A bonzer Sheila on
Outback Steakhouse
| Most American marketers are not surprised to learn that their favorite Indian, Mexican, Persian, Italian, Asian and so forth restaurants aren’t all that Indian, Mexican, Persian, Italian, Asian and so forth. Not that it necessarily matters. When I asked one of my employees of Mexican heritage whether the fare at a certain Mexican restaurant was truly Mexican, he replied, “Who cares? Does it taste good?” |  Well, no rules ... and almost right. |
Fair enough, but my Inner Trivia Buff likes to know these things. No wonder, then, that I enjoyed this post from Aussie linguist Karen Stollznow, PhD, written in the wake of a visit to an Outback Steakhouse:
The first time I visited an Outback Steakhouse the server approached the table with a grin and cried, “Howdy!”
I replied, “Shouldn’t you say, ‘G’day mate!’?”
He stared at me blankly and said, “Huh?”
At first I thought, strewth! But I didn’t spit the dummy. Fair enough, as a bonzer Aussie Sheila I’ll give it a burl, and she’ll be right, mate!
However, when I opened the menu ...
You can read the rest of Dr. Stollznow’s post by clicking here now.
While you’re there, check out her books. I recently devoured God Bless America and can recommend it. In fact, I have.
—Steve Cuno
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