# Why the applause for garlic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321 "2006-03-07T00:29:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/1 "2006-03-07T00:29:31Z")
I don’t watch Emeril, because I don’t like him. But I was a captive audience recently and noticed that every time he added garlic to something the audience applauded wildly. Are these people morons? Do they think garlic is an exotic vegetable? What’s next, onion orgasms? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/2 "2006-03-07T00:30:39Z")
::sigh:: Could a mod please correct to “applause”? Thanx. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/3 "2006-03-07T00:32:52Z")
I never understood his “Bam!” schtick, either. Perhaps garlic IS an exotic spice to those who are applauding? ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/4 "2006-03-07T01:19:39Z")
What’s the definition of an onion orgasm? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/5 "2006-03-07T01:27:03Z")
> [@cabdude](#): > > What’s the definition of an onion orgasm? It’s so good you cry. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/6 "2006-03-07T02:30:24Z")
Emeril’s morons will clap for parmesan and parsley, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/7 "2006-03-07T02:35:50Z")
They applaud because they like garlic. Not very difficult to understand. ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/8 "2006-03-07T02:41:16Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I never understood his “Bam!” schtick, either. Perhaps garlic IS an exotic spice to those who are applauding? Bah, this post was eaten, so I’ll try again. Anyway, the story I heard behind the “Bam!” thing was that in his early days on TV, his camera crew kept falling asleep, so he started yelling whenever he added anything to keep them awake. As far as garlic, well, I suppose that’s as good as anything else to applaud for on a cooking show. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/9 "2006-03-07T03:38:33Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > It’s so good you cry. Thank you, thank you, we’ll be here all week! Try the garlic veal! _applause_ ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/10 "2006-03-07T03:39:44Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Are these people morons? Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Look at the commercials that air during the program–the show isn’t isn’t exactly targeting people who know what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/11 "2006-03-07T03:46:51Z")
They also clap and cheer whenever he adds butter (because the thinking is, butter = naughty = good) or any kind of alcohol (same thinking). It’s a Pavlovian response, formerly exhibited by the audiences of Oprah or the trashy daytime talk shows like Jerry Springer. I think Emeril Lagasse is an excellent chef, and even better, he can be a damn good cooking instructor, but the ridiculous \*Emeril Live \* setup works against that. He’s better on the show _Essence of Emeril_, where it’s just him in his kitchen studio talking to the camera as he teaches the viewers at home how to cook something, without that insipid house band, and without playing to his audience and spewing his tired catch-phrases. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/12 "2006-03-07T04:25:36Z")
Did I hear someone sa- _clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap_ ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/13 "2006-03-07T04:28:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > ::sigh:: Could a mod please correct to “applause”? Thanx. Kthxbye. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/14 "2006-03-07T04:42:10Z")
Well I don’t know about you guys, but I never had garlic until I had my own place and started trying to cook things. We had something called “garlic bread,” in which a small amount of garlic salt was sprinkled over butter, which was then between the (pre-sliced) slices of French bread–and that was it. People who ate garlic in any other form were, well, not our kind. So when I discovered garlic I damn well did applaud every time I used it. Yum, garlic, YAY. I use it A LOT. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/15 "2006-03-07T04:42:18Z")
Oh, and since this is about food and a television show, I’m going see if it’ll cook over in Cafe Society. BAM! ---
**Author:** ![gooftroopag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gooftroopag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gooftroopag)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/16 "2006-03-07T04:42:32Z")
Not that I watch Emeril, but I’m a huge fan of garlic. My love for garlic goes so far that I just might add a clap sound track to my house so that every time I cook with garlic I’m cheered on by my nonexistent audience. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/17 "2006-03-07T04:51:34Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > They also clap and cheer whenever he adds butter (because the thinking is, butter = naughty = good) or any kind of alcohol (same thinking). It’s a Pavlovian response, formerly exhibited by the audiences of Oprah or the trashy daytime talk shows like Jerry Springer. So does Emeril have to work behind a [_cough_] sneeze shield, so to speak? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/18 "2006-03-07T04:55:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I don’t watch Emeril, because I don’t like him. But I was a captive audience recently and noticed that every time he added garlic to something the audience applauded wildly. Are these people morons? Do they think garlic is an exotic vegetable? What’s next, onion orgasms? I read about one person’s experience of being in the studio audience. Like the audience of any show taped before a live audience, they are heavily encouraged (with “applause” signs and whatnot) to go nuts on cue. I got the impression that if you sat on your hands, you would be removed from the audience. Therefore, they are not morons, but victims of network nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/19 "2006-03-07T04:55:31Z")
I don’t watch Emeril either, but he was on in the break room at my work. He was making carmel/chocolate apples. He would dip the apple in carmel, let it dry, dark chocolate, let it dry, white chocolate, let it dry then again in dark chocolate and while still wet, dipped it in nuts. The audience applauded every time he dunk the apple in anything. It was sad really. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321/20 "2006-03-07T05:05:19Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > It’s a Pavlovian response, formerly exhibited by the audiences of Oprah or the trashy daytime talk shows like Jerry Springer. Formerly? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-applause-for-garlic/347321.md?page=2)