MSG in Chinese food isn't unhealthy - you're just racist, activists say
活动人士表示:中餐里的味精并非不健康一是你带着种族偏见
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.
多年来，尽管缺乏科学依据，谷氨酸钠这种食品添加剂一也就是我们熟知的味精，直都被谴责是一种不健康的、经过加工的调味品，且多见于中餐。
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.
"美国食品药品监督管理局表示，人们自古以来都食用味精。但是自1968年起，关于味精对健康的影响开始引发争议。当时，一名男子写信给《新英格兰医学期刊》，投诉他在中餐厅就餐后出现了身体麻木的症状。一篇1969年的科学论文确认味精是“中国餐馆综合征的病因”，并且警告称其引发了“灼热感、面部压力和胸痛”。
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.
不过这并不说明味精的副作用已经被科学证明了。美国食品药品监督管理局在20世纪90年代对味精进行了独立调查，并最终判定味精是安全的。
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.
然而为时已晚，公众(对味精)的恐惧和焦虑再难遏制。事实上，味精在美国人的印象里已经被污名化，而且在那之后的几十年内一直受到冷落。
This perception, which activists argue is outdated and racist, is SO widespread that the Merriam-Webster dictionary has an entry for the term "Chinese restaurant syndrome."
活动人士认为，这种观念已经过时了，而且带有种族偏见。这种观念非常普遍，以至于韦氏词典收录了“中国餐馆综合征”这个词条。
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 .
现在，活动人士们发起了一项名为“重新定义CRS(中国餐馆综合征)”的运动。这项由日本食品及调味品企业“味之素”牵头的在线运动敦促韦氏词典修改词条，以体现关于味精的科学共识;而词典上的错误信息对于美国民众如何看待亚洲美食所造成的影响一-这一点也应在修改词条时有所体现。
"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.
该公司在其项目网站上写道:“ 直到现在，关于味精的错误观点在美国观念里仍根深蒂固，亚洲食品和文化也依然承受着不公平的指责。中国餐馆综合征不仅仅是科学.上的错误一它还体现了对他国的憎恶。”
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