a bloomin' icon apparently
I’ve lived in Australia for longer than the two decade old “Outback Steakhouse” chain has been in existence but I’ve yet to come across the “iconic”, “original Aussie appetizer”.
Have I missed a well-known cultural experience? Has anyone in this vast land ever experienced the “Bloomin’ onion”?
Though I’m not a fan of the infomercial, this is 60 seconds well-spent learning about “The Gloria” and a dish with 34 spices in it! Fortunately your arteries can’t harden just by watching it!
I give you – ”The Bloomin’ Onion”.
Have I missed a well-known cultural experience? Has anyone in this vast land ever experienced the “Bloomin’ onion”?
Though I’m not a fan of the infomercial, this is 60 seconds well-spent learning about “The Gloria” and a dish with 34 spices in it! Fortunately your arteries can’t harden just by watching it!
I give you – ”The Bloomin’ Onion”.
Labels: Australian food, bloomin' onion
posted by GS at 9:33 am
9 Comments:
My husband and I went to an Outback Steakhouse in Hawaii, just for the irony value. We did not see the bloomin' Onion on the menu, but probably the 15 jugs of some ultra sweet cocktail I had to imbibe in order just to bear being in the restaurant, may have somehow dulled my observance. It was offensive and distasteful and made me seriously not want to like Americans. Snaps to them for exploiting Australia though, they are certainly getting away with it and making loads of money to boot!
I can't even read the word 'steak' without feeling my intestines TWIST.
what onion appetiser? what a crock.
'food' and 'America' together,
is an area best avoided COMPLETELY
(except for Indians and corn).
Long time lurker here...
I wanted to say that I live IN America and I can't stand that type chain restaurant food that seems to be so popular - Bloomin' Onion included. It's not even very good!! The steak at Outback is salty salty salty and the vegetables are soggy soggy soggy. Em is right, the drinks are bad and don't help the food one bit. Not worth the calories or my money!
Nothing like really bad junk food to bring out the lurkers :) Welcome Rebecca.
The hysterical thing is this is just so not Australian food, more the bastard love child of KFC with all that fat and secret spices.
Though Ann - I ate great food on the West coast of the US, almost all organic but then again I was following the herbal hippy trail:)
Em, nothing like going to Hawaii for an authentic aussie meal.
We went to Outback on a recent trip to the States and my kids gave the waitress a really hard time.
"I'm sorry but we do not eat this food in Australia and who even heard of a fried onion on its' own to eat"
They did have Cascade beer there though and so it gets a pass from me.
Steakhouses and me just don't get along - they don't like me and I don't like them - so I am happy to agree with you that this onion is blatant exploitation of sentiment rather than proud heritage
By the way, I have tagged you for a meme for Refugee Week if you would like to participate (no worried if you don't) - it is at http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-does-home-mean-to-you.html
Another lurker - just had to comment on seeing that onion... bloom! I've never seen anything like it in my life and I was brought up with damper on camping trips (eeew). Secret herbs and spices indeed - who ever believed that less is more? Seventeen in the onion and an additional 37 in the dipping sauce. I'm now off to try to list 54 herbs and spices...
Word verification: tratof. Sounds like a combination of "traitor" and "rip-off", which would be a perfect moniker for any Australian who had anything to do with the development of this brand!
I saw more Outback Steakhouses in Mexico than I've ever seen in Australia (??).
On another note, 'Bloomin' Onion' sounds just like something Alf from Home & Away would say, correct?
I think it's safe to say that most food nazi readers are not the target market for a steak house of any kind! But I am always amazed at the phenomena of the worse the food, the better the sales.
Ally - my favourite "bloomin'" person is Peter Cundall ex ABC Garden Show who'd end his program each week with "that's your bloomin' lot"!
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