Chili's

Oh hey man. Hey Hayden. I've been looking at some famous Haydens throughout history. There's Hayden, Christensen, Hayden, Panatteri and Sterling Hayden. And I think that's pretty much it. There's just three famous Haydens and you're not on the list. Was this all just a set up to you telling me that I'm not popular or famous? I mean take, take from this what you will, young Hayden. There's Matthew Hayden who was an opening batter for the Australian cricket team. We're in America, they don't give a shit about cricket over here mate. We have to give a shit about baseball and that's an equally stupid sport. American football? I love it but it doesn't make any sense. Most of it is just waiting. Actually I've got a question when you're watching a game of cricket in New Zealand. What is this typical stadium food that you'd eat? Bates beer. Just a beer. So you just drink about 24 of those and then so you can stand pretty close to the guys in the outfield and then you can sort of belligerently insult them and they can definitely eat because they're just standing there all day. And then mostly what you do out to that is you would vomit somewhere and pass out on a street nearby. Actually fun cricket fact, David Boone another Australian batsman. I can't, someone please write to me with the exact number but I think he drank something like 60 beers on a flight one time. Oh, there's a famous sort of story. You know what Hayden, you're famous to your kids, you know? I really appreciate that, that makes me feel a lot better. Not everyone wants to be famous like you sad, clueless, somebody want to just live a good fulfilling life and contribute to society. They don't move the Hollywood away from all their friends just so that they can be close to Jeff Goldblum who they don't even know and wouldn't even care if you existed or died. I care. I'm David Farrier in New Zealand to accidentally marooned in America far away from Hayden to Nell. And I want to figure out what makes this country tick. And yes, I realize I completely forgot to talk to Hayden about what today's episode is actually about because we got too distracted with cricket. For the record, David Boone legendary for drinking 52 cans of beer on an 89 flight from Sydney to London. Today we're here to tell the story of a post office on Greenville Avenue in Dallas that closed down in the 70s and reopened as a casual dining restaurant in 75 serving burgers and fries. Along with items influenced by a Mexican cuisine like tacos and chili. Back then they also had 75 cent beers. David Boone would have had 52 of them and they also sold $50 margaritas. The founder, Larry Levine just needed a name for it so he looked at the menu and saw that it served chili. So he called it "chillies". That's a true story. I'm not making that up. These days, that original converted post office "chillies" is no longer standing. It's replaced by another American institution, a 7/11. But not to worry, "chillies" is now found at over 1600 locations around the United States and brings in around $3.5 billion per year. Rob and I probably should have gone to "chillies" last year when it celebrated its 50th birthday, but we were busy. So this week we hit a remedy that by going to "chillies". So grab some baby-back, baby-back, baby-back groups, get that reference there. And a giant margarita and 52 beers because this is the "chillies" episode. Rob, we haven't been sitting in the studio together in a little while. Yeah, it's been a couple weeks. You took a very rare thing for you and we talked about this on our Patreon bonus episodes, but you took a very rare and I would argue needed holiday. It did. It did. Where did you go just briefly teach us? I don't know if I can make a brief because I went to a lot of places. You did. I mean, I was blown away by this because legitimately you don't take holidays. And also you're not a big flights for fun guy because you don't have flying and this involved a few of those things. Yeah, it also involved some not flights. Yeah, normally summer break for me, we'll book some live shows and we'll work. Turn it into work. Yeah, fun work. Yeah, fun work, but we gave you the side eye this whole day and was like, you're not taking off with Dave. Yeah, you're taking off with your family. So I took a couple weeks. Yeah, Vinnie and I by ourselves drove from Los Angeles to Chicago. That's a big ass drive. Yeah, we stopped at Zion National Park, which was awesome. He climbed, he climbed a mountain with me. I mean, we've clamped it around some of those peaks and I remember getting freaked out. We climbed the same exact path that you and I did. It's so scary. And yeah, it was a little scary because he's four and he's tiny. If you really keep an eye on him, we had to hold hands the whole way up. Yeah, I'm not pleased. Yeah. But I'm the bridge that we passed that you got freaked out on. I mean, it does speak to that phenomenon that I believe in where the older you get, the more scared you get of things at times. I agree. I lived during a time when I wasn't as scared of heights as I am now. It's getting worse. Yeah, and that's how I wasn't flying with me. Yeah, I was a kid. I did not care about flying. How's it like taking an American road trip with a small child? He was perfect. Oh. Yeah. I mean, that gets pure. We had a blast. We ended up then asked Ben to Denver, I got in Denver for two days, then to Des Moines, Iowa, then to Chicago, which we passed so many chilies. I took a couple pictures for you. Yeah. The amount of chilies out on the open road is impressive. Yeah, I, one of the favorite things I think for me about driving through America is every major turn off. You get that sign where it just shows what is present, like six icons, and you see so many Starbucks, so many McDonald's. But there's those things like chilies that start popping out more and more as well. And then from