From: pan@panda.Stanford.EDU (Doug Pan)
Subject: Re: Is MSG sensitivity superstition?
In-Reply-To: mossman@cea.Berkeley.EDU's message of 15 Apr 1993 19:41:40 GMT
Organization: InterViews/Allegro group, Stanford University
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	<1993Apr14.122647.16364@tms390.micro.ti.com>
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In article <1qkdpk$5k6@agate.berkeley.edu> mossman@cea.Berkeley.EDU (Amy Mossman) writes:

>   I had a similar reaction to Chinese food but came to a completly different
>   conclusion. I've eaten Chinese food for ages and never had problems. I went
>   with some Chinese Malaysian friends to a swanky Chinses rest. and they ordered
>   lots of stuff I had never seen before. The only thing I can remember of that
>   meal was the first course, scallops served in the shell with a soy-type sauce.
>   I thought, "Well, I've only had scallops once and I was sick after but that
>   could have been a coincidence". That night as I sat on the bathroom floor,
>   sweating and emptying my stomach the hard way, I decided I would never touch
>   another scallop. I may not be allergic but I don't want to take the chance.

I don't react to scallops, but did have discomforts with clam juice
served at (American) waterfront seafood bars.  I don't know whether
the juice is homemade or from cans.

The following is my first encounter with the Chinese Restaurant
Syndrome.  Ten years ago, about an hour after having Won Ton Soup I
collapsed in a chair with my face feeling puffed up, my scalp
tingling, my feet too weak to stand up.  The symptoms lasted for about
20 minutes.  Determined to find out the cause of my first reaction, I
went back to the Chinese restuarant and ordered the same dish.  The
same thing happened.  A quick look inside the kitchen revealed nothing
out of the ordinary.

I've also had a mild attack after having soup at a Thai restuarant.
