Your parents visit you at college and take you to Olive Garden

[Radical Activist]

as a special treat. What's your response?

This new Olive Garden commercial is really getting on my nerves for some reason.

[Danger Mouse]

1. If I were still in college, I'd shrug and say 'Okay, sounds good. Thanks.'

I wouldn't jump for joy over it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. "Thanks, Mom and Dad."

That's your response for being treated to dinner. Any dinner.

[Radical Activist]

4. true...

There's something that bothers me about that commercial that goes beyond the old lounge joke. I can't put my finger on it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Have no idea what the commercial is all about, but if my parents...

visited me at college and offered to take me to Olive Garden I'd ask them if they were crazy. The nearest one was probably 100 miles away. Okay, Okay. I get it. I'd say, "Cool and many thanks. Free food and lots of it. Lead on!"

[DarkTirade]

5. Dude, free food.

That's the best kind to get in college.

[surrealAmerican]

20. Exactly what I would have said.

It's food (and not even food-service food), what else do you need to know.

[kentauros]

6. I would accept their offer.

After we had finished our appetizers, I would turn the topic of discussion to the benefits of kudzu root.

During the main course of cornflake encrusted chicken breasts I would again turn the topic of discussion to what betting limits there should be in a game of bunco.

As our plates are cleared and we ponder whether to get the excruciatingly sweet Death by Chocolate or the equally tooth-destroying Brownie Explosion, we would talk about the mileage their minivan gets and if it's better to have one with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive in those ever-present snow drifts and sub-sero temperatures.

As we leave the restaurant, our Alpine chocolate mints melting away in our mouths, we are almost run over by bunco-obsessed, boxed-wine-drinking-drunk-driver with a bumpersticker telling all of their membership at DU.

:P

[Radical Activist]

7. correct answer

but where is your dog during the meal?

[kentauros]

8. Oh right.

The restaurant won't allow dogs in unless one of us is blind or handicapable enough to have a guide dog ;)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. Midlo's van doesn't have a DU sticker

It has a Jesus fish.

[kentauros]

13. Okay, thanks. I'll try to remember that.

:)

Wait a minute! It was driven by a copycat! :P

[Midlodemocrat]

26. No it doesn't, freeper. That was my old van.

Try to keep up. :eyes:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

30. How can I keep track when you need to get a new one cause you just ran over a homeless dude?

[kentauros]

31. Not a homeless dude, but two parents and their college-age son/daughter

:P

[Midlodemocrat]

27. You, sir, suck. That's right, suck.

[kentauros]

29. Copycats don't suck.

They simply reflect back the original sentiments.

[Chovexani]

9. The last time I was at the Olive Garden

There were a bunch of teenage Twilight fangirls all wearing matching "Mrs Cullen" shirts. This was right when the last book came out.

Hearing Rick Astley on the restaurant stereo would have made a Lounge trifecta.

[Arugula Latte]

23. Followed by a Laura Branigan song..

:)

[Skittles]

10. I want to kick that spoiled girl's ass

she is quite nauseating, as are her parents

[Radical Activist]

12. Yes, they're irritating people.

[truedelphi]

14. At my age, it's my memory of my son visiting from college and taking me

Somewheres. It was a place called "Strings" with same kind of food as Olive Garden but a bit tastier (I imagine.)

A recession had hit while he was in college and for the first two years, he was more affluent than me.

And if I had complained about his selection, it would have been Cheez Whiz from that point on. Probably on till today.

[jakefrep]

15. Since Olive Garden is so evil, what did you all think of the Cooker?

That was the default restaurant when the parents came to visit when I was in college.

[Radical Activist]

16. never heard of it

Is it a regional chain?

[jakefrep]

18. It went bankrupt a few years ago

They were prevalent in the Midwest - no idea about the rest of the country.

[Barack_America]

17. Probably start salivating, thinking of the salad and breadsticks.

Sorry, they may be commercial, but they're good.

Edited: They're good, not "god". I'm not that sad.

[LiberalEsto]

19. It depends

which is worse, the college cafeteria or Olive Garden?

[malta blue]

21. enjoy your meal - your folks just want to take you out...

And you know what, their soup is not so bad.... :shrug:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

22. I just went out with my parents to Olive Garden to celebrate my daughter's first birthday.

No joke.

What can I say? Me likee breadsticks, me likee breadsticks!

Actually--and I may be excommunicated from DU for saying this but--I like the Olive Garden. I don't love it, but I like it. They have good enough food for a good enough price.

But yeah, they sort of bring it upon themselves with the cheesy commercials. Talked about your forced atmosphere.

[kid a]

24. say THANK YOU!

[Arugula Latte]

25. I'd always pick these exotic restaurants in Berkeley when my parents came in.

They weren't quite sure what to make of some of them, but they went along with it.

Sometimes, though, we'd go to this place called Skates which had a spectacular view of the S.F. Bay and freakin' delicious creme brulee.

[Lex]

28. Thanks for visiting me at college and taking me out to eat, Mom and Dad.

nt