Actually, this is not such a bad idea…
One common mistake (I have done myself) is to try to impress someone on a first date by going to an expensive restaurant, without knowing whether your date likes the food or not. I have been in a situation where my date struggled to choose something from the menu, feeling the pressure seeing the prices and not being confident enough to say anything.
Italian is a much safer bet (everybody likes pasta and pizza), and although I am not familiar with olive garden myself, I am sure most Americans are and they can find something nice to eat.
And if the date doesn’t go well, at least the expense is not going to be huge.
In general I think that a meal for a first date is too risky, I prefer either a coffee or a drink in the pub and take it from there, sometimes it goes from there to dinner and beyond, but again, something quick to break the ice is much better. I learnt to hedge the risks of bad dates by not enforcing a 3 hour ritual on somebody you don’t know that well.
And honestly, all the claims that “is not authentic” are a bit misguided. We KNOW is not authentic, even in Italy you have to know the place to avoid falling into a tourist trap…
I preferred Grodin in the role.
“Prego … It’s In There.” *
* “It” being an unnamed quality which we might call “Italian-ness” in this instance … the comfort of the familiar, the nostrum against xenophobia, the recognition of self. “Buy me, I’m you.”
I am happy to be in a (gay) long term relationship that does sometimes involve visits to Outback Steakhouse. Mostly for the Kookaburra Wings, which are dang delicious.
I recently went to Vegas for a local friend’s 50th bday, the day after his birthday we ordered Outback and i can indeed confirm that the wings were great.
So now I wonder if that’s a thing, like in the Beyonce song where she sings about Red Lobster, but gayer and with more blooming onions?
I can’t speak for other gay couples, but Outback has a menu item called the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under, so I feel like they know their audience.
That does sound like something from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which is quite possibly the best movie ever made about the Australian Outback).
Pretty sure the article was inspired by https://www.grandforksherald.com/lifestyles/food/2171913-eatbeat-long-awaited-olive-garden-receives-warm-welcome
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