Chicago, left the kids there. Natalie and I flew up to Toronto for a couple days. Canada. Which you're going. You need to go. So I ate my favorite meal of the trip was at this place, Katzal in Toronto, which was incredible, which with you and Rosabelle have to go when you're there. So little segue here, this episode is the airs on a Tuesday. I'm going to be in Toronto for a week. Friend of the show, Rosabelle produced a dance show with a bunch of New Zealanders, and that dance show is on Friday and Saturday. I should do a post about that on Instagram so you can go if you want. But if you, I'll be recording a Canadian based episode while I'm there. So email me, [email protected]. If you are either in Toronto, just let me know you're there. Maybe we can do some sort of flatlessbred meetup. Also, just any, you know, inevitably I will work in a flatlessbred episode in regards to Canada versus America and opinions of. But if you have any particular incredible insight into a part of, I'm going to be primarily in Toronto. If you've got a story there, please email me. Yeah, I feel like the Canada versus America thing is a little unfair to America right now. Yeah. And it's also, it's not a heartache currently. No, I mean, I think the take is so obvious and so on the nose. So if you've got any specific, I mean, you know the sorts of stories I like and that rob like. So if you've got a specific little niche in Toronto, I've got my audio gear with me. It was a last minute trip because I wanted to go and see Rosabelle show. So [email protected]. How was your Canadian time? Well, I love Toronto. I saw a friend of this show Anthony Green was playing a show. Oh nice. Throw it back to a new station. Yeah. Anthony Green. And then we went Toronto to New York. It's been a week in New York. Went to a very American and also Canadian baseball, three baseball stadiums for games on this trip. For a specific team, we'll just do that. Yeah, well, we did Chicago Cubs because the white socks were not playing. Well, we were there. I hadn't been to that stadium in 15 years, so thought why not? Cool. Toronto Blue Jays game. Which, okay. Just quickly. Yeah. The only ferry family trip we've ever taken was to Canada when I was eight. We went to my first baseball game. It was the Blue Jays. It's a cool stadium. We were sitting in the outfield and the center fielder for the for the Tampa rays. After they, they like warm up in between innings and then they throw the balls into the stands. And so kids are lining up like right on the wall, hoping to get a ball thrown to them that they can catch. So there's a big group of kids to my left. Big group of kids to my right. They've been, this is like fifth inning. So they've been getting balls thrown. And center fielder turns around to throw it. And some reason I just stood up. Rob. Rob. I hate where this is going so much. it. He just makes direct eye contact with me, goes to throw the ball to me, come in right to me, and some woman in front of me to my left. She's got a glove just decides to reach over and grab it. She grabbed it. Grab it took took the ball from me. I'll rob him so it's and then proceeded to spend the next three innings calling and texting everyone she knows about how she caught this ball and saved her friends that it was about to hit them in the face. Oh, so you could read her photo. It was just very clear that she was calling people and taking pictures that she was sending the people made and locking eyes and getting the trajectory of that ball. You made her weak. I did. I made her yeah. So it did annoy me a ton because I did want that ball. Yeah. Can I just say I was afraid that you're going to run like grab it? Oh, no, no, no, no. I thought you were that guy. No, I wouldn't have done that. But that I did realize I've gotten enough baseballs at baseball games. I didn't really need another one. This this woman like saw her texting her dad. Oh, this is a door. I I I'm what is the what is the right thing to do when because if it's she didn't know or like, can you put your you know what I mean? Like what are the rules? I'm trying to say the ball catching because mine is I if I see a ball in you and me, my reaction is to hide because I'm scared of it. I if they're very clearly throwing to someone. You don't jump at I don't think she was paying enough attention. Yeah, muscle memory. Yeah, she let it. But if it's like a group of seven people all standing up. Why the fuck was she? Did she have a glove? She was ready. Yeah, people bring gloves to baseball games. I didn't know that. Yeah. For catching balls. Yes. Didn't know that was a part of it. Yes. Which if I had a glove, I would have been able to get it out of her. Yeah. But I'm also glad you didn't know something about that. And if I caught it, I would have given it to a kid that was nearby. I don't need another ball. She kept it. I will say. Yeah. Give it to the kid. But so then a couple of millions later, there are a group of teenage boys behind me, center fielder for the blue jays, turns at this point, everyone standing up, whole group. So fair game. Okay. Everyone's yeah. He throws it to between my row and the row behind me. Oh, no, Rob. I go to the ground. And it is, I think my hand is almost in like the teenage, not it wasn't teenagers. These were like 20 year olds. These are like 20 year or not teenagers. Yeah. 20 year old punk. Yeah. Kids. Yeah. And I swatted. So it stopped them from getting it. You did exactly what she did. I did. That's the best. It did a little shit. And then I realized I couldn't be mad at her anymore. I did deflect it and it did go down by a kid. And the kid got it. So I was happy about that. So you're saying your accident. I mean, you were going for that ball for you. