One Million Moms to Olive Garden: Stop Siding With Satan!

[Mercer]

Dear One Million Moms,

It's a just a show. Settle down and enjoy your breadsticks.

Sincerely, Mercer

[PennySycamore]

FWIW, Teresa Guidice, from the RHoNJ* in her cookbook Skinny Italian has a chapter " The Cornerstone of Italian Food (or Things you Will Not Find at Olive Garden" where she points out that Olive Garden is not real Italian food, but American Italian food and much more fattening than authentic Italian food.  She's got a list of Americanized Italian foods like Strombolis, Calzones and Parm in a can.  (I can just see @lapapessaGiovanna clenching her teeth at what we Americans consider Italian food!)

*Yep, that Teresa who just got out of prison)

[older than allosaurs]

I heard a (NPR, probably) radio segment recently about a new restaurant in China that serves American-Chinese food. Their clientele is mostly American expats and Chinese students and businesspeople who developed a taste for it in the U.S.

They brought over chefs from the states to train the Chinese staff, and they have to import some of the ingredients. Chinese-American, like TexMex, evidently really is its own ethnic cuisine by now.

 

[defraudingjezebel]

Are they gonna boycott Olive Garden? Good. That just means more salad and breadsticks for me. Besides, isn't "One Million Moms" really something like "About One Hundred Thousand Moms"? 

(For real, OG is my guilty pleasure restaurant )

[withaj]

Update: I succumbed to my uncultured worldly desire for KFC. I can state for the record that KFC in Poland is several orders of magnitude better than in the US. Yum. Also pretty sure the whole menu is different. I had some sort of spicy chicken wrap that came with a hash brown in it 

[Swamptribe]

"Lucifer" is a show based on a character from the "Sandman" comic series.  Lucifer got his own series I believe.  Lucifer quits hell because he's sick of doing gods dirty work.  He then goes to live in LA, owns a club, and ends up helping people as well as the cops.  The first episode was actually very good.  Loved the scene with the school bully. 

Glad hubbie and I stopped into Olive Garden last week.

[Mercer]

Here's my fundie-related food confession: I think Chik-Fil-A is delicious. I love their chicken nuggets, waffle fries, and lemonade. I know it's terrible for you, but I like the food anyway and I have fond memories of eating there as a kid.

I haven't eaten at a Chick-Fil-A in years because giving them money would be against my morals, but on the rare occasions I drive by one I can't help but feel a little temptation to compromise myself for some nuggets and lemonade.  

[nickelodeon]

2 hours ago, Crocoduck said:

Warning: SEVERE thread drift coming...

What is the FJ opinion on the Fundy Favorite Chain Restaurants? In my observation it's:

Chik-Fil-A - good Christian values and spelling!

Old Country Buffet - for the 11ty hungry kids

Cracker Barrel - they like to pretend they live in all white 1800's America

Olive Garden - guessing for the unlimited salad and breadsticks?

What am I missing?

Various Mexican restaurants, excellent for getting labor started!

[withaj]

9 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Here's my fundie-related food confession: I think Chik-Fil-A is delicious. I love their chicken nuggets, waffle fries, and lemonade. I know it's terrible for you, but I like the food anyway and I have fond memories of eating there as a kid.

I haven't eaten at a Chick-Fil-A in years because giving them money would be against my morals, but on the rare occasions I drive by one I can't help but feel a little temptation to compromise myself for some nuggets and lemonade.  

I eat Chik-Fil-A with some relative frequency, considering I don't usually go for fast food. Their egg and cheese biscuit (not on menu but they will make), hash browns, and diet lemonade are heaven once or twice a month.

I don't agree with Truett Cathy and I hate that he has donated and spoken out in support of anti-LGBT causes. However, they treat their employees well in my community, including providing more managerial training opportunities for young people than any other fast food or restaurant chain I'm aware of locally. I respect those who choose not to eat there for political reasons, but I'm not one of them.

[ShepherdontheRock]

28 minutes ago, withaj said:

I don't agree with Truett Cathy and I hate that he has donated and spoken out in support of anti-LGBT causes. However, they treat their employees well in my community, including providing more managerial training opportunities for young people than any other fast food or restaurant chain I'm aware of locally. I respect those who choose not to eat there for political reasons, but I'm not one of them.

This is how I feel.

The main reason I go to Chick Fil A is that it's one of my schools dining options. Meaning a good portion of the revenue there probably goes to my school, which is well known for being one of, if not the, most LGBTQIA friendly schools in my state. 

