> We have long since forgiven the US for Uncle Sam deodorant.
Whatever Uncle Sam deodorant was, it was no more American than Outback Steakhouses are Australian. I’m pretty sure no such thing was ever sold in the U.S. Australians are as capable of mangling American culture as Americans are of mangling Australian culture.
> We’ve forgiven you for KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dominoes.
> We may even one day forgive you for McDonalds. We even like
> you for Sizzler.
Come to the U.S. some day and try some good hamburgers, pizza, and Tex-Mex food. McDonalds’s are pretty poor examples of hamburgers (and ditto for Hungry Jack, which is what Burger King is called in Australia), the Tex-Mex food at Taco Bell is mediocre, and Pizza Hut’s and Domino’s pizzas aren’t very good. KFC is perhaps barely acceptable. I haven’t eaten at Sizzler for a long time (and it’s not that big a chain in the U.S. anymore), but my memory is that the salad bar was acceptable, but everything else was mediocre. In general, the fast food chains are not good examples of American foods.
Just to confuse things even further, Fenris – sometimes the Maori of Aotearoa/New Zealand are referred to, particularly by overseas folk of other native ethnic backgrounds, as the “aboriginal race” of our islands.
It isn’t so much insulting as it can be confusing.
Right. Carry on with the great Aussie tucker convo, guys.
Chocolate spread? When did we get chocolate spread? Nutella is European! The only accepted All-American sandwich spread is peanut butter (and occasionally Fluff).
Also, I’m almost afraid to ask, but what on earth is coon cheese???
In France there is a brand of chewing gum called Hollywood that is, you guessed it, French. As well as a chain called American Sandwich, whose sandwiches are about as French as they come. Hee.
Can we get fried eggs on our burgers? I had this in Australia a couple of years ago and it was pretty good, weird at first but still good. I missed the beets on the burgers thing and don’t think I would care for it anyway, can’t stand beets. I ate dinner at a place in Adelaide that served your choice of meat with a extremely hot rock that you cooked the meat on yourself, that was pretty good too. What beers do you Australians think are your best ones?
I adore Outback Steakhouse. Friendly service, decent food.
The steaks are good, I like the Toowoomba pasta dish, and I ate a whole bloomin’ onion right before a half-marathon last year.
An now Mr. self-righteous OP has to come along and ruin my illusion. The willing suspension of disbelief combined with artistic license allowed me to believe that I was having authentic Australian fare.
Thanks a bunch.
And Sizzler isn’t that terrible because the service is excellent, the food consistent (if mediocre,) and it’s priced appropriately.
I love top notch food, but I don’t bash low-brow establishments when they do a good job and you get what you pay for.
I’d much rather that than go into a pretentious joint, with high prices, poor quality and service.
Outback is the leader of the pack, but Applebys doesn’t suck. Sizzler runs a distant third.
As for the ethnic slurs, is it a slur if it’s meant complimentary?
I don’t think their trying to repress or demean anyone with their “Ab-original” specialties.
When I was in New York, I used to have lunch at the Carnegie Deli all the time, and they certainly play on the Jewish heritage of some of their foods, sometimes to a shocking degree, but that was by the sandwich guys, and probably not a deliberate managerial decision. I’d reproduce those comments, but good taste forbids it.
Hmmmm. How much food will I need to carry with me to survive a two-week antipodean holiday?
<grin>
How on earth is Outback marketing itself down there? It just makes no sense at-tall. There’s something so completely ersatz about the whole effort that I’d be tempted to see it in person (but not so tempted that I’d bother seeking out their Australian website).
(I must admit that if forced to choose between Sizzler and Outback - something I must do when visiting my parents in Frederick, MD - it’s Outback every time. In my experience I have a better than 50-50 chance of a good steack at Outback, and zip-zero-[hemingway] nada-is-nada-is-nada-is-nada [/hemingway] at Sizzler.)
On a similar note - apparently Starbucks is about to make its first push into continental Europe, including…Italy. That should be fun.
Oh no. They forgive us once they get a taste of that eggy goodness. Not to mention the beetroot.
Ah, now we’re down to the important stuff!
Taste is highly personal, but I enjoy VB (Victoria Bitter) and Crown Lager. Crown Lager is probably Australia’s best beer - a good, crisp, clean taste, nice and light on the palate - but it’s pricey, while VB is more of an “at the pub with your mates on a Friday night” kind of beer. Not too bitter, despite the name, and it’s easy to sink a couple more than you intended to
Also worth a try, anything Cascade, Coopers or Hahn and, if you like black beers, Toohey’s Old (although I’ve rarely seen that for sale outside New South Wales).
Yeah Guinastasia, this isn’t exactly health food but I figured when in Rome do as the Romans do. I also had kangaroo while I was there and I enjoyed it even though it was served very rare.
As far as Outback Steak House goes I like the place. Having been to Australia I know the food is definitely not authentic but it isn’t bad either. I think it’s rather silly of Outback Steak House to try and open restuarants down under though.
I noticed beer seemed to be pretty regional down under. I was in Adelaide for several days and found Coopers to be the most commonly available beer. I went to Sydney for 2 days at the end of my trip and found VB to be the most commonly available but no Coopers. I always like to try the local brews and food when I travel, I think that’s the best measure of what an area is really like.
Geez, I’d forgotten about Uncle Sam deodorant. Give it its due though, it had one of the best slogans ever: “YOU NEED UNCLE SAM!” Long live the 70s!
Proud Aussie as I am, I don’t like folks who go on about “US cultural imperialism” because most of them tend to be selective about it. It’s business, and if the Yanks can make a buck out of our stupidity, then good on ‘em, BUT - I am not above indulging in my own bit o’ selectivity. I like Coca Cola because it’s a good product, and the caffeine buzz/refreshment deal is a formula that appeals to me. I don’t mind a shot of Jack Daniels, and I’ve been known to read the Straight Dope. I’ll even tolerate Starbucks’ existence on Australian soil (though I don’t plan ever to set foot in one when I can get a kick-arse short espresso from the Italian place down the street), but this Outback Misteakhouse bizzo is beyond the pale.
May any self-respecting Aussie who sets foot in one choke to a lingering death on his Woomera Fries, John Kerr Cookies, Creaned Corn, Granville and mash, Hansonburgers, Figs Bert Newton, or Ruddocked Ham (Yanks, don’t ask -it’ll end in tears).
And one more thing. If Australia and the US end up at cultural war, and ICBMs with hamburger warheads start criss-crossing the Pacific, I think we’d all do well to remember the Cold War dogma of Mutual Assured Destruction as a deterrent. You may have your Bud, but we’ve got our Fosters. Both taste like Bats’ piss. Lets not go there, eh? (And that bloody clogboy Coldie thinks he’s got it tough living in a country where Heineken is considered bad beer. Boy, could us Aussies and Yanks show him a thing or two about truly awful brew! ).
Coca Cola and Jack Daniels are not quite the same as the Outback Steak House when it comes to cultural imperialism. Coke and JD are US originated products that make no claim to be influenced by any other culture. Outback Steak House is a US definition of Australian culture, and a sucky one at that, that is being introduced into the culture that it so poorly represents. I hope that makes sense, it sounds much better when the voices in my head say it.
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