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that you didn't catch it and a kid got it. In that time, I was like, well, I didn't get it the last time. I'm going to be aggressive getting it this time. Like, I'm jumping up and reaching. I actually didn't know this was something that you have done. I mean, it doesn't surprise me because you go to so many games, but I didn't think of the politics of ball catching. And I like that you had it from every possible angle. It's really good. You became the victim, became the perpetrator by being to that. It's really, really good. What are the kids? The punk kids. Thank you. You hear them mumbling about you. Oh, that was my ball in my glove. And this sounds like a really amazing trip. Yeah. It was fun. The other thing I do just briefly want to focus on and we'll get to some feedback later from the trash episode, but you spent some time in New York. We were texting back and forth. And I think both you and I came to the embarrassing conclusion for someone who lives in LA that New York's actually pretty fucking great. I'm happy. And we like it. Yeah. The week I spent there. I have a whole new love of New York. I think I speak out of jealousy when I shut on it for it's like messy streets. It has like such a charm. And it looks good in the, and I feel like you leave the front door and just magic happens because it's so everyone is out. The public transport is so especially related to a lot of other cities. So good. And you just like spill out and have magical times. And it's such a beautiful city. They do their parks, right? And how old it is and how much history seems to be there, which we don't have as much of that in LA. It's a mess. Yeah. It's fucking hard. And the like public works that they have, like you're seeing the parks and the bridges and just how lively the city feels. Yeah. I think we both came to the conclusion that we like New York. Yes. A lot. Some brief news before we get into Chili's boy throb. We didn't entire episode around. Dishan got his own visa. The visa has been granted. If you are confused about what that means boy throb, it's a boy band in America, that their whole stick is that one of their members is an India. So their entire time they've been a band. They've been trying to advocate to get him a one visa. The US government rejected him a few times. But he's now got it very exciting for the throb mob. And may or may not be produced by Nathan Fielder. It's a big theory out there that Nathan is behind it. Which weirdly when I went through Chicago, they happened to be playing. Yeah. These same. I was there for three nights. Yeah. They were playing one of the nights. I was there at Lincoln Hall. It is a small world thing, right? When you do a topic and then suddenly, oh boy throb is playing in the city. I'm in. Well, and I took I took Calvin to dinner that night and the place we went was a mile from where they were playing. Oh, you probably see throb mob drove by I drove by was there a lot and there was a lot of people and yeah, it's kind of whatever that project is. I'm very into it. And one bit of personal news that I just thought was kind of felt deeply American and quite weird. I was in Wisconsin. We have an upcoming episode about the dowels coming for the show. But I met up with a bunch of flightless bird listeners at a dye bar and at the end of the meeting. I said, like, come to my truck. I've got something for you. Oh, I was like, okay, this is good. So I go to the truck. He had an eski in the back of what do you call him here? Like an ice box. Okay. Yeah. He had an ice box and he bought out two vacuum seals pieces of bear meat. And you said, have you tried bear to which I said, no, I haven't even thought, you know, I was sort of, I was hit by so many emotions. It's like, this is quite, I don't know, just someone giving you a bear meat. It was a fascinating thing. He had shot, he had hunted a bear two weeks prior. He had taken it to a facility that basically professionally cuts the carcass and does all the treatment of the bear. He said, this is bear sausage. It's being like precooked. So it's okay. And the other one, I think he said was precooked as well. But when I took it back on the plane and it sort of melted, it did look very juicy. Yeah, I didn't have, I forgot to bring, look, that's another story. Did you eat it? No, that's my point. I had this bear meat sitting there. I was conflicted emotionally because I love the bear, because I love you, I love you, I love you bear. But then also realized how full of bullshit I am because I eat other meat. Why is bear suddenly repulsive to me? It had been given to me. The bear had given it's life. Breast to eat it. Anyway, I asked a few friends and did a bunch of Googling and I'm sure this bear meat from the flight that's where listener was safe and it was cooked and treated. But primary threat with bear meat, I've learned, is something called tricynellosis. And when you consume raw or undercooked bear meat, and my worry is that one of these when it melted did look a bit raw, your stomach acid releases the dormant larvae of this particular beast, which is already in us. Bear girls inside your stomach. When you consume raw undercooked bear meat, the bear meat contains this threat. The acid in your stomach releases the dormant larvae that have been sitting in that bear meat. They mature in your intestines, they reproduce and they migrate through your bud stream into your muscles with a form cysts. So at this point, there's no way I'm just risking any of this. Eating cooler. Initial symptoms. Early signs appear within two days and include nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Sometimes as the larvae migrate into your muscles, they cause fever, muscle pain and facial swelling, fatigue and headaches. And in certain severe cases, the larvae just dig into your heart lungs and brain, which can lead to other issues. So I'm not eating the bear meat. It is frozen again in my freezer. Well, can you just cook it? No, once it's maybe I'm too anxious about