Can You Stomach These Extreme Global Delicacies?

[Evo]

I know its ok at *usual* levels, but Chinese food tends to have more than usual levels. I *know* restaurants here add it...

Unless you fall into a group that has a known allergy or sensitivity to it, levels used in restaurants shouldn't be outside of "usual" levels. I used to watch Joyce Chen cooking on PBS here and she always added a couple of teaspoons of MSG to all of her dishes, she was a riot, the "Chinese" Julia Child. MSG used to be sold as "Accent" here and people poured it over their food.

 

[turbo]

Actually, MSG is safe and most of the myths surrounding all of the ailments associated with MSG are just that - myths. New studies by the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs and the European Community's Scientific Committee and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) have proven that MSG is safe. The 1995 FASEB report reaffirmed the safety of MSG when it is consumed at usual levels by the general population, and found no evidence of any connection between MSG and any serious long-term reactions.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/103_msg.html

That's the food industry talking, Evo. I have a life-threatening sensitivity to MSG and damned near died when I ate a gumbo my wife made with "Cajun Seasonings". There wasn't a single mention of MSG on the label. I also ended up in the ER after eating a salad seasoned with Durkee celery salt that didn't bother mentioning the MSG. In the gumbo incident, I got home rather late the previous night, and warmed up a bit of gumbo for breakfast before heading to the Lincoln paper mill. I realized that I was developing hives, and managed to get myself to the hospital. I could no longer stand when I got into the ER and was practically incoherent. I told the ER doctor that I would be going into anaphylactic shock due to MSG and she looked at me like I was crazy. I asked repeatedly for epinephrine, which she withheld until the ER nurse monitoring my pulse and blood pressure started yelling at her to give me epinephrine STAT! My BP was about 20/15 at that point - I remember hearing her calling out the numbers as they dropped thinking "I'm going to die". I started to come around a bit after getting the epinephrine and that's when the convulsions started. The doctor and two nurses restrained me so I wouldn't hurt myself and the convulstions seemed to go on forever. When it subsided, they wrapped me in hot blankets to bring up my core temperature and I collapsed. I woke up hours later, feeling like somebody had beaten every inch of my body with a bat. One of the nurses went and got the doctor, and the doctor apologized profusely for ignoring my request for epinephrine, saying she had never known of anybody going into anaphylactic shock from ingesting MSG. She was actually getting a little teary about it and seemed shaken. My younger cousin Jeff developed milder, but still significant reactions to MSG at about the same age that I did, and he has to avoid it as well. It's hard, because unless the additive form is at least 97% pure MSG, the food processors are allowed to use aliases like "modified food starch", "autolyzed yeast extract", "natural flavors", "modified vegetable protein" etc. There are at least 50 of these aliases, so I never eat in restaurants and we never eat prepared foods anymore. Pretty much everything I eat is made from scratch. I have a life alert pendant for anaphylactic shock, but once the symptoms start, it comes on so quickly, it would be a miracle if anyone discovered me in time to help.

 

[brewnog]

I've eaten food from all over the world, including the putrified shark mentioned on your list.

However, I take sincere exception to the comments raised about Yorkshire Pudding. The reviewer of that article must have either been smoking something, or served with something that definitely wasn't Yorkshire Pud. Hmph.

 

[Evo]

That's the food industry talking, Evo. I have a life-threatening sensitivity to MSG and damned near died when I ate a gumbo my wife made with "Cajun Seasonings".

That puts you into the small group mentioned that has an allergy to it. If you're not allergic to it, you're not going to have this reaction. I believe that it is now a requirement to list MSG as a separate ingredient so that people that are sensitive to it can avoid it. Also, the studies were not from the food industry.

Sounds like you had a very severe reaction, but that doesn't make MSG bad. I have an allergy to bananas and cannot eat them, but that doesn't make bananas bad for the general public.

 

[turbo]

That puts you into the small group mentioned that has an allergy to it. If you're not allergic to it, you're not going to have this reaction. I believe that it is now a requirement to list MSG as a separate ingredient so that people that are sensitive to it can avoid it. Also, the studies were not from the food industry.

Sounds like you had a very severe reaction, but that doesn't make MSG bad. I have an allergy to bananas and cannot eat them, but that doesn't make bananas bad for the general public.

The point is that the USDA does not require MSG to be listed on the label unless the additive stream is at least 97% pure MSG, so it can be hidden practically anywhere. You can get "modified food starch", "natural flavors", "modified vegetable protein", "spice extracts" and on and on in ONE single prepared food, delivering a massive dose of MSG without a single mention of MSG. These names are descriptive of the means by which MSG is extracted, but they never mention MSG, because it is a trivial matter to keep the MSG concentration under 97%.