And I realize a small portion of the money goes to causes I don't believe in. But I feel like, if I had to boycott every company that did something even slightly shady, I'd have no phone or computer and would be spending way too much on clothes and food, by buying locally made and super fair trade, and my nutritional intake might even suffer. 

So, I respect if you don't want to buy a certain companies goods or services, but I think sometimes the reasoning behind some boycotts is a bit flawed. 

[Walking Cat Bed]

I rarely get Chik-Fil-A, but sometimes it's the best option. I just do "penance" for Cathy's funding anti-LGBT organizations by putting a few extra dollars in my "charity donation bucket" and making an extra effort to be nice to people. Chik-Fil-A employees have bills to pay, too.

[Dandruff]

3 hours ago, Crocoduck said:

What am I missing?

McDonald's (free wi-fi).

Places that offer free kid's meals.

[withaj]

27 minutes ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

This is how I feel.

The main reason I go to Chick Fil A is that it's one of my schools dining options. Meaning a good portion of the revenue there probably goes to my school, which is well known for being one of, if not the, most LGBTQIA friendly schools in my state. 

And I realize a small portion of the money goes to causes I don't believe in. But I feel like, if I had to boycott every company that did something even slightly shady, I'd have no phone or computer and would be spending way too much on clothes and food, by buying locally made and super fair trade, and my nutritional intake might even suffer. 

So, I respect if you don't want to buy a certain companies goods or services, but I think sometimes the reasoning behind some boycotts is a bit flawed. 

A lot of what you mention here is part of my reasoning, too. I think there's a certain draw to the idea of boycotting companies we view as "behaving badly" but I also question where I would personally draw the line. 

[AnywhereButHere]

 

The road to hell is paved with non-authentically Italian cheesy pasta? It's a little wordy, but I can live with it. 

Well, the unlimited salad and breadsticks is just one step on the road to gluttony, so the one million moms probably should have been a little quicker on the draw to recognize Olive Garden's satanic leanings...

[Trynn]

That sounds like a fascinating show. Is it on Netflix?

My friend and I used to sneak out of church to go to Olive Garden on the sabbath if the food at potluck was particularly gross.

Especially that one week the church decided we poor college students could go feed ourselves.... and everyone brought rice. Neither of us is particularly fond of rice, though we will eat it, so I gave him the secret signal and we went to go gorge ourselves on breadsticks and cheesy pasta.

I noticed, though, that OG never puts more than 3 olives in their salads (or was it 4?) I seriously sit there and count the olives every time we go, and there's always the same amount. (I love olives, so this is particularly crushing.)

[princessmahina]

I freaking love taco bell. Those potato tacos are like crack to me. I go there probably once a month- which is a lot for someone who typically hates fast food. 

I also discovered McDonald's mozzarella sticks last time I was on a road trip. Man, those things were good. Beats Arby's any day of the week. 

Cracker Barrel isn't too bad- I really love their double fudge chocolate Coca Cola cake. Mmm.. It's a challenge to eat there as a vegetarian though. And now that I'm practically vegan, there are fewer places at which I can eat out. Which is probably a good thing. 

[AnywhereButHere]

6 minutes ago, Trynn said:

...

Especially that one week the church decided we poor college students could go feed ourselves.... and everyone brought rice. Neither of us is particularly fond of rice, though we will eat it, so I gave him the secret signal and we went to go gorge ourselves on breadsticks and cheesy pasta.

I noticed, though, that OG never puts more than 3 olives in their salads (or was it 4?) I seriously sit there and count the olives every time we go, and there's always the same amount. (I love olives, so this is particularly crushing.)

When I go with my family, I'll examine their portions for the olives (covetousness anyone?) and beg my son for any he may have taken. I have to steal them off my husband's plate. 

Yup. Those million moms are onto something. Olive Garden - the gateway to hell.

[samira_catlover]

3 hours ago, refugee said:

Don't forget Taco Bell and Chinese restaurants, so they can pretend they're enlightened and multicultural.

Not to mention you can evangelize... Wasn't it ExGay Greg and DeDe that cornered some poor gal at Taco Bell, until she was rescued by her ride pickup?

[Sera's Arrow]

If I was Satan, I'd feel damn good whenever people went a'crying because of a show portraying me made them whimper and whine. It means they still believe in me, they still fear me and they obviously have recieved no comfort from the God they believe in. If they did, they would feel much more secure in their faith and be able to merely say "Oh, a show about something I don't feel comfortable with. I won't be watching it."

