard no word I sent a followup email…again no reply.

Last week I called the relevant US authority at great cost and with time constraints, only to be told they do not accept emailed forms only post or fax. I immediately asked for a fax number and sent the digital PDF form through my internet web based fax sending server which is no different than if they had just printed the attached PDF. 2 days later my Mother received my transcripts. Aiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiai!

What was that about evolution?