If you eat prepared foods, look at some of the labels to see what I mean. I can tell you that if you served me a dish that was "spiced up" with Lipton Onion Soup Mix or Campbell's Mushroom Soup, you might as well call the morgue, because unless I was within a mile or two from the nearest hospital, an ambulance wouldn't be much good, once the reaction starts setting in. BTW, you cannot find ANY major brand of canned tuna that does not have MSG added (usually under the alias "natural flavors"). I am the canary in the coal mine.

 

[Anttech]

Owch man, that is one heavy allergy

 

[Evo]

I am the canary in the coal mine.

You poor thing!

One of my clients is a milling company and a few years ago there was a fiasco with wheat getting mixed in with corn and a lot of people are allergic to wheat. He refers to it as the "great corn debacle". They mill for some very large companies. I guess if you don't make it yourself, you never know what you're getting.

 

[Evo]

I've eaten food from all over the world, including the putrified shark mentioned on your list.

However, I take sincere exception to the comments raised about Yorkshire Pudding. The reviewer of that article must have either been smoking something, or served with something that definitely wasn't Yorkshire Pud. Hmph.

I saw that. I love yorkshire pudding, it's one of my favorite childhood memories (my grandmother was English) and every Sunday we had roast beef and yorkshire pudding. :!)

 

[brewnog]

I saw that. I love yorkshire pudding, it's one of my favorite childhood memories (my grandmother was English) and every Sunday we had roast beef and yorkshire pudding. :!)

Well good, sis! Stop perpetuating the negatively oriented Yorkshire Pudding myths then! Tsk! x

 

[scorpa]

I saw that. I love yorkshire pudding, it's one of my favorite childhood memories (my grandmother was English) and every Sunday we had roast beef and yorkshire pudding. :!)

Haha we always begged my mom to make yorkshire pudding when she made a roast, I love those things. Her family is English to so grandma always made them for us to...best part of the meal. My grandma on my dad's side is russian and always made us cabbage rolls, perogies, saurkraut buns...ect so I have the best of both worlds :!)

 

[edward]

Panda Express has a lot of sugar in the orange chicken. I love it anyway. And I wash it down with a Pepsi that has benzine in it.

 

[moose]

If that's what you consider good orange chicken, you've been seriously deprived. I love orange chicken, but not from Panda Express.

I have tried orange chicken from countless places, until I gave up. I ONLY like it from panda express.

Today I had the sweet and spicy boneless wings from KFC and they were so good O_O (well, not as good as the boneless wings at pizza hut, by wingstreet or whatever) The only fast food I eat is chick fil a, panda express, and KFC (rarely)... The rest is horrible... Anyway, jeez, panda express.. yummy

Panda Express has a lot of sugar in the orange chicken. I love it anyway. And I wash it down with a Pepsi that has benzine in it.

Yessss, I remember getting out of class at 12:45 and having a craving for orange chicken and pepsi. The pepsi in those machines was so much better than at anywhere else I have been. I really wonder why... :(

 

[scorpa]

^^^ Ughh KFC is something I just cannot eat. Where I used to work they used to buy us lunch every saturday, and once in awhile they brought KFC, the bags were covered in grease by the time we got it, and it just tastes so bad. I got sick from it every time lol.

 

[Math Is Hard]

A guy I work with makes this copy-cat Panda Orange chicken recipe and he says it tastes like the real deal:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/Panda_Express_Orange_Chicken31444.shtml

Evo, do you have a PF Chang's near you? Try the orange peel chicken there. It is incredible!:!)

 

[moose]

What's the difference between PF Chang's and Pei Wei?

 

[JamesU]

I hate authentic orange chicken, it tastes like crap...Panda Express makes the best orange chicken,I don't care if it's not authentic...

KFC is petty good too

 

[Evo]

I hate authentic orange chicken, it tastes like crap...Panda Express makes the best orange chicken,I don't care if it's not authentic...

They do make the best orange chicken I've ever tasted.

 

[Evo]

A guy I work with makes this copy-cat Panda Orange chicken recipe and he says it tastes like the real deal:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/Panda_Express_Orange_Chicken31444.shtml

No orange in the orange sauce? They mention that you can add orange peel as an afterthought. I could swear that there is orange cooked in the sauce. Now I'll have to buy it to refresh my memory.

Evo, do you have a PF Chang's near you? Try the orange peel chicken there. It is incredible!:!)

If you say it's that good, I will take your word and try it.

 

[Moonbear]

No orange in the orange sauce? They mention that you can add orange peel as an afterthought. I could swear that there is orange cooked in the sauce. Now I'll have to buy it to refresh my memory.

I wonder if that's really the right recipe. Maybe it's a copycat recipe of the General Tso's chicken? Even the lousy stuff at Panda Express must have something orange in it, even if it's fake orange flavoring. For good orange chicken, it has to have lots of orange peel in it. Then again, I'm not sure I've ever seen a chili in anything at Panda Express...their food is way too sweet and bland and not a bit spicy.

