MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains
Film poster for “MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains"  A hand sprinkles grains into a small pile of grains on a table.
MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains
Film poster for “MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains"  A hand sprinkles grains into a small pile of grains on a table.
To share his culture through food, Chef Tim Ma must defy monosodium glutamate's unsavory reputation

MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains

Regular price $129.00
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WATCH ON DOCUSEEK

OFFICIAL SELECTION - DC Shorts International Film Festival | OFFICIAL SELECTION - Bushwick Film Festival | OFFICIAL SELECTION - Ceres Food Film Festival

Food Studies • Culinary Arts • AAPI Hate • Food History • Misinformation • Consumer Activism • Monosodium Glutamate • Culture Through Food

Date of Completion: 2023 | Run Time: 12 minutes​​ | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director: Kyle FinneganProducers: Susann Shin & Yi Chen Editor: Irem Dogancali Cinematographer: Roberto De Cecco

In 1968, the forces of racism and consumer activism collided to give monosodium glutamate (MSG) its unsavory reputation. Today, chef Tim Ma is on a mission to change that perception and use MSG as a way to share his culture through food. Through interviews with Ma and two MSG experts, the documentary explores the origin of MSG's stigma and how the ways we talk about food can be just as pervasive today. To set the historical record straight, archival footage and visuals from Ma's restaurant weave together to illustrate the full timeline of MSG's place in American cuisine.