Garlic

Why does one restaurant succeed and another one, seemingly just as worthy, fail? In the case of Pazza Luna, I always felt owner Kim Acton was the reason -- she was such a presence there. She created the decor of the Locust Point rowhouse herself, with its whimsical sun, stars and moon motifs. The menu read like her personal food diary, and still does: "Danny Dickman taught me how to make this classic [Caesar salad]. He would say to me ... 'Kimmie, you need lots of garlic, lots of anchovy, lots of lemon.

What it is -- A one-serving package of rice that can be microwaved or stir-fried. What we like about it --For a packaged convenience item, this rice is surprisingly rich in aroma and flavor; we detected plenty of evidence of its signature spices. It made a fine partner for tandoori chicken and couldn't have been easier to prepare. Other flavors in the line include basmati, coconut and yellow rice. What it costs --$5.99 for two 8.82-ounce pouches Where to buy it --worldfood.com Per serving (1 package)

Karen Suhr used garlic cloves as centerpieces at her wedding and settled five years ago into a home decorated with a garlic-shaped clock, a garlic-shaped teapot, garlic-styled napkin rings and braids of the herb hanging from her kitchen walls.Her affection for garlic goes back to her childhood."I remember smells of garlic cooking in olive oil filling the house when I was growing up. It's just a wonderful smell, and I've always loved it," said Suhr, 33, who grew up in Piscataway, N.J., and lives in Wheaton.

Do garlic and garlic supplements have genuine health benefits? Hundreds of studies suggest the answer is yes, but the data are hard to interpret because some studies are sponsored by manufacturers of garlic extracts, sold as dietary supplements, while others simply track health outcomes in people who eat varying amounts of garlic. In October 2000, a government report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that while garlic may lower some types of cholesterol in the short term, it did not appear to offer long-term protection against cardiovascular disease.

Garlic has a long history of use as a flavoring for food, a charm against evils and a medicinal panacea. Yet 15 years ago, Americans ate only about 1 ounce of garlic per person a year. Last year, thanks to immigrants and favorable medical reports, consumption was up to 1 1/4 pounds each year, reports the Fresh Garlic Association.If you believe in the healing properties of garlic or just relish its pungent taste, you're in good company: Aristophanes, Hippocrates, Pliny, Virgil, Charlemagne, Pasteur and Gandhi all were garlic lovers.

Distasteful though it seems, garlic juice in milk may be good for the heart and assorted other physical parts.Heart patients in India who took daily doses of that peculiar concoction in addition to their other, modern medicines, not only lived longer than heart patients who took only their medicine, they also enjoyed it more.They reported increased sexual desire, increased vigor and energy, increased exercise tolerance, improved appetite and reduction in joint pain and body aches.Of all the positive medical effects described at the World Congress on the Health Significance of Garlic and Garlic Constituents in Washington last month, the heart study reported by Dr. Arun Bordia of the Tagore Medical College in Udaipur, India, was perhaps most intriguing, because it was the only major experiment in which humans were given garlic as therapy.

My husband and I have a disagreement about garlic that I hope you can settle. Once fresh garlic has sprouted those little green shoots, can you still use it? The real disagreement should have been about who was responsible for putting the garlic where it wouldn't be found for six months. The good news is that you actually can use it after it has sprouted shoots. Because it is older, the flavor is more intense, so you can cut down on the amount you use. Really old garlic can be bitter, though.

The smell of garlic doesn't so much tickle your nose when you walk into Zella's as march on over and give you a big bear hug. Most of the entrees in this nifty little pizza-and-calzone joint start with the basic Italian comfort-food ingredients of tomato sauce, cheese and dough, but then they're loaded with intensely flavorful ingredients such as caramelized onions, feta cheese, prosciutto and, of course, garlic. -- Poor:]

I am pro garlic. I like to smell it. I like to chop up cloves and put them in marinades. I like to roast the garlic cloves until they are soft then spread them on slices of homemade bread. The other day I got to engage in all of these garlic-loving activities. Moreover, I was introduced to a new form of the bulb, granulated garlic. The occasion was a simple Sunday evening meal. First I marinated two pounds of pork tenderloin in a mixture of orange juice, molasses, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic.

There are late bloomers in college basketball who struggle fo three years, then -- when they're 21- or 22-year-old seniors -- surprise with their contributions. Then there is Gerard Garlic.Garlic is not your garden-variety late bloomer. He's 27, living in a dormitory, and, for just the second season since he was graduated from Catonsville High School in 1983, he is playing organized basketball. And he's playing it very well, as a starting guard for Goucher College.He is averaging 17.8 points for the Gophers and -- despite his 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame -- 5.0 rebounds.