Banh Mi

[Isabella Maja]

What ingredient(s) are you avoiding?

That would be MSG. Or an item used in the soup that contains MSG.

I've eaten soup (crab & corn) there before with no ill effects.

However, sometimes bottled ingredients contain MSG (and if they are imported don't always say so). It has a very strange long term effect on me & it's just not worth it to risk it. I've learned this the hard way and not just at Asian restaurants. Canned broth is a major culprit & some manufacturers use way more than others.

I would think that Cafe Minh would be true to their word about ingredients.
I'll have a friend order it & eat a few bites. I'll know soon enough!

[hungryone]

FYI, Isabella, Three Crabs brand of fish sauce (a very popular one) has MSG, as do many other brands of fish sauce. It is commonly used in marinades, dressings, sauces, soups--in short, all over viet cooking.

[Isabella Maja]

FYI, Isabella, Three Crabs brand of fish sauce (a very popular one) has MSG, as do many other brands of fish sauce. It is commonly used in marinades, dressings, sauces, soups--in short, all over viet cooking.

Thanks HO, precisely why I have to be careful! I usually never can order soup. There are certain dishes I just have to avoid.

Now, the truth is in extremely minute amounts the effects are not too bad.
But it can't be the only thing I am eating & I can't do it all the time.
If a dish has a few splashes of fish sauce & I eat other things then the side effects are lessened. But if I haven't eaten all day & start off with a bowl of soup, it would be disastrous.

[hungryone]

RE: msg, I get a respiratory reaction from excessive amounts of it. In my tasting, only the pho from Kim Ahn in Harahan has enough MSG to trigger a reaction in me....but the thai food at Siamese makes me wheeze, and I eat it anyway.

[Isabella Maja]

RE: msg, I get a respiratory reaction from excessive amounts of it. In my tasting, only the pho from Kim Ahn in Harahan has enough MSG to trigger a reaction in me....but the thai food at Siamese makes me wheeze, and I eat it anyway.

Well, enough of a dosage makes me feel dizzy & numb . . . and about to be flattened. It lasts a while.

Oddly enough, my last encounter was at a good ole N.O. style restaurant.... with Chicken Stew. Good thing I only usually eat half of a dish, as I did that day. I was dancing with the doorway at Sherwin Williams a few minutes later.

The folks at Pho Tau Bay, Tan Dinh, MiMi's & Siamese basically have told me that there are little to no dishes on the menu that I'd be safe eating.
There were a handful at PTB & MiMi's but really, with the severe reaction I have, I'd rather not take the chance. My MFDC brought me some treats, including a Bahn Mi from Duong Phong. How sweet! And torturous because I called & they said it all had MSG in it.

Thankfully 9 Roses takes good care of me & I love their food.

[hungryone]

I wish someone would open a cheap bahn mi place uptown! Don'tcha think a bahn mi shop on the streetcar route would make a buck or two?

[paz5559]

I wish someone would open a cheap bahn mi place uptown! Don'tcha think a bahn mi shop on the streetcar route would make a buck or two?

Not quite uptown, but the Gambit did a nice review of Eat-Well Food Store today

[DivaKitty]

Sorry, I'm out of the loop. Where did Chef Pete go? I used to run into him every time I went to HK Market.
By the way, Pho Tau Bay makes good Ban Minh (sp) too!