Chinese restaurant syndrome: has MSG been unfairly demonised?

The additive monosodium glutamate has been blamed for everything from headaches to chest pain. Now, some chefs, including Heston Blumenthal, are saying that’s nonsenseI am in a restaurant in Glasgow where chopsticks stand ready in an eye-catching blue and yellow tin labelled Ve-Tsin Gourmet Powder. Produced by the Shanghai Guanshengyuan Tianchu Seasoning Company, the powder in question is monosodium glutamate (MSG). Apparently: “A sprinkling of Ve-Tsin will bring out the full natural