Can someone please explain the "olive garden" thing in detail?

[Clintonista2]

I wasnt around when it happened.

[Sanity Claws]

1. No answer for you

You just wanted us to look at Carrot Top again. Not nice.

[Clintonista2]

2. LOL, people are too paranoid to read my posts now...

[OzarkDem]

9. What's wrong with him

in that photo? He looks, well, weirder than usual.

[lost-in-nj]

3. OK

Olive Garden
Breastfeeding in the Olive Garden
Smoking in the Olive Garden
Breastfeeding WHILE smoking in the Olive Garden
Ordering Corn Flake covered chicken from the Olive Garden
Just friggin eating at the Olive Garden (not real Italian)
Talking on your Cell Phone while eating in the Olive Garden
Let your unruly kids run around the Olive Garden while you ignore them...
did I forget anything????????????????????

So any other questions????

lost


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :hi: :hi: :hi:

OnEdit: Driving your SUV, gas sucking truck to the Olive Garden

[liberaldemocrat7]

4. GOP contributing Olive Garden

Part of Darden Restaurants with Red Lobster.

The CEO of Darden Restaurants once addressed the Hitler Youth of the Republiklan party the YAF.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. It all started when one of our esteemed DUers ate at the Olive Garden in Times Square, and posted it

She was mercilessly attacked by a great many people for it, partly because it's a chain, and lots of people hate chains; but also because it was IN NEW YORK CITY with a huge Italian section and thousands of brilliant Italian restaurants, AND because the person who did it is someone who should have known better because she's a) worldly, and b) lived in NYC for many years (and, come to find out, certainly did know better, but she did it very good, though regrettable, reasons for being there) - I was one of the attackers in that thread, though I hope I was merciFULL while also properly chastising, but I probably just came across as an ass and would be embarrassed now to read what I said. BUT, I spent many years cursing that abomination every time I passed it when I lived in NYC, including the two years I worked a block away and had to pass it every fucking day, twice a day; which anger was made only worse when another restaurant I really liked sold out and became an Applebees right nearby. So, I was kinda riled, because I had some personal history with the Disney-fication of Times Square and New York City in general.

Turned into a real flamefest, that thread. Someone will surely post a link to it.

But that was the real beginning of Olive Garden being a flamewar target.

[Radio_Lady]

11. Thank you, Rabrrrrrr, for bringing this newbie up to date. I am the culprit.

We occasionally eat at one special Olive Garden in our own town. They are always busy here, but since small grandchildren are involved, getting in at 5 PM - 5:30 PM works well for us.

On vacation in New York, we stopped at the Olive Garden in Times Square prior to an afternoon performance at one of the Broadway theaters. We ordered their unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks. We found it very convenient and fairly inexpensive. They also had dependable air conditioning (this was June 2006 on an 85 degree day). We actually ate there twice during that vacation as I now recall.

Frankly, we rarely go to other fast food restaurants, although my son in Salt Lake City manages a Chili's restaurant there.

The children seem to enjoy the Olive Garden. My daughter is an excellent cook, and she makes fantastic lasagne. While I am an abysmal cook (no patient and no talent), I have travelled the world and know what good food is. Once, I was married to a gourmet cook who smoked until he had lung and bladder cancer and ate himself to the point of obesity. He died on December 1, 2006.

Here in Portland, we go to the Cafe Allegro, on Main Street in Tigard, OR, which is run by young people whom we like. They feature delicious Italian food, have about twelve tables, and they are on the Entertainment card (two for one dinners). We take the more mature members of the family there, and we savor REALLY EXCELLENT food.

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,

Radio Lady

[txwhitedove]

17. You're a brave woman, Radio_Lady. The Olive Garden war was...

ugly. With so much tainted by Republicans, we must pick our battles.
I love the Olive Garden, even if they do contribute to the GOP,
but just don't go there now. I will also probably break down and
watch "House" on Faux (Fox), but that's all, I swear, absolutely
no watching "American Idol" this year. I believe we are all fighting
for the same things, to retain our rights as American citizens and
beings to think, say, eat, watch, sing, exactly what we want to - without
having to answer to any misguided government or party, even our own.

