Haha to Bentō

When I was younger; in about 7 to 17 years old, Mom used to prepare lunch box for me and sometimes for my sister. My sister didn't like the routine so much and I was left as the only one who still bringing home-made food to school. Some of my friends thought I was lucky and some said it was weird. I didn't really care much as I know how unhealthy the canteen’s foods are. And most of them can't even pleased my need for proper hygiene in foods.

Nowadays in my campus life I still love lunch box. Mom knew her daughter well so almost every time she gives me a visit she would bring along home-made meals for me. So does my sister. Well, when you’re far away from home you’ll sure miss mommy’s cooking. Even my sister couldn't deny it.

As I grew up, I just happened to love making lunch box for myself as well. It is still uncommon for Malaysian citizens to see anybody bringing their home-made lunch. Thus whenever I bring my lunch box to the café people stare at me like there is a lion escaped from the goddamn zoo.  I swear to God their glares are really scary. Oh, I have a story on the topic of staring! Mind if I share it with you?

"Once, there was a fellow student (my classmate said he is our senior) suddenly walked straight to me and stared at the food I was holding – very closely! Then he left. I’ll tell you, it was totally disturbing. I got traumatized for a while because of that particular incident. I only ate sandwiches during the staring moment, what’s so bizarre about the typical edible stuffs?! – The End –"

Preparing my own lunch box reminds me of Mom; how she loves to make sure we eat properly. Mom said she’s not a good cook unlike other mothers but the foods are good enough for me. Mom doesn't put MSG in her cooking. Plus, her vegetables dishes are always fresh and still crunchy. 

To me, Mom’s cooking is a symbol of her love and care for her daughters. It is the taste that I always miss when I’m away from home.

The Horror of MSG ~

Ajinomoto .  It is a very well-known name in our society. Ajinomoto is a food flavour enhancer’s brand found in almost all retail stores and supermarkets, including the 7 Eleven.

Although Opah and all my female relatives (the family’s Chefs) are always adopting the hereditary of using Ajinomoto in their cooking, me and Mom on the other hand; forbid ourselves from mixing the ‘poison’ into our foods. Our cuisine is absolutely original in term of its taste no matter how good or bad it is . Mom really concerns about our health, not to mention she is still in the treatment of fighting cancer; she doesn’t want us to get caught by the same disease.

There was my little cousin ( who also being taught to add Ajinomoto into the ingredient lists since she was a child ) felt initially weird when I refused to use the white powder each time I did the cooking activities - but there are times when I get confused and mistakenly took Ajinomoto jar which I thought was the  fine salt! The teeny-tiny girl once proposed these questions to me, "Is Ajinomoto harmful for us? If it is; what are the dangers anyway? " . Due to the absence of the Internet in Mom’s hometown to be Googled, I had to do the job of explaining the threats of Ajinomoto to her .

Ajinomoto or Mono Sodium Gulamate (MSG ) is often considered important by the same level as onion , pepper and salt anddd also; it is believed to be the main element of establishing a perfect cuisine by most Malaysian housewives . There are numerous scientific studies conducted by experts around the world referring to the fact that MSG has a great negative impact on human health. Did you know that the use of MSG has been criticized by the National Cancer Association of Japan, the birthplace of Ajinomoto itself?

October 25, 1983; a study was conducted on 84 rats; which were given two types of MSG. After 16 months , the results showed that those rats had suffered the signs of tumours in the lung , small and large intestine, underneath the skin , stomach and brain . It went the same with the University of Washington’s result in their research in early 1968, indicated that MSG able to affect the brain and nerves.

This fact is proven again by itself as in the same year , a disease called " Chinese Restaurant Syndrome " appeared. It was discovered by Dr . RHM Kwok from USA who perform a research on the customers of a Chinese food restaurant; they were experiencing numbness in the neck , all the way down to the arm and then their back. They also suffering from weaken body parts and coronary pulses which happened every 15 to 20 minutes . All these symptoms were being experienced by them after having a Chinese meal , and the cause is due to the overused of MSG. This study was supported by the Dr . Baker and Allen from Royal North Shore Hospital , Sydney , when their two patients were being  attacked by a chronic asthma for 12 hours after enjoying Chinese cuisine .

Then again, the MSG is also involving itself into the life of little children . The widely-use in snacks and baby foods has exposed the kids to danger . According to Dr . Olney, subtle attack of the MSG against a normal infant’s brain may not be detected , but it still has adverse effects on the baby after he/she reached maturity. Additionally, these effects also hinder the ability of the kids to receive information through education.

Researches that have been conducted by the Consumers Association of Penang ( at last, the Malaysian representative finally appeared on the lists of these studies) on 100 families who were being found ( 73 of them ) have been using MSG in their daily meal , while 19 of the 21 families gave MSG to their children under 6 years of age . This shows that our society as a whole has been using MSG in their lifetime. Don’t forget to include those who run the restaurant and stall , as well as canned and junk foods , including Maggi which undeniably became a regular menu for university students like me . That means, without even realizing it , our society is actually very vulnerable to the dangers of MSG.

It is better for us to avoid the use of MSG in preparing our foods , and replace it with natural seasonings . Housewives and restaurant owners should not have to worry about the quality of the taste , as there are different kinds of herbs and spices  that can covered it up and not harmful at all . You do realized that the TV stations never aired cooking shows with their chefs adding MSG in their recipes , right?