In my house garlic is its own food group, so this (seemingly early) 51 minute film from 1980 extolling its virtues went down well. The documentary meanders rather organically from one thing to another, visiting chefs preparing dishes, one of the earliest Gilroy Garlic Festivals, and informal interviews of people ranging from kids on a playground to Werner Herzog about garlic. Some of the content is rather dated, but it was certainly ahead of the curve in terms of garlic's broader acceptance, and may have you salivating (hey, we had to pause and make Chloe Coscarelli's garlic bread, which as a side note is the all-time best).
It's hard to fathom that at this time in America, garlic was still emerging, here touted by organic food lovers in California like the legendary Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, and in the middle of the country less used or even looked down upon. (Indeed, recall Potter's derisive comment in It's a Wonderful Life from a generation before about the lowly "garlic-eaters" in the town). This certainly stemmed from the difference between those who immigrated from Northern European countries and those from Asia or the Mediterranean area. How nice that Les Blank celebrated the "stinking rose," allowed people to talk about its health benefits, and showed its use in cooking (even if I could have done without the whole baby pigs being stuffed). Setting that image aside, this is a fun, fanciful way to spend an hour.
