begin a Chinese meal with MSG-laden
soup. Many studies later, toxicologists
have concluded that MSG is a harmless
ingredient for most people, even in large
amounts. The most unfortunate aspect of
the MSG saga is how it has been exploited
to provide a cheap, one-dimensional
substitute for real and remarkable foods.
As Fuchsia Dunlop writes in her book on
Sichuan cooking, Land of Plenty,
It is a bitter irony that in China of all
places, where chefs have spent centuries
developing the most sophisticated culinary
techniques, this mass-produced white
powder should have been given the name
wei jing, “the essence of flavor.”
The watery home of the seaweeds has
shaped their nature in several ways that matter
to the cook:
Their buoyancy in water has allowed
free-floating algae to minimize tough
structural supports and maximize