09-09-2020， Wednesday， Sunny。
I majored in Chemistry from my bachelor’s to my Ph.D.. However, I was unable to use this knowledge to make money and support my family. After switching to software engineering for more than 20 years, I finally have the spare time to enjoy hobbies. I started to apply my long-lost chemistry skills and knowledge to make food or drinks, a joyful hobby.
Today, I am going to share a story about alcohol-marinated garlic. I have made and consumed alcohol-marinated garlic for a few years now. My story like a stylish lab report, in a light hearted manner, with timestamped personal pictures. The lab conditions, such as the period of time, location, and situation, are all very important in my report. The conclusion will come about naturally.
In March 2018, Marinated Garlic on Stage
In March 2018, when I showed my Kong rice, a special dish from my hometown Zigong, the marinated for almost one year garlic also appeared on the photo in my weChat. My college classmate, Dr. Tu asked me: “Your marinated garlic is white not green, How did you do it?” Dr. Tu demonstrated his well-tuned expertise in chemistry, observation, and questioning.
In July 2018, Marinated Garlic Exhibited Curative Effects
In July 2018, Almaden Valley in San Jose CA is very hot. I spent the entire July to sort my house, which had accumulated more than 10 years worth of junk, from the bedroom, kitchen, living room, garage, and shed. Because I needed to pack and ship my daughter’s books, furniture, dinning sets, and clothes to Massachusetts, where she will start her study.
In the hot summer, going through the shed covered by dust and spider webs hurt my throat, it was sore while swallowing or talking, but I had no time to visit a doctor. I remembered garlic is an antibiotic and can kill germs and I had garlic marinated in white wine for almost a year handy, I drank a bit of garlic wine and ate a few pieces of marinated garlic in the evening. The next morning, my throat felt much better.
I recorded one of my long-time IT colleagues, who majored in biochemistry in college and dreamt of becoming a doctor, once told me: “Alcohol runs fast through the human body, because it is a very small molecule which can be absurd by the stomach or intestines.” My guess was that the wine boosted the curative effect of garlic quickly, so I felt better on the next day.
The heat and the exhaust, which I experienced two years ago, actually stretched from July to August, and traveled from dry-hot California to wet-hot Massachusetts, in my weChat moments. However, I did not get sick by the heat nor the intense labor.
Continuing to Marinate Garlic
In August 2018, after we settled down in Waltham, Massachusetts, I marinated another bottle of garlic, using vodka. When I felt discomfort on my gum, in my ear, or in my throat etc., I always drank a bit garlic wine and ate a few pieces of marinated garlic, it worked well for me.
Two years passed quickly, the marinated garlic I made in 2018 was almost finished. Buying a bag of garlic was on our Costco shopping list for a few weeks. This week, I finally bought a bag of garlic. I am going to start my project of marinating garlic now.
How to marinate garlic:
1. Peel the garlic skin, wash peeled garlic and let it dry naturally overnight.
2. Find an empty wine glass bottle which is air tied.
3. Put the dried peeled garlic into the glass bottle first, then add white wine.
3.1. White wine
I used Chinese rice wine and vodka before, this time I will use tequila. Their alcohol concentrations are 40 -50%. You can dilute the white wine to 20% by mixing bottled distill water with white wine at 1:1 a ratio.
3.2. Garlic and white wine volume is 1:2. add half bottle of garlic and full bottle of wine.
4. Do not add any salt or sugar.
5. Keep the tied glass bottle that contained garlic and wine in the refrigerator, because alcohol evaporates quickly at room temperature in an opened bottle.
Eat instruction:
Marinated garlic tastes much better than raw garlic.
1. The spicy taste of garlic is reduced after garlic has been marinated for 2 months, this is a good time to begin consuming the marinated garlic. The spicy taste of garlic is gone after one year of marinating.
2. Once a day, drink two little sips, eat 3-4 pieces of garlic, each the size of an almond.
3. All my incidents are acute not chronic. Marinated garlic seems to work well on acute problems.
About garlic (cited from UC Health):
Garlic contains compounds that help the immune system fight germs by stimulating cells important to fighting disease and helping to regulate the immune system. It helps boost the production of virus-fighting T-cells and can reduce the amount of stress hormones your body produces which can help keep your immune system functioning at full strength.