A friend of mine is eating fresh garlic which I find very offensive. I cannot get within four feet of him without wanting to puke. He tells me my reaction is because I'm toxic. To me it's a preposterous assessment. I'm curious if anyone else has ever heard this anywhere.

I have not heard of this.

I wouldn't argue or defend your position with your friend. Just tell you friend that it doesn't feel good for you to be too close to him when he has eaten garlic because he smells offensive to you.

You most definitely don't need to come up with any arguments about not being toxic.

Thanks Bryan. I have made my feelings known to him & he just doesn't care. He's as bad as a smoker who feels he/she has every right to pollute the environment. What's worse is that he's choosing garlic over our friendship.

By the way, don't just tell him that it doesn't feel good. When he comes to you smelling like this, tell him that he doesn't smell good and you are leaving and are not going to hang out with him as long as he smells this way.

Bryan, he's already told me I must accept his garlic consumption or limit our interactions to the telephone. It's a tough spot to be in as he's my only friend where I live & I depend on him at times to get around.

THis might sound weird, but could you try eating a little garlic yourself, like half a clove with a salad or something? It might help you be more tolerant to his smell.

I only say that because he's your only friend, he doesn't want to stop eating garlic (and it IS his choice), and you depend on him (which isn't wise to depend on another to get around, but it is what it is).

I've heard that the human nose can adjust to most smells within 7 minutes so you might want to check that out.
Another thing you can try is breathing through your mouth and not through your nose.

Perhaps this is the universe telling to make some new friends.

I think you are being a bit precious. Relax for goodness sake.

It's nothing to do with being toxic - just stand back a bit and lighten up



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2009 09:01PM by flipperjan.

Rawne: I understand that you are probably upset. My opinion is that people that love each other....support each other....even when their opinions or lifestyle make them difficult or impossible to live with or even spend a lot of time with. So: I DO understand your frustration, but all you can/should do is tell your friend what YOU are going to do...and not try to put limits on what your friend is trying to do...unless he proclaims to be doing something HE feels is self-destructive....then by all means try to limit it! Ha! ha! Yeah...otherwise....just let it go.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

rawne,

Back in the day, when my parents and their college friends would be "up at the lake" sitting down to a savory al fresco meal together, one of their oldest friends used to pull out a bulb of garlic, which went well with the other edibles. He would then politely ask that everyone have at least one clove. That way, everyone would have equally stinky breath and no one could chide anyone else for it. All in the group affably complied. Why? Because they understood the need to be a sport. The group is better off when no one individual's needs are thought to supersede another's in importance. If this person is a good friend otherwise and defers to you often, you need to let him make his own food choices. He isn't forcing you to eat garlic, is he?

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ..... If this person is a good friend
> otherwise and defers to you often, you need to let
> him make his own food choices. He isn't forcing
> you to eat garlic, is he?
Tamukha....That's being unfair. It seems to me that this
good friend is going out of his way to make it unpleasant for Rawne.
It's just common courtesy if you know you're offending someone with
something you do, then you don't do that thing in the others presence.
How easy it would be for him not to eat Garlic when he was taking her
shopping, or going to the Dentist, or whatever they do together....WY

Rawne, Natural Hygiene would say that the garlic is toxic, and that your reaction is healthy.

WY,

I suspect that, considering this is his only offense and the poster implies he is someone that can otherwise be relied upon, there is more to the garlic eater's side than we are getting.

I agree with your suggestion that running errands with the op requires that the friend refrain from garlic eating out of courtesy. But we don't know the context: When and where? Every meeting, or just a couple of times? Out to eat, or running errands, or out ballroom dancing? If, for example, these two are training senior citizens in CPR at the local community center, with the op acting as incapacitated person, and the garlic eater acting as lifeguard, well, the garlic eater is being obnoxious by not keeping his breath fresh for demonstrations. And is not a good friend therefore. On the other hand . . .

I don't eat garlic anymore, and wouldn't foist my garlicky breath on anyone if I did, but I am really astonished at how raw foodists insist that their food choices are their own and no one else's business, but seem to be resistant to extending the same courtesy to non raw foodists.

If there is no way to get the friend to stop eating garlic every meeting, and the op cannot prevail upon this person's affection for them to make it so, then the op can only modify their response to the situation. Or, as Bryan suggested, find new garlic eschewing friends.

Thanks to all who have responded; however, my intent was not to put my private affairs up for debate but rather to seek objective information... my own fault for responding too personally to Bryan's post.

"I don't eat garlic anymore, and wouldn't foist my garlicky breath on anyone if I did, but I am really astonished at how raw foodists insist that their food choices are their own and no one else's business, but seem to be resistant to extending the same courtesy to non raw foodists"


There's a difference between choosing what you put into your own body and trying to choose what another eats.....I meant to suggest extending the courtesy AND respect of not commenting further upon what the other person eats; it's that person's choice.

What if this friend suggested that Rawne not eat pineapple? I mean, come on!

We all find different things offensive, but we don't choose what our friends do. I wish my friends wouldn't eat French fries for dinner, but oh, well. Not my choice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2009 03:15PM by Utopian Life.

Maybe the garlic eater is consuming garlic for health reasons ? I have heard that garlic can be useful as a natural treatment in any number of health challenges ranging from viruses to fungus to blood pressure and many others. Maybe the garlic eater is just doing right by their health ?

Rawne:

If you want objective information, here's the wiki:

[en.wikipedia.org]

-It seems that in recent studies, garlic's ability to reduce cholesterol has been shot down. Garlic can still be a powerful antibotic and parasite cleanser. Here's another wiki on Allistatin:

[en.wikipedia.org]

There are those who say garlic is disruptive to the body or brainwave function...like this guy:

[www.relfe.com]

Here's another guy that doesn't like the spiritual effects of garlic:

[ahigherspirit.com]

-You can certainly make your own objective choice based on the information out there and your own experience. And be nice to your friend....but keep your distance! Ha! ha!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com