:hug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. WHAT?!?! You ate at the Olive Garden in Times Square?!?!?!

With so many GOOD restaurants in that city?!?!?!?!?!


Heh heh - just kidding. That flame war is done. :7

:hi:

You were indeed the person I was talking about...

[Radio_Lady]

29. Yes I did. It's a free country and I can eat where I want to... SO THERE!

Well, I'm not sure it's as free as it used to be, but we're working to fix that, aren't we?

Rabrrrrr, I wish you'd run interference for me ALL the time! Thanks so much! You're now on my buddy list, and I'm sending Radio_Lady love to you and yours!

Pay it forward.

Sincerely,

Radio Lady Ellen in Oregon

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlooInBloo]

28. Was it as good as the fried chicken thread? I only just found out about that!

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. In my opinion, the chicken thread holds the record for most totally unneccesary flamewar.

The Olive Garden was good, but it also made a certain kind of sense that it could lead to a flamewar.

But the chicken frying one - there was absolutely no reason for that to for into flamewar, and it went into a totally ridiculous and out of control one.

I don't think it will ever be topped for absolute war over nothing of any importance whatsoever.

[skygazer]

32. Especially when it culminated in Skinner's famous thread

Telling us we were no longer allowed to post ANYTHING about chicken. :rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

33. BWHAHAHAA!!!! I can just see it: "That'll about do it for the chicken threads folks."

:rofl:

[skygazer]

35. Actually, it was "Please no more threads about chicken"

And here it is -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3499154

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

37. Thanks! I've been here for awhile, but there's so much DU lore I'm totally ignorant of.

[Zomby Woof]

36. It was the phoniest flame war in DU history

It wasn't really about chicken or how to fry it.

It was Maddy McCall (she was jchild then) and me carrying over a primary flame war from GD into the Lounge. Stupid yes, but it wasn't really about chicken. It was sublimation of the worst kind.

I don't honestly give a shit how ANYONE fries their chicken (maybe Maddy does, but only she can speak for herself).

As for Skinner's ban, that was because a select group of DU's finest thinkers thought, in their ignorance, that I could be baited by chicken threads. So he banned them, crazy (and undeniably pee-in-my-pants funny) as that was, to stop their endless rule-breaking and flamebaiting.

I thought I got the word out about this, but apparently too many DUers are under the erroneous impression that the original chicken flamewar was really about chicken. Or that Skinner's ban was really about chicken. "Chicken" was code by then for "Let's get ZombyWoof banned."

I learned my lesson. The next time Maddy McCall tried to get me to join her, I told her I want no part of it. I sincerely regret it, and later made amends with the person who was the target of that thread.

[mike_c]

6. do you breast feed in public...?

:evilgrin:

Now I'll bet you're REALLY confused.

[Deja Q]

14. I think olive garden does serve chicken breast dishes, but I've never seen a street vendor do so...

:hide:

[CTyankee]

7. Here's the real deal. The Olive Garden is an affront to anyone who cherishes Italian cuisine.

So everyone who feels this way tries to knock it at every chance they can.

I love Italy and I love its cuisine. I have never gotten a bad meal there. It is a different culture about food. Olive Garden is a corruption of the ideal of Italian food. I will not eat at an Olive Garden. I did once and never again.

I think that is it in a nutshell. I know for me it is that I will never eat at such a place. But that is because I have fabulous Italian cuisine in New Haven, where I live. I realize lots of people don'thave that choice and they think that Olive Garden offers them real Italian food.

[poiuytsister]

8. So how do we stand on Taco Bell?

Anybody up for a taco salad?

[Deja Q]

13. I've never had one, but something like 6 billion people have vouched for them...

:hide:

[Radio_Lady]

21. Never been there... do we get extra points for that stance?

[regnaD kciN]

22. How wide is it?

:evilgrin:

[Radio_Lady]

23. Wait a minute... are we talking about eating or excreting here?

:sarcasm:

[Rhythm]

26. when you're talking about Taco Hell, it's likely both...

