MSG in Chinese food isn't unhealthy - you're just racist, activists say
活動人士表示:中餐裡的味精並非不健康一是你帶著種族偏見
For years, monosodium glutamate, a food additive known as MSG, has been branded as an unhealthy processed ingredient mainly found in Chinese food,despite a lack of supporting scientific evidence.
多年來，儘管缺乏科學依據，穀氨酸鈉這種食品添加劑一也就是我們熟知的味精，直都被譴責是一種不健康的、經過加工的調味品，且多見於中餐。
People have consumed MSG throughout history,according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - but the debate over its health effects began in 1968, when a man wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, complaining of numbness after eating at Chinese restaurants. A 1969 scientific paper identified MSG as "the cause of the Chinese restaurant syndrome, "and warned that it caused "burning sensations, facial pressure,and chest pain.
"美國食品藥品監督管理局表示，人們自古以來都食用味精。但是自1968年起，關於味精對健康的影響開始引發爭議。當時，一名男子寫信給《新英格蘭醫學期刊》，投訴他在中餐廳就餐後出現了身體麻木的症狀。一篇1969年的科學論文確認味精是“中國餐館綜合徵的病因”，並且警告稱其引發了“灼熱感、面部壓力和胸痛”。
That's not to say it was scientifically proven. The FDA set up an independent inquiry into MSG in the 1990s - which ultimately concluded that MSG is safe.
不過這並不說明味精的副作用已經被科學證明了。美國食品藥品監督管理局在20世紀90年代對味精進行了獨立調查，並最終判定味精是安全的。
Still, it was too late to contain public fear and anxiety. MSG had effectively been vilified in the American imagination, and was shunned for decades afterward.
然而為時已晚，公眾(對味精)的恐懼和焦慮再難遏制。事實上，味精在美國人的印象裡已經被汙名化，而且在那之後的幾十年內一直受到冷落。
This perception, which activists argue is outdated and racist, is SO widespread that the Merriam-Webster dictionary has an entry for the term "Chinese restaurant syndrome."
活動人士認為，這種觀念已經過時了，而且帶有種族偏見。這種觀念非常普遍，以至於韋氏詞典收錄了“中國餐館綜合徵”這個詞條。
NOW, actIvists have launched a campaign called "Redefine CRS." Headed by Japanese food and seasoning company Ajinomoto, the online campaign urges Merriam-Webster to change its entry to reflect the scientific consensus on MSG一and the impact of misinformation on the American public's perception of Asian cuisine .
現在，活動人士們發起了一項名為“重新定義CRS(中國餐館綜合徵)”的運動。這項由日本食品及調味品企業“味之素”牽頭的在線運動敦促韋氏詞典修改詞條，以體現關於味精的科學共識;而詞典上的錯誤信息對於美國民眾如何看待亞洲美食所造成的影響一-這一點也應在修改詞條時有所體現。
"To this day, the myth around MSG is ingrained in America's consciousness, with Asian food and culture still receiving unfair blame, " said the company in its campaign website. "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome isn't just scientifically false一it's xenophobic.
該公司在其項目網站上寫道:“ 直到現在，關於味精的錯誤觀點在美國觀念裡仍根深蒂固，亞洲食品和文化也依然承受著不公平的指責。中國餐館綜合徵不僅僅是科學.上的錯誤一它還體現了對他國的憎惡。”
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