Garlic in the Raw

Where did this garlic obsession come from?

 

As a child, I was picky eater. I would see my mom season food with granulated garlic, but I didn't know what flavor it contributed to food. It wasn't until I was bullied into eating garlic, that I truly found a passion for it. At age 7, we moved to a new neighborhood and my parents took us out to local pizzeria. When our pizza slices arrived, our cousin who had a tendency to pick on me, took a garlic shaker to my slice and told me it will taste better.  I thought she was very mean to disrupt my plain cheese pizza experience with this substance I never gave her permission to sprinkle on.  She put a lot on my pizza. I figured she was trying to trick me and daring me all at the same time.  So I took her on and found a new flavor obsession.  From then, it occurred to me that garlic was a secret ingredient to making food taste good. I would make garlic bread toast and my own secret spice blend that included granulated garlic as the base.  I even felt that a garlic shaker should replace our table salt shaker.

 

My obsession evolved after my Aunt who lived with us, shared her snack: Italian bread dipped in raw garlic and olive oil.  Then I was introduced to a pizzeria in the East Village that sells the best garlic knots I have ever had.  I would ask for extra garlic and save it to put on everything I ate.

 

Where did the name Garlic in the Raw come from?

 

At age 15, I was introduced to the vegan, raw food world. I was not quite ready for it and my family was not in support of it. In my early twenties, I really got to explore it. I became a vegetarian incorporating vegan raw food into my diet. From time to time, I would bring my own raw minced garlic to restaurants to add to my food or ask for a side of raw garlic.

 

Then I thought, it would be my dream to own a garlic restaurant. Originally, Garlic in the Raw was to be a garlic restaurant concept for my then vegetarian self.  I was soon to find out, the name Garlic in the Raw was once a dietary supplement that went out of business, there is a garlic restaurant chain, but out in California and Sugar in the Raw trademarked "in the raw"! I'm not sure if that includes Garlic in the Raw since it was previously used, but perhaps they were around before the trademark and it is also in a different category.  If this ever became a restaurant serving Garlic in the Raw, that could be a conflict.  But I do not see myself turning this idea into a restaurant anytime soon. For now, it is just a place to share my enthusiasm.  Enjoy!