it. Michael Valtagio, haven't prepared it for you. I'll take some, I've got some bear meat. And a certain way to make sure that it doesn't kill you if you have got any expertise around bear meat, flat the spread [email protected]. And yes, I'm aware that we shouldn't eat meat for a variety of reasons. And we need to do better. That is a very Wisconsin thing though. I remember one of the first tours I did with the band. They were all vegan. And it was up to Wisconsin. I was trying to eat on the road. Well, that that was its own thing. But it was hunting season. So every car had a giant dead deer strapped to the top of it or a trailer behind it. Yeah, right. Where we must have seen a hundred plus deer that had been hunted and were strapped to cars. It was just like quite a jarring thing to see. Yeah. Yeah. And that's I mean, I don't you'd see a dead deer occasionally on the road. Yeah. I mean, my dad hunted when I was a kid and would like bring back deer and carve it up. We'd eat all the meat and everything. But seeing it on mass like that is kind of wild. Every car on the highway has a dead deer with its tongue hanging out and like somehow like blood splattered on like the window from it. Yeah, it's just completely part of the culture there. Yeah. You don't see that in Los Angeles. No, you might see a deer deer that's been hit on the side of the road. And that's about it. Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors. Support for Flightless Bird comes from article. 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I mean, it is funny because it was its 50th birthday last year, which wouldn't mean the time to go, but 50th birthday is still good. But you would never bend to a Chili's? Never. You've seen them though. I've seen the sign of Jerome pass one a few times in my travels. Just never been inside. Just for that, I think that reason of, I don't really have a reason. I didn't really know what it was. I didn't know what were your, in my mind, Chili's was like, obviously a chain. Elevated above a taco bell was in my mind. I didn't know where it sort of sat when it went to like a comparing it with a pea of changs or a cheesecake factory. Chili's felt big to me, but I also didn't, I didn't know anything specific and nothing specific enough to make me think I must go and try this. Whereas certain restaurants, they have a certain charm. Like, who does, for instance? That's an iconic thing in my brain. It's in films. I know it from Pop Culture, whereas Chili's, Chili's is, right? Well, we get into this slightly in the dock, I think. There's a certain song that I referenced in the intro. There are in the office, Chili's is Michael Scott's favorite restaurant, and it's where they shoot the Dundee's award ceremony. Okay. Embarrassingly, I've only watched the British office, didn't do the American one, which I know is very good. The OC has a scene with summer and her dad grabbing a miss Thanksgiving meal at a Chili's at the airport. I also know the OC growing up. That 90's show, do they Boston powers? It's crept into some shit. Yeah. It's not quite hooters, but quite hooters, though. Yeah, I just didn't have an image. And so, I mean, obviously, we had to go and we did. Hi, this is Nancy. The majority of my life was spent in Texas, and that's where I was introduced to Chili's. Ever since we mentioned going to Chili's, we've been hearing from listeners who love Chili's. 50 years ago in the late 70's, the original Chili's on Greenville Avenue was where you wanted to go. It was great. It was new and novel. Had a one-page menu, and you didn't have to think too much about what you wanted to order. You knew what you were getting. A great chicken taco, an old timer with cheese, great French fries, beer margaritas. It was kind of hard to beat. Hi, my name's Brittany, and I'm from San Diego, California. Hi, David. It's Angela from Toledo, Ohio. These stories come from all across the United States, people that are either just telling us how good Chili's is, or about some memorable event that's happened there. My boyfriend almost always gets a margarita in this time since it was my birthday. I wanted to get a margarita, and I never drink, so I was like, I'm gonna relax and have a margarita in this gonna be great time at Chili's. So I had one. It was so good. I want to say it was like a Mexican lollipop or something. It was delicious. I had to have another one, so on a second one. And usually I'm like, cut off second drink. I will not drink any more after that. So I finished the margarita. We have a good time. We eat our food and we go home. And as soon as I get in the house and sit down, the room just starts spinning. And I just bolt to the bathroom and puke my fucking brains out. There were a lot of stories about drinking and eating. A lot of them quite funny and dramatic. But there were some stories that were also just really sweet. I even had my first day at Chili's, which even though I didn't kiss him at the end because I was too nervous, it was still very successful because we're still married after 16 years. I don't remember much about the day, except I ordered the case of the explosion salad, which is a pretty hilarious name and something you can still order off of the menu today. We do try to go to Chili's on our university every year, so I hope it never closes. If Chili's could work for Brittany and her now husband, it could work for me and my work has been dropped. And so we set sail for Chili's. And by sail, I mean a 30 minute drive on the freeway to Arcadia. The place I haven't been due since our pickle warm episode. We pull into the parking lot in front of a giant red chili logo. A Chili's appropriate today because it's very hot. It's so, so hot. The kind of hot where it's a relief to step inside and sit down. We're sitting in a booth. It is very big in here. I can see a magerita bar over there. It's good to be in