Subverting Tired Tropes, One Scoop At A Time
A Vanilla MSG ice cream review, or an excuse to expense my meal at Malcolm Yards
You know, for research purposes.
As some of you might be aware, this is a continuation of what I’ve been doing for a while now. Albeit, it’s a lot more fun to swing by a new spot and order a couple of scoops of ice cream than it is to read through countless PubMed citations and get yelled at in the comments.
So that’s exactly what I demanded suggested we do on a recent road trip to Minneapolis. I first caught wind of vanilla ice cream made with MSG from James at @jchang.kitchen. I connected with him via Instagram, as one does, and you should, too. He’s making some seriously delicious small-batch chili crisps in Kansas City.
But anyways, he posted about Bebe Zito’s Vanilla MSG flavor and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And when I searched the tagged location I was like…we have to go. My partner is originally from a suburb of Minneapolis and even though we visit the area at least a few times a year, we haven’t taken time to fully explore the food scene the way I, a foodie, would like to.
Needless to say, the prospect of tasting vanilla ice cream laced with monosodium glutamate had me excited. We munched our way through a couple of the other offerings at The Market at Malcolm Yards (Abang Yoli and Wrecktangle Pizza were standouts) to prime our palates for a sweet sendoff.
Which did not disappoint. Not even a little bit.
Normally I’m a mint chocolate chip girl. And the Brown Butter Toasted Pecan from local favorite Betty Rae’s will forever be a top pick. I just usually don’t go for plain vanilla. But this has got to be one of, if not the, best vanilla ice cream cups I’ve ever had.
I’m not just saying that because I was looking for a reason to love something with MSG in it, either. I know it would be easy to think that! I would tell you if it sucked.
But it didn’t. Just take another look at it:
Whatever they did to achieve the ideal consistency for spooning it into my mouth…well done. Keep up the great work. It was smooth, rich, creamy, all the things you’d expect from a high-quality ice cream without venturing into custard or soft-serve territory.
There are small flecks of vanilla mixed throughout, and even though this is purely for the aesthetic, it gives a little more visual interest even if they don’t contribute extra flavor.
And the flavor is somehow both exactly, and nothing at all, like what you’d expect for a sweet vanilla ice cream made with MSG.
It’s hard to articulate and describe how it tasted because it mostly tasted like, well, vanilla ice cream. But imagine the best vanilla ice cream you’ve ever had…and intensify the flavor by 25% or so.
It’s not savory, even though MSG is pure umami. I don’t think the goal of adding pure umami to vanilla ice cream is to make it taste savory. But if sea salt + caramel works, or salted dark chocolate works, so too does this combo.
It may be cliche to say this about MSG but the biggest distinguishing characteristic I noticed was a fuller, deeper flavor a longer, lingering finish. Which is sort of exactly how MSG works as a flavor enhancer. So that checks out.
There’s so much literature out there about the science and safety of MSG at this point. I’m fully aware this could come off as dismissive and condescending and I need you know that is absolutely NOT how I intend it to sound.
But anyone still balking at the potential benefits of MSG is simply not aware of or discrediting what we’ve come to know about it.
The TL;DR version is that MSG tastes good, it’s safe to consume, and can help make a low-sodium diet taste better.
The reason we don’t talk about this is the reason for most things. Racism, for one. Specifically, the xenophobic and anti-Asian sentiments that linger to this day. But also misinterpretations of some pretty shaky science and bad-faith arguments that let misinformation flourish and spread.
It’s been an uphill climb ever since the New England Journal of Medicine went along with it in 1968. It’s been going on for decades and wow, are we tired of constantly correcting the people who regurgitate some solidly debunked nonsense.
That’s exactly why I love each and every time someone, somewhere, somehow, makes an effort to combat the false claims and right the rhetoric.
The team behind Bebe Zito says it well when talking about why they intentionally avoided another plain vanilla flavor:
It’s Tahitian vanilla with added MSG, as a means of both boosting flavor and taking a side in the MSG wars that have been raging on the internet. (In sum: MSG is one form of glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid that your body spontaneously creates. It is naturally present in a great many foods, including tomatoes and cheese. However, starting in the 1960s, many Americans claimed that the Chinese technique of adding it directly to foods gave them headaches. In 1999, legendary food writer Jeffrey Steingarten asked, in a culture-turning essay, “Why doesn’t everyone in China have a headache?” And ever since, this ongoing chatter around MSG use has been seen instead as veiled anti-Asian racism.)
As someone with Asian and Asian American heritage, I have a little more dog in this fight than some of you. But when it comes to harmful beliefs rooted in racism of any kind, indifference or ignorance isn’t the safe haven white folks think it is.
“All that xenophobic ideology around MSG being bad for you: I want to force people to think about that,” said Bebe Zito co-owner Gabriella Grant, in an interview with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl for MSP Mag in 2021.
Putting MSG in ice cream is so different, so unexpected. Not only because of the sweet + savory spin on a nostalgic, seemingly All-American classic flavor but also because it subtly but unabashedly asks people to confront something they may not even be consciously aware of thinking.
Bebe Zito is known for creative re-imaginings of familiar flavors. They say each one is inspired by a time and place, or a cherished memory, or some kind of interesting backstory.
(Personally, this makes me wonder about the story behind Vanilla MSG — who or what introduced Gabriella and Ben, her husband and co-founder, to the flavor-enhancing qualities of MSG or the peer-reviewed science that says it’s safe to eat?)
They also keep a steady rotation of unique flavors you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. I mean, seriously, who else is drawing inspiration from Hannibal Lector and putting braised veal brains, pieces of foie gras, lemony fava bean cake mix, and a Chianti gastrique into ice cream?
I’d pay a pretty high price to see what kinds of reactions that one elicited. I also want to know, how do people react to seeing MSG so prominently displayed? What’s the all-time ranking of most and least popular Bebe Zito flavors? If you’re in the Twin Cities and privy to this type of info, please, let’s chat.
I dug around for reviews online and opinions seem mixed, but for the most part pretty positive. Although one reviewer noted that he felt thirsty after eating it…coincidence? Perhaps. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Maybe.
It could be something, it could be nothing. It could be that he reported eating an entire pint so there’s also that.
At least he didn’t say it gave him a headache.
From what I can tell, there’s no info out there about how much MSG is actually in each scoop or serving. This doesn’t surprise me, as it’s not standard practice to disclose the exact formulations of a food or recipe.
Whether it’s a little or a lot, I think the goal is more about subverting expectations and challenging long-standing inaccurate beliefs around MSG vs. sneaking copious amounts of it into each scoop. And besides, anything with “too much” MSG wouldn’t taste good anymore, anyway.
So if that’s the case, I think this effort should be considered a success.
Final Thoughts
Smash or pass?
This one is an enthusiastic smash. If only because you’re guaranteed to find another intriguing flavor to try if it turns out Vanilla MSG just isn’t your thing.
Support local, support weird, support the ones out there fighting the good fight to put some respect on MSG’s name.
And if you ever find yourself in the Twin Cities, make sure you find a Bebe Zito location and taste for yourself!
Which savory eats should I chase down next? If you know of a restaurant, brand, or food product proudly using MSG in their recipes or products, don’t gatekeep the goods. Drop a comment, send me a link, or let me know where I can find it and I’ll add it to my list!
Thanks for reading, and as always, cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!