Yessir. If Satan is real, he has happydevilface now and it's all thanks to OMM.

[PennySycamore]

46 minutes ago, Trynn said:

That sounds like a fascinating show. Is it on Netflix?

My friend and I used to sneak out of church to go to Olive Garden on the sabbath if the food at potluck was particularly gross.

Especially that one week the church decided we poor college students could go feed ourselves.... and everyone brought rice. Neither of us is particularly fond of rice, though we will eat it, so I gave him the secret signal and we went to go gorge ourselves on breadsticks and cheesy pasta.

I noticed, though, that OG never puts more than 3 olives in their salads (or was it 4?) I seriously sit there and count the olives every time we go, and there's always the same amount. (I love olives, so this is particularly crushing.)

I'm pretty sure it's on Fox.  IIRC, it premiered right after The X Files on Monday.

@Trynn, I usually eat all the olives in the salad, but I'm pretty sure I've gotten more than 4.  I love olives, too!

[Mercer]

I have no issue with people eating at Chick-Fil-A if they want to. I wouldn't say I "boycott" the restaurant, I simply exercise my consumer freedom by choosing not to patronize their business for reasons that are related to their social agenda rather than disliking their food.

Personally, I can't bring myself to support a company that actively promotes discrimination, regardless of what their positives may be, but if that's not your fight, that's okay - and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way at all. There are unfortunately far too many injustices in the world for any of us to become personally invested in all of them. We all have to pick our battles, and we're not always going to come to the same conclusion about what should be a priority, even if we all mean well.

[ViolaSebastian]

I feel like an opportunity was missed in not naming this thread "One Million Moms to Olive Garden: Quit Showing Satan Hospitaliano!"

[laPapessaGiovanna]

3 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

FWIW, Teresa Guidice, from the RHoNJ* in her cookbook Skinny Italian has a chapter " The Cornerstone of Italian Food (or Things you Will Not Find at Olive Garden" where she points out that Olive Garden is not real Italian food, but American Italian food and much more fattening than authentic Italian food.  She's got a list of Americanized Italian foods like Strombolis, Calzones and Parm in a can.  (I can just see @lapapessaGiovanna clenching her teeth at what we Americans consider Italian food!)

*Yep, that Teresa who just got out of prison)

LOL don't worry no clenching teeth, I am only a bit sorry for the deliciousness you are missing.  If you stick to traditions Italian food tends to be quite healthy. But you know tradition required also to fast pretty often, lots of veggies, small portions, no out of season foods, no processed crap etc, pretty difficult these times. No idea of who Teresa Giudice is. Also no idea of what a Strombolis is (a volcano?). Parm in a can sounds really suspicious  . Calzoni are delicious and really unhealthy even here so I don't think you Americans can do worse . Anyway I've never been in the USA but travelling around the EU I learned to never ever ever eat "Italian" food (at least not before having checked the chef's accent ). Much better looking for tipically local food in little family run places imho. 

[socalrules]

1 hour ago, princessmahina said:

I freaking love taco bell. Those potato tacos are like crack to me. I go there probably once a month- which is a lot for someone who typically hates fast food. 

I also discovered McDonald's mozzarella sticks last time I was on a road trip. Man, those things were good. Beats Arby's any day of the week. 

Cracker Barrel isn't too bad- I really love their double fudge chocolate Coca Cola cake. Mmm.. It's a challenge to eat there as a vegetarian though. And now that I'm practically vegan, there are fewer places at which I can eat out. Which is probably a good thing. 

Hold up a minute. Your Taco Bell have potato tacos? Where is this Taco Bell and how can I get there? Potato Tacos are rare even at real Mexican restaurants and I have driven far to get them. 

[princessmahina]

2 minutes ago, socalrules said:

Hold up a minute. Your Taco Bell have potato tacos? Where is this Taco Bell and how can I get there? Potato Tacos are rare even at real Mexican restaurants and I have driven far to get them. 

They're on the dollar menu. I thought everyone had them now? They're actually really good, even though they come from a fast food restaurant. The potatoes are like the ones they sell as a side- the Fiesta potatoes- and have a yummy spicy chipotle sauce, cheddar cheese, and lettuce. They're awesome. 

https://www.tacobell.com/food/dollar-cravings/spicy-potato-soft-taco

I first tried potato tacos in SoCal this last summer and fell in love. I wish I could find a place in the Southeast that had them!