out of the extreme heat. Rob talked me through what's going on here. What's the plan? Well, weirdly, this Chili's is exactly like the Chili's I grew up going to outside Chamburg. The layout is the exact same. So walking in here felt like I was back in the Midwest. It's like a form of time travel in a way. And I think of feeling like why these places seem to do so well. I feel like they are just this safe and changing domain. Yes. Our server arrives. She has amazing nails and pink and purple hair. It's my first trip to Chili, so I'm documenting the process. I'm very excited. I look at the bar and think of Angela's vomiting story. I just, I'm not used to having bars and restaurants. Is there a particular drink that you're famous for? Alcoholic white. Is there a margarita or a nino? So our nino is one of our stronger drinks. There's a limit of two on there because they're so strong. Presidentes, which are really good as my favorite. We also right now we have the bombshell margarita for six dollars. It's going to be for the love island theme. Oh, this is really really good. I'm going to feel like actually to kind of do that. I'm sort of on a date with my producer Rob. So I think maybe the bombshell could be the way to go. Sure. Let me get that for you. With a drink or whatever placed on my Chili's date, I decided to consult with a culinary expert and friend of me. Also, Rob used to come here as a kid. We also were family with four kids, so a lot of it was what's affordable for a family of six to go eat at dinner on a Wednesday night. Okay, Rob, told me through this menu because it is extensive. For me, when I think of chilies, there's a few items. One is the awesome blossom, which is discontinued, which you maybe should ask her about. Awesome blossom? Yes, so it was a whole onion that I think they'd cut in a certain way, then batter and deep fry it, and then you would just kind of peel off the layers of onion. I've never heard anything like this, I was fucking incredible. Yeah, they're like onion rings, essentially. Rob tells me there's another iconic thing that luckily for me is still on the menu. On the babyback ribs, which I think you may know the song for the babyback ribs, I don't know where that's from, is that the song? Chili. The rest of that is chilies babyback ribs with barbecue sauce. That was an ad, or that was an ad for chilies. I feel like I don't know how I know that because I didn't grow up with that in New Zealand, how do I know that song? It really bugged me how I could place the jingle for an American chain. Like I realized I'd had this thing in my head from when I was a teenager in New Zealand. How? It was a jingle for chilies and then eventually they had in sync, do you aversion of it for a commercial? But it wasn't that either, then it hit me. I used to be obsessed with Austin Powers, a movie that for the record still holds up, and there's a scene where fat bastards and doctor evils underground layer. He sees many me and tries to eat him. Many things the babyback ribs song. Except back then I had absolutely no idea what it was referencing, with that mystery solved onwards. Does that mean we have to get the babyback ribs or is that too intense? No, I think it means we have to get that. The other thing is the fajitas here, so there's apparently a fajitas effect that I've heard about that happens at chilies is when someone orders fajitas and you see it and you smell it and you hear it. It's kind of this thing that you will notice happening around the restaurant. It triggers a bunch of other people in the restaurant to then order the fajitas. Our server returns and I ask her about the fabled awesome blossom. Is it true? Is there a thing you used to do? Is it like an onion? Like layers of onion. Oh, an onion onion? Yeah, we haven't had that in my, I want to say like maybe 18 years. Where did it go? I have no idea. They took it off the menu a long time ago. I think when I started working for chilies, which was 18 years ago, they already had it off the menu. Do you have 18 years? Yeah. Not at this location. This is my third location. I did some further research on the awesome blossom. Curious why I had been nuked off the menu. And it turns out it was axed 18 years ago. I guess a short time before our server started working at chilies. It was battered, deep fried and served with a lot of ranch. Apparently too unhealthy, even for America. 200 grams of fat, 6,000 milligrams of sodium, 2700 calories. As I ponder this lost relic, my margarita arrives. We like this. And look at this drink. This is huge. The bombshell. Right. I know. And for 6 dollars. This is outrageous. Pink, love, island, themed, drink. The bombshell margarita is more sugar than I've ever had in my life. I'd say very little alcohol, which is fine, but the sugar in there. Crazy. It's like syrup. How is that salsa tasting for Europe? Very nostalgic. It's very generic red salsa, but fond memories of it. Finally, Rob and I decide on the baby-backed robes and fajitas. We also get something called the Triple Dipper and more food that's recommended to us. Our self-sane rolls. Those have chicken, cheese, bell pepper, spinach and a box of Ellen's side. Fuck yes. This is 1879 for the Triple Dipper. The ribs are 30 and the fajitas are 27. We split that between us. That's not too crazy. We can get some little takeaway boxes. I would say we probably can skip the shrimp on the thing. You and I are both not big shrimp heads. You're unaware of this, but there are times in America where I do attempt to kind of semi-dire and eat less and then we do an episode like this. I've had a week. I'm not lying. A week of eating mostly salads and then I come here, Rob, and I see this and I feel like I'm undoing all of that. Yeah, I don't think you're going to feel great after. It doesn't take long for our food to start arriving. So the chips in salsa are one of the things I