Background: Ivana is a 19-year old student at USC, studying Public Policy and Diplomacy. She is from Ohio and moved to Los Angeles when she started USC as a freshman.

Main piece:

So what do you usually do when your stomach is hurting?

Ivana: “One time my mom gave me three cloves of RAW GARLIC and told me to eat them. At first I was like ‘what no why’ but she told me it would help my stomach hurt less and at that point, I was honestly willing to do anything to lessen the pain I was feeling. So I ate the garlic and then she gave me half a bowl of hot rice to chase away the garlic taste.”

Where did your mother learn this from?

Ivana: “Apparently she had done it when she was a child after hearing about it from her English teacher at school.”

Does it work?

Stella: “I’ve only done it twice in my life because eating raw garlic is just so intense, but honestly it has worked both times. It’s a lot to handle, but effective for sure.”

Performance Context: I interviewed the informant here at USC because she is my roommate. Apparently Ivana’s mother does not believe in taking pain killers or any sort of prescription drug unless absolutely necessary. So, she has many homemade remedies for different types of sicknesses.  

My Thoughts: 3 cloves of raw garlic seems like a little bit too much. I’m almost thinking that the stomach must have just gone into shock and that’s how the initial stomach pains went away. It’s so fascinating to see how such natural ingredients can create change in your body.