Note 172 — CICERO'S LETTERS TO ATTICUS BOOK XIII (continued 2)
Eric Otto Winstedt translation
Tyrrell explains this as an allusion to the proverb ἵνα μὴ σκόροδα μηδὲ κυάμους (φάγω) (that I may not eat garlic or beans), which was applied to persons wishing for a quiet life.