remember most. When I would come here when I was younger, we would get the bottomless chips and my mom would get mad at my dad because he would keep asking for more and eating because they're bottomless. He wants to get what he paid for and beyond and fajitas. I just remember eating these thin, salty, tortilla chips and salsa and getting so full. Before the meal probably even arrives. Yeah. This is the biggest plate of chips I've seen at an American establishment before. It's big. Also, I feel like our dad is so similar. My dad, if there's going to be value taken, he has to have every fucking drop of value or he goes home feeling guilty. Yeah. I think when you see your dad being like, "Oh, I'm so full, but he's still shoving it in." He's just like, "Stop eating. Stop." Eating the scraps of chips at the bottom too and shoveling them. By the time the ribs arrive, there's no space left on our table. Okay, Rob. Our food has arrived and it's an accurate thing to say that our entire table is occupied by food. What have we got? Yeah, we've got the Chili's Baby Back Ribs with barbecue sauce, a trio dipper, some chicken, the Southwest egg rolls with cheese. Deeply strange. A mozzarella, it's kind of mozzarella stick, but it's a rectangle. It's not a stick, that's the size of like three McDonald's hash browns, but it's a mozzarella stick. Yeah, it's a block and then we have, you might hear it, sizzling, the sizzling fajitas. Which smell really fucking good. Rob and I sit to work. I'll speed you the details of the eating noises, the size and the heavy breathing. For Rob, I think this is a trip down to Stau gelane to him sitting across from his dad as he tried to clear a massive bowl of chips and salsa. For me, this is a brand new American dining experience. Sure, there are a lot of things he here, sports on the TV, endless refills of already giant drinks, and a stomach that threatens to burst. Okay, Rob and I are at the end of, I think, what we're physically able to eat. There is so much food left on the table, I'm going to box it up and give it to a friend or something. Yes, please, you're the best. Thank you. Yeah, we might have over ordered. Just a little. Thank you. It's the best of all then. Oh, hallelujah, thank you so much. Okay, Rob highlights low lights for you. I feel like for me that chicken, that sweet drizzle chicken was friggin' great. I thought the ribs are fantastic. All of it though, I feel like I feel full and disgusting, but I also feel good. The winner for me, I mean these tortilla chips are still great. Dad will be glad to hear that. In the block of cheese, deep fried, I think was my other favorite, but overall, yeah, like you said, I think this is one of the better chain experiences and I feel like a lot of them over the years have gone down in quality. When you go to chain restaurants and revisit them, I feel like Chili is a state pretty consistent and kind of is what it always has been. I think part of me was dreading doing this just because I thought it would be awful. I think this has been a real positive. I take this above like a cheesecake factory, this is above an olive garden. This has been dare I say it, a good American dining experience, a good American dining experience. What more could one ask for? This is a strong 7, 7 out of 10. Wow, not a 10 out of 10 from David. I'm changing. I realize that I say 10 out of 10 far too often, it's time to get real. We don't live in a 10 out of 10 worlds. If everything is a 10 out of 10, then what does it even mean? This is a 7 and I'm putting a cheesecake factory at I'd say a 5. Okay, that was going to be my follow-up because for a place that you enjoyed to then be the first place you don't get a 10 out of 10. Rating system in my mind gets deeply confusing and let's not latch onto it too strongly. But I'd say if we think cheesecake's about a 5, I'd say this is about, this is a 7. As far as your American dining kind of experience goes. I'll have a garden fall then. So if another 5, strong 5, I just left both those places, I had fun while I was there but I left feeling like I wanted to die. There's still time for that here. for flight this bird comes from Helix. Now Helix has been a sponsor of this podcast since the very beginning and so I've had my Helix mattress for about five years now. It's a midnight lux. I got matched up to it with the sleep quiz and I have been sleeping better ever since. So if you're thinking of upgrading your mattress or having a different sleep experience maybe you haven't been sleeping so good, then it's time to upgrade your home with a Helix mattress. Also as I record this ad it's really hot where I am at the moment. Helix has cooling upgrades so you can get the best rest even on hot nights. I have a dicey back. My Helix mattress has been really good for that. It also comes with 120 night sleep trial and limited lifetime warranty. And the happy Helix guarantee means you can rest easy with seamless returns and exchanges. The happy with Helix guarantee offers a frisk free customer first experience designed to ensure you're completely satisfied with your new bed. We've been so much time in bed and the right mattress is so so important and that's where Helix comes in. So go to HelixSleep.com/Bird for 20% off-site wide. That's HelixSleep.com/Bird for 20% off-site wide. HelixSleep.com/Bird I do have a correction I need to make. I need to correct our server. Oh yeah what? We were talking about the awesome blossom. Yeah. She mentioned the Bloomin onion. Oh that's what she called it. The Bloomin onion is the Outback Steakhouse version of the awesome blossom. Awesome blossom was Chili's. Bloomin onion is the Outback Steakhouse. Similar product. I think pretty much the same. But the Outback Steakhouse does still sell the Bloomin onion. They are still on the menu. So I think we have a follow-up out of this is another establishment where I have no