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July 25th • Food & Social Taboos

Gilroy Garlic Festival

A massive food festival in California known as the garlic capital of the world. Visitors can eat everything from classic garlic bread to bizarre creations like garlic-flavoured ice cream. Today, we debate why one simple cooking ingredient can be so polarising, and whether smelling like food is a social price worth paying for a delicious meal.

Fresh garlic bulbs representing the festival

Speaking Discussion

  • Do you absolutely love the taste of garlic, or do you try to avoid it as much as possible?
  • Would you be brave enough to eat garlic-flavoured ice cream? Why do people enjoy mixing sweet and savoury flavours?
  • How important is garlic as a foundation for the cooking and traditional dishes in your own culture?
  • Do you think smelling strongly of food (like garlic or onions) is a social taboo in your country?
  • If you were cooking a meal to impress someone on a first date, would you use a lot of garlic or none at all?
  • Why do we have such strong physical and emotional reactions to certain smells?

Activity 1: The Bizarre Menu

The Task: You are a Chef. You have been asked to create a 3-course dinner where *every* dish must contain garlic (even the dessert).

Explain your menu. How will you make it taste good?

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Cooking

Complete the sentence and justify it in 20 seconds.

  • "The most important ingredient in my kitchen is..."
  • "Food tastes better when it's cooked with..."
  • "I would never eat..."