:rofl:

[Radio_Lady]

27. Um... I'll think twice before ordering their apple juice...

Hold the iced tea, too. At which point, I would break into song:

"Two for tea and pee for two,

You for me and me for you...

Nobody near us to see us or hear us..."

-------

Oh, what happened to those songs we sang when we were young and gay...?

Are you old enough to remember the (slightly perverted lyric) from the quaint song "Tea for Two" -- you probably don't know or can't remember it.

[MilesColtrane]

10. I cheered when a 1 year old Carraba's closed in my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago.

The food might have been good. I don't know.

I didn't like them because of the fact that it was just another step in destroying the personality of the neighborhood.

Independently run diners and restaurants were being forced out and replaced by coporate chains to go along with the new McMansions that are spreading like herpes.

[fudge stripe cookays]

19. Good.

One moved into our old neighborhood and ran our favorite joint out of business (one that had great sentimental value because we had our wedding rehearsal dinner there).

Corporate Italian sucks ass. And anyone who eats it voluntarily is really lacking tastebuds.

[Deja Q]

12. Well, you enter through the outer doors, then go through the inner doors. Then

a hostess will sit you in a booth or a table, get you some water, and let you read some menus.

20 minutes later, she returns asking if you've had enough time to read the menus. You have and place your order.

45 minutes later, your food arrives. You discover the ranch dressing on the tossed salad looks a bit odd, never mind the placing of that breadstick. You try to get the hostess back, but she doesn't reappear for another 15 minutes. Since the infant is so impatient with wanting his face stuffed, she whips out her left one and lets the baby drink some milk that no doubt the restaurant will try to charge her double for.

Meanwhile there are snotty little children using the restaurant like a rollerblade rink, while their dingaling parents, who are also likely to take a leak on anyone who stumbles on a stairwell and claim it makes good youtube material, are chattering away on their cell phones; likely telling people not to eat there because of ranch dressing, takes bloody forever for somebody to show up, unruly children, people jabbering away on their cell phones, breast feeding... and all that fried chicken that Rachel Ray made too.

:hide:

[AlCzervik]

15. The Olive Garden is the arc, it holds in all the flame wars.

[Radio_Lady]

31. Radio Lady, the Keeper of the Arc and the Flame. Thank you for your mind vision!

PS. My radio name in Florida when I did the 11PM to 5AM talk and music show was Ellen Rainbow (just two letters are added to my legal married name at the time). My REAL middle name is Star. Spelled with one "R" -- I kid you not. It's on my birth certificate. I added the second "R" when I was in high school. My mother named me after my grandmother Eva. The middle name was from the comics strip Brenda Starr, Reporter.



http://www.comicspage.com/brendastarr/brenda_characters.html

[BarenakedLady]

16. I ate lunch there yesterday

I may have lost a bit of my soul in there.

:evilgrin:

Actually it was the first time in at least 11 years since I ate in one. It wasn't my choice, but I couldn't help but giggle to myself on the way. There were no breastfeeding babies, so I was disappointed. No rude kids either. And OMG! The food didn't totally suck! It was sort of anti-climactic.

For real though, I just wanted to say climactic.

[donco]

20. Is this the food police thread? eom

[billyskank]

39. You're my hero.

:loveya:

[bbernardini]

25. You are not allowed to like what you like. If you do, you're a heathen. nt

[Bryn]

34. I was one of first tasters of Olive Garden when It first opened in Florida

:hide:


Olive Garden restaurant was opened in Orlando, FL when I worked for Red Lobster Headquarter Information System which also owned Olive Garden. They had us go there to taste if food was good before it opened to the public. It was great. I can't believe how awful it is now. Salad is good..some food is okay, some isn't. I very much prefer real Italian bread and olive oil dip. Not those bread sticks. Ugh! So I don't go there anymore.

[Radio_Lady]

38. Hey, I roomed with a Sicilian girl, Mary Calabro, when I first lived in NYC.

She could really cook Italian. She was from Buffalo, NY, and married a guy with a very simple name. I can't find either of them on the Internet.

Say! Maybe I'll try her brother. Thanks for the suggestion.