The Cheesecake Factory

Summary

Flightless Bird Podcast — "The Cheesecake Factory" (April 15, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, journalist and Kiwi-in-America David Farrier dives into the strange, sprawling, and iconic world of The Cheesecake Factory. Joined by cohost Rob and contributors, they explore the American phenomenon of the massive menu, immense portions, mall culture, and the underlying psychology behind "chain comfort." With humor, curiosity, and a good dose of cultural confusion, David chronicles his very first trip to The Cheesecake Factory, discusses its history, and reflects on what this restaurant chain reveals about American life and ambition.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Preconceptions and American Restaurant Culture

• David admits he’s never eaten at The Cheesecake Factory and only knows its reputation for being huge in every way — physically, portion-wise, and menu-wise.
• Rob shares his suburban American perspective, recalling Cheesecake Factory as "one of the nicer places" to go as a teenager, especially at the mall. Growing up, it felt almost fancy, especially compared to Sbarro or other food court options. (03:16)
• The two riff on mall culture, different chain restaurants, and the mysterious allure (and confusion) of places like Rainforest Café and PF Chang’s.

2. Cheesecake Factory Visit: Expectations vs. Reality (14:02)

• David and Rob visit a Cheesecake Factory, noting its "theme park" vibe: elaborate, almost surreal decor, massive space, and a slightly disorienting, comforting sameness.
  • “It feels like a theme park of sorts, right? Nothing is real.” — David (14:34)
• Rob shares that his family's go-to birthday cