MSG, or monosodium glutamate, has long been the bogeyman of the food world. It’s been blamed for allergies, headaches, and the so-called “Chinese restaurant syndrome”. Despite scientific studies debunking the xenophobic myths, its negative reputation still persists. Paranoia surrounds MSG, and Western attitudes assign the negative connotations of MSG solely on Chinese cuisine - even though it’s found in many day-to-day Western foods. To this day, it is frequently only Chinese and East-Asian restaurants that are forced to attest that they do not use the seasoning in their establishment to assure customers that their business is safe.

Shellie Zhang (b. 1991, Beijing, China), a multidisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto/Toronto, has explored these issues through her artwork series Accent, which looks at the complicated history of MSG and how fear of the product has racialized undertones.

Join us for a conversation with Shellie Zhang, over a Saturday afternoon of all-you-can-eat dim sum. Price of ticket includes dim sum.