Garlic was once seen as somehow strange and smelly,and associated with impolite society,and so it became the symbol used by Anglo-Australians to identify the post-war migrants. In just over a generation,however,we find ourselves as a nation consuming about 3500 tonnes of fresh garlic annually,but producing only 500-700 tonnes. Most of the imports come from China,New Zealand,South Africa,Taiwan,the USA and Mexico. How times have changed.