Along with MSG, soy sauce will also bring out the umami in dishes. I use a little MSG from time to time, especially when I am cooking Chinese food. I swear that the Chinese places that claim “no MSG” use MSG because it is easy to tell if the food has it or not. I prefer with MSG because it does bring out the flavor in foods. I think MSG got a bad rap from some Chinese places using waaaay too much of it to try and cover cheap ingredients.
 
-Trent (better eating through science)