idea really what it involves beyond I assume some steak. It's Australian though right? Outback. Well you said you would be. You claim New Zealand is also the Outback? No Australia only. Outback. So what is an Australian themed American restaurant? We'll find out. Jesus. Any other affixions from our day? I mean I left feeling pretty full. I'm a fan of it. I haven't been back since we went about a month ago now. Yeah. I feel like listening back. Yeah. Maybe a little too positive about the food experience thing we would do. I think I don't know what happened just in like I said we weren't a good mood that day because I don't remember the ribs being particularly great. I think in the moment those were honest reactions. I think whatever was in dry and do you think that just something about that place. Maybe it was fact it was such a hot day. We went into this cool environment. We're excited just to be somewhere. Yeah. Maybe it was the mood. We got tricked. I mean that deep fried black cheese I still stand by that. It was big. Yeah. That was so I haven't seen you go back for more and more and more like you did with that cheese. I know you're a cheese man. Only two of them weren't that big. I was shocked. So I'm going to say. I stick by my seven. I think it's better than a cheesecake factory. I stick by my enthusiasm. My margarine was huge. Our server was fucking lovely. One thing we did discuss briefly which I didn't touch on there is that like so many of it's kind. It had the sort of the iPad screen. Yes. We order through and pan that takes some of the charm out which I believe they were one of the first to pioneer right that system heads out the table. Which I'm not afraid of the iPad. I'm not a fan and it also feels gross. It feels dirty and grimy. It's been a million little fingers. Everyone's touching it with food on their fingers. I don't know that they're cleaned all that often or well. Yeah. I agree. But is that an illusion? It's not like the tables touched any less and there's something about a screen because finger screens you know like I mean everything's probably disgusting in there. We were hyped weren't we? I don't know. I know what happened. I don't know. That's weird. That is weird. Something happened to us in there. It's interesting. I wonder what it was. I'll be old there. Sugar in the magazine. We did have a margarita. If you have thoughts on the Outback Steakhouse, Chili's, any other establishment, flightlessbredchette at gmail.com. Yeah. Let us know where we should have David try next. Because I think it is fun for us to go to kind of some of these staple establishments. Yeah. And to the flight spread listeners as well that share their stories, thoroughly enjoyed those. I love the idea of someone going on a first date. I mean maybe they got hyped on whatever the fuck was happening there. Yeah. They went in their first date. They fell in love. They got married. They've never left that Chili's way. They're still there. I will say too. If you're recommending other chains and you have good stories or connections about them or would like to be interviewed. Yes, please. Because you have a unique experience with them. Let us know that in your feedback. Speaking of feedback, we have a lot to catch up on. We do. Jeremy, listen to the trash episode based in New York. I referenced topsy the elephant that got electrocuted as part of a public display about the power of electricity. You offered a slight correction about what that experiment was about. Edison at the request of the SPCA of all people. Conductive experiments to see if electrocution was a humane and efficient way to euthanize animals. Edison Electric, which made its money selling electricity using direct current technology, used their competitors, winning distribution technology, also adding current AC to kill topsy. The film was a last ditch effort by those invested in the DC system to cast fear about the dangerous nature of AC. Even though either system would have been equally effective, painful and horrific. Nowadays, DC power distribution is typically regarded as more deadly because there's no point in time where the voltage is zero. That means a person who is grabbed onto a high-powered DC conductor will have less ability to let go because the brain signals to relax the muscles are much weaker. There you go. AC DC. Jorg writes in, "I'm a long time listener. I've always enjoyed the premise of the show, especially because I'm originally from Colombia but lived in the US for many years. I had plenty of my own culture shock moments along the way, learning all the little differences in how things are done over there. I'm writing in response to the gaming episode. I'm what you would probably call a gamer. I've been playing games since I was about 6 or 7 years old. I wanted to talk a little bit about something you guys mentioned during the episode, the guilt that sometimes comes for spending a couple of hours playing video games. I've had this conversation with several close friends. They tend to take the same argument. I completely understand where they're coming from. But honestly, I don't think gaming is any different from any other hobby. Some people read books, some watch TV, some garden, others spend their free time doing any number of things. But I think there's an assumption that playing video games is inherently bad for you when they actually study suggesting that certain types of gaming can have cognitive benefits. This is true, including improvements in detention and visual perception, visual skills, memory and cognitive control, cognitive control, which I don't have. Also, the social aspect of gaming, I think, is really good, especially with online games you can find to create communities, meet people and make friends. Thank you, George, for your good recommendations in regards to gaming. A lot of people wrote in that definitely wanted to point