I will occasionally use this phrase after an abnormally vigorous bowel movement, as in “Don’t go in the bathroom for a little while, dear; there was some Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.”
My wife hates this. It amuses me, though. I think the five-year-old is gonna start using it.
Cosmopolitan, I recall reading that a Bloomin’ Onion[sup]TM[/sup] has as much fat in it as 14 steaks. Just some food for thought.
Narrad
This wouldn’t be a brothel/whorehouse would it?
BeerFan
Hey, cut us some slack here! We know that Outback has nothing to do with Australia, and that it’s all just a marketing angle. I must say, though, that I’m surprised that they have these down in Oz. I mean, I can’t see this being well-received.
Outback’s just another of the billions of family restaurant chains, and their marketing gimmick is that it’s “Australian”. Hey, we’re not falling for it here in the States, either! 
:eek: I think the residents of Rooty Hill, Blacktown could be a little upset at your description of their charming suburb.
Actually, they do have lamb chops. That is why I dislike Outback. The one time I have been, we waited for ever, the service was poor and the lamb chops. God, how could someone ruin meat that badly. I love mutton and lamb. I have cooked it in a variety of ways and it always make tasty food. But for the love of God, Outback ruined those lamb chops.
Narrad,
I respectfully withdraw my query and offer my apologies to any residents of the Rooty Hill, Blacktown suburb who might have taken offense. This exchange seems to have drifted slightly off topic so is there an Outback Steak House there?
Lone Star Steakhouse is a perfect example of a company in one region taking the “culture” of another region and passing it off as the “real thing”. From their web site :
It’s interesting that you won’t find a Lone Star Steakhouse anywhere in the Lone Star State. They’re afraid to come here because they know we’ll see right through their phoney Texas swagger. We know the “real thing”. Hell, we ARE the “real thing”! Lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing, indeed!
If you want a “real” Texas steakhouse experience, I suggest you stop by and see us here in Fort Worth if you get the chance. I’ll happily point you to Cattlemen’s, complete with its fiberglass cow perched on the roof, or William’s Ranch House with its “oil baron” decor stuck happily in the 1950s ("Hey, isn’t that Jett Rink and Bick Benedict over at that corner table?).
I would even point you to a Trail Dust or a Saltgrass if you insisted on a chain steakhouse. At least they’re based in Texas.
Or perhaps Texas Land and Cattle, Kepi?
Never been to Texas L&C, Bhudda. But since they’re based in Dallas, I would assume they are the real Texas deal!
They are very nice, at least the one in Euless was. Not too badly priced, either.
“Meat raffles” = the best prospective band name I’ve seen so far on these boards.
"Ladies and gentlemen! All the way from Sydney Australia! Put your hands together for… The Meat Raffles!"
reprise writes:
> I’m not sure the US has any equivalent of our service clubs.
> Think mini-Vegas. They usually have a large poker (slot)
> machine area, a cafe, a bistro and a restaurant, plus an
> auditorium and function rooms. Some have sporting complexes
> and gymnasiums attached. They rely largely on gambling
> revenue (the drink prices are cheaper than average) and
> organise activities like bingo and meat raffles during the
> daytime. Most people in metropolitan areas will live somewhere
> reasonably close to a club and convenience is a big attraction
> (we have tough drink-driving laws here) along with the
> relatively cheap prices for food and drinks.
One of the reasons that you won’t find similar things in the U.S. is that the places that you can find slot machines are pretty limited. Yes, anywhere in Nevada and in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but in general gambling isn’t allowed (with some minor exceptions) other than in a casino, and casinos aren’t thought of as family-type locations. They’re limited to very specific locations in ways that differ state to state. In many states they’re not allowed at all. Oddly, a number of casinos are run by American Indian tribes. Some of the minor exceptions are bingo parlors in certain states, which are always run by nonprofit organizations (frequently Catholic churchs), and horse racing tracks.
As a mini-hijack to the last poster, after a WordPerfect training course where one of the names used was Wendell Paella, the local smartalec called me ‘Wendell’ the rest of the time I worked there. Im amazed that someone has taken it on voluntarily
This argument would have more moral weight if there weren’t a bazillion companies in Texas taking the “culture” of Texas and passing it off as the “real thing” to the endless delight of Texans.
America leads the world in the art of feeding people an experience instead just feeding them food, and Texas leads America because Texans will buy horse shit if you stamp the words TEXAS PROUD on it.
Of course I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I only posted this because as a Texan, I love to talk about Texas.
-fh
Still haven’t got a responsefrom Outback Syeakhouse - way to build customer relations guys.
Just out of interest, what return must poker (slot) machines pay in the US? Here it’s around 87% (ie, 87% of money put in must eventually be paid back out in minor or major payouts).
My son informs me that we have a Chilli’s in Sydney and his friends are saying good things about it. Will have to check it out.
BalmainBoy writes:
> Im amazed that someone has taken it on voluntarily
It’s my real name.