I don't eat garlic whole but it is pickled, or roasted, I eat it. As for the salt, I do that sometimes and i definitely have done that with soy sauce packets...
I don't have one for non-vegetarians. The dashi stock I use is made from water, soybean paste, ans shiitake mushrooms. I simmer those ingredients together and then remove the mushrooms after i believe all the flavours are fused into the soup then I season it to my taste. I add in cubed tofu, wakame(seaweed) and simmer for a few minutes more. I garnish with sliced scallions.