Yomamma, authentic orange chicken? I don't think there's any such thing. I'm pretty sure that's one of those Americanized dishes.

Oh, now I really miss my former neighbor. When I was a kid, the neighbor, who is Chinese, made the most delicious food! I used to have her recipe around somewhere for making green onion pancakes, but they still never tasted as good as hers! Now I want some! And there's nothing better than homemade wantons!

 

[JamesU]

Yomamma, authentic orange chicken? I don't think there's any such thing. I'm pretty sure that's one of those Americanized dishes.

hmmm...

well it's better than sweet&sour chicken

which is authentic, I think

 

[Math Is Hard]

What's the difference between PF Chang's and Pei Wei?

Dunno. Are they owned by the same company? I don't think I have seen any Pei Wei's out where I live.

 

[Evo]

I wonder if that's really the right recipe. Maybe it's a copycat recipe of the General Tso's chicken? Even the lousy stuff at Panda Express must have something orange in it, even if it's fake orange flavoring.

Blasphemy! Maybe you just have a crummy Panda franchise. People wait in line here for the Panda's orange chicken.

 

[Moonbear]

Blasphemy! Maybe you just have a crummy Panda franchise. People wait in line here for the Panda's orange chicken.

It's a mall, people wait in line for everything! When your choice is Panda Express or McDonald's, sure, Panda Express is better. I've actually eaten at several Panda Expresses...they're in a lot of malls. It all tastes the same.

 

[Evo]

It's a mall, people wait in line for everything! When your choice is Panda Express or McDonald's, sure, Panda Express is better. I've actually eaten at several Panda Expresses...they're in a lot of malls. It all tastes the same.

<gasp>

No, people will stand off to the side and wait for a new pan of orange chicken to come out because it's the only thing they went there to eat. I even waited and I never wait. This is the only "sweet on meat" item I consume.

Ok, we're going to arrange a blind taste test.

 

[moose]

The fried rice at panda express is also pretty good, at times. Over the summer I had a schedule in mind of the two times a week that there was the best orange chicken and best fried rice at the same time. The orange chicken was always good, but when this one guy made it, it was to die for. The fried rice ranged from OK to really good. It was heaven those two times a week that I got them both at once

This one guy who works at panda express fakes an accent while on the job completely. When I asked him what time they close, he told me without an accent AT ALL "8 o'clock"... I was like

 

[Mk]

What makes fugu disgusting? It is just fish that could kill you if your cook didn't cut it right.

Wendys
Tacco Bell
McDonalds
KFC
Panda Express
Burger King

We all know those are good... except for McDonald's and Taco Bell.

 

[Evo]

We all know those are good... except for McDonald's and Taco Bell.

Hey, the Taco Bell soft steak tacos with cilantro lime sauce were actually yummy. (yes, the Child of Evo takes me to junk food places) The only good thing at McDonald's were their salads.

Now Hardee's (Carl Jr's) thick angus burgers are to die for. I don't care that their sourdough burger is 1,040 calories, really, I don't.

 

[Kalimaa23]

I had some Panda Express "food" in a Scottsdale mall a few months ago. I don't even remember what it was, so you can guess how memorable it was...sorry Evo!

American fast food is indeed horrible. I was traveling with a friend, who had never been to the states before. We had to wait a couple of hours in Atlanta for our connecting flight. She was apalled that such a large airport did not have a single place where you can find a decent meal. I just smiled at here and said "Welcome to the States!".

This being said, there are plenty of places where you can eat very well in the States. These tend to be local diners more often then not. I usually stay clear of large fast food chains.

 

[J77]

Holland

The quintessential Dutch food experience is the FEBO snack automat...

Likewise the day a Dutch flatmate cooked us what she swore was a delicious traditional dish, then brought in a pan of reconstituted powdered mash, kale and tinned frankfurters.

Even the more appealing Dutch treats, such as double-fried chips with mayonnaise, are spoilt by lack of care: the oil for the second frying is often stale, while the mayo is a form of sickly, watery industrial run-off.

Thankfully, the Dutch Indonesians have improved things a little by injecting much needed care and spice into the national diet.

I think we covered FEBO and chips in another thread that the Belgian contingent took over

The highlighted bit is actually good food - though this person didn't give it much respect. It's called Stompot and there are a few ways of making it... but not with powered mash and frankfurters!

Obviously, you use proper potatoes; mash them up and mix with the curly greens, then place a sausage on top.

Not any sausage mind - the best are the ones that come from HEMA! (really, that's no joke).

Oh, and Inodesian food isn't that great - the North Africans and Middle Eastians who have moved over have much better food

 

[Anttech]

Surinam food is the best IMO :) Have a lamb squworma (sp?) type thing there and try the green sauce if you dare...

Its the spiciest food I have ever had, I felt my throat start to swell.

Dutch food really is bad though, you have to admit. I remember one time going to a "Greek" restaurant near the pijp, it was run by some Eygptons?