# What -IS- MSG? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340 "2003-01-17T23:40:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/1 "2003-01-17T23:40:55Z")
Me: “I think I’ll eat a large amount of Chinese food now.” (three hours later) My Stomach: “Grrrrrr! Food!” I’ve been told that the MSG in Chinese food is an appetite enhancer, which in turn causes me to get hungry a few hours after eating. Does anyone else experience this? Am I just wacko? And what the hell -IS- MSG, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/2 "2003-01-17T23:45:37Z")
click [here](http://www.familyhaven.com/health/msg.html) ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/3 "2003-01-17T23:50:07Z")
and [here](http://www.flash.net/~strohm/articles/nutrition_myths.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/4 "2003-01-17T23:52:01Z")
> [@](#): > > In other words, if you feel hungry soon after a meal of beef or chicken with a heavy orange sauce or other sugar- or fat-laden topping (plus egg rolls, fried Peking ravioli, and fried rice), that’s your mind playing tricks on you, not your stomach talking. Lies! Dirty dirty lies! Ah well, I suppose I’m a wacko, afterall. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/5 "2003-01-17T23:56:03Z")
ok, [here](http://f.about.com/z/js/spr04.htm) too ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/6 "2003-01-18T00:05:32Z")
There are many myths regarding MSG and we had some threads in the past: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153527](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153527) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=141443](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=141443) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=129841](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=129841) ---
**Author:** ![LostGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/58956e/32.png) [@LostGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LostGirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-msg/149340/7 "2003-01-18T00:52:25Z")
Generally, I like the comparison of msg to fries without ketchup and salt: may be (marginally) better for you, but damn, they just don’t taste the same.