out that gaming isn't lazy. And I hear Rob and I weren't saying it was lazy. We just personally have a little issue with feeling like we're having too much fun for too long. Right. I think we were also trying to call out something that we see as a fault of our own. Completely. We want to relax. Yes. Anything that isn't seen as work production is in our mind is too leisurely and big time. I think we both have past where we like games a lot. And we wish we could get back into it. Yes. And throw it into that category of we just have too much work to do all the time. We cannot take a break to do something else completely. There's actually a game. I'm a big fan of the Halluraser franchise. There's a Halluraser video game coming out in August. I saw it trailer for that and made me think maybe it's time to dust off in Xbox. I'll probably need to get one. I think it was in the gaming episode we mentioned. Bebo is a social media platform and quite a few people wrote in about Bebo. This is Brian. This is the YouTube for kids. Oh, this is that was on YouTube for kids episode. Yeah. Brian is from Ireland and he says not sure if it was the case with MySpace but the only way to message someone on Bebo was by writing on their wall. So anyone who clicked that person's page could see any messages that were sent to them. Any messages that they sent to you would appear on your wall as well. It was horrifying because if you're in secondary school at the time, you're messaging someone you knew from another school on Bebo. Everyone in your class could see it and speculate on what was happening even if it was just butonic. Yeah. That was a MySpace thing. He'd write on people's walls. I forgot about that. I read recently. They're bringing MySpace back. Tom, was it Tom from MySpace? I don't know who's doing it, but I read headline that MySpace is coming back. - I wonder what the appeal, I wonder if it's still got that thing of bringing in like musical interests being more prominent. - So yeah, MySpace is planning to come back. The platform's current owners confirm they intend to relaunch the new version of the historic social media site aiming to capture nostalgia while offering an algorithm-free alternative to modern platforms. - What are they gonna get as a bunch of 40-year-olds all hanging out thinking back to when they were teenagers? - I feel like they tried to relaunch MySpace years ago. - No, I agree, as more of a music business. - Yes, and I don't think that went well, but they're doing it again. - That's very funny. Brian wrapped up by saying that when Facebook came around, it was seen as a cooler, more adult version of Bebo. I mean, she everyone's profiles there on Bebo became dormant. I also remember that when I first started Facebook, 'cause my friend Dan and New Zealand will occasionally scroll down and find our very first posts on Facebook. And I think I was using it like Bebo where I would just post deeply like just, what would be a DM today? I would just post on Dan's wall. Like, are you going to the movie tonight? - Shut like that, deranged how we use that technology when it first came out. - Yeah. - Uploading a night out, you take photos and you just upload every single photo from the night into an album, deranged behavior. - Can you imagine if when MySpace makes this comeback, they take all the archival accounts and bring them back with all of the activity? - Like that would be, I mean, I never deleted my account. I assume it's sitting on a hard drive somewhere in the world. I wonder how many marriages would be like ruined or like lives destroyed by MySpace launching all their archive? - Fuck that's funny. - They should do it. Finally, in regards to our children's YouTube entertainers episode, Vanessa Rotein, the episode was so timely. Just last week, I ran into Miss Rachel at a local children's museum in Boulder, Colorado. I spotted her on our way out and weighed my options. Ultimately, we made eye contact. Much like that baseball player, allegedly made eye contact with you before throwing her the ball in that rude person quartered. Anyway, all could they say it high? I know exactly who you are. I wouldn't open up that light myself. But I've been here to sound like a lovely person and I'm sure in context, but I don't suggest that light. I don't exactly who you are when you're approaching anyone that you've never met before. But I worked for it. Rachel was gracious, kind and even told me to take a selfie which I've attached. My three-year-old son could not compute and frankly didn't care. My one-year-old was intrigued when Rachel did her iconic voice, but still nothing clicked. So I was Miss Rachel's biggest fan during the sleep siding. Rachel said it's a common occurrence without her outfit and off the screen, kids just don't recognize her. Anyway, I just wanted to say, Miss Rachel was awesome. Despite all the controversy around her lately, I was pleasantly surprised to see her so open to public interactions still. We stand Miss Rachel and her outspokenness, fist emoji in a way that slidifies her as the Mr. Rogers of today. I thought it was really nice. If you have any feedback, [email protected]. If you are in Toronto, especially email immediately, telling me who is currently there as this is, where to go, what to do, any topics I should bring back. Thank you for listening. If you want more David and I, or on Patreon, Patreon. David and Rob, is there a name for both of us? A drop. - No, I don't think so. - Drop, they call us a drop. We have a Patreon bonus episodes every week. Patreon.com/flightlessbred. Come and join in. We've got various threads running. We've got bonus episodes and of course, add free epis as well. And if you just want to support the show, it's a nice place to hang out with like-minded people. So we hope to see you over there. Have a wonderful week. We'll see you soon. - See you next week. (upbeat music)