I'm surprised Jeff hasn't chimed in on this post. I saw several things there that appear to be lifted from the MTPS site.

I like sugar or honey in some of my vinaigrette (I checked the spelling on this one!). It depends on what I am putting it over or with as much as it does what I feel like at different times. My favorite vinaigrettes are ones that use various different vinegars too, but I think the oil can be the star too. I like Walnut Oil very much. And, I like to mix oils. I will mix a rich fruity olive oil with a basic vegetable oil to get the flavor but not overpower my greens or whatever foods I am using the vinaigrette. I have always thought that the basic portions for oil and vinegar was 2/3 oil and 1/3 vinegar. But, I will do whatever tastes best to me and sometimes that is the right mix and sometimes I will do a half and half. I also like to mix mustards in my vinaigrettes. I like to add various herbs too. One of the best vinaigrettes I made was for a salad that had greens and fruit with nuts in it. I got wild and added feta cheese, buckwheat honey, and orange zest. It was wowzer for flavor! I have added cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lots and lots of sweet basil, (not all together, separate usually), and even added a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon with walnut oil and rice wine vinegar over a salad that had baby greens and tiny cream cheese/goat cheese balls in it. My neighbor takes an envelope of Hidden Valley and does an oil and vinegar dressing with it and tosses in lots of chopped raw vegetables and everyone gobbles it up at our block party pot-lucks. It is really, really good! I guess the trick is to know what you like and to maybe start with the rule of thumb that says, 1/3 volume of vinegar and 2/3 volume of oil.. whether that is in cups, teaspoons, or shot glasses as measuring tools!

So-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and the accusatory fingers pointed at glutimates as something dangerous were ideas not accepted by everyone and anyway were long ago discredited. I believe this was the source of what you called the "not very good reputation". Or were you thinking of something else? And not a good reputation with "certain physicians"? What does that mean? I don't often eat canned soups or other concoctions but you can be sure most have glutimate-rich ingredients with less potentially misunderstood names than MSG. The Japanese have long been on the forefront of identifying and using glutimate-rich ingredients. Japanese food is very glutimate heavy. That's why so many dishes taste savory and delicious. J Kenji Lopez-Alt is a respected and innovative chef who's very into the science of food and cooking. Formerly with the Cooks Illustrated operation, he's now doing other things (including writing books) and is associated with the website Serious Eats. I recently made his stew recipe and it includes some unusual ingredients as well as what he describes as an "umami bomb" to jolt the flavor. Soy sauce, tomato paste, anchovies, Worchestershire sauce (which has anchovies in it). The end result was delicious. The not so good reputation you refer to is what exactly?

Chase, I got this recipe from someone here. I think his name was Bob. Ella’s Raspberry Vinaigrette 1/2 cup mild oil, such as canola or vegetable oil 2 TB honey 1 scant TB Dijon mustard 3 TB red wine vinegar (white balsamic works well too) 1 tsp fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste half of 1/2 pint fresh raspberries, about 1/2 cup* *Frozen berries, thawed, can also be used. Combine all ingredients except berries in a mini-chop, processor or blender and process briefly to emulsify. Add berries and process until liquid. Check seasoning by dipping a piece of the greens into the dressing to get a true assessment. (Strain to remove seeds) Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Store in fridge and shake or whisk well before using again. I dress my baby greens and then add roasted pecans. Btw, check your messages. ETA: It was Bob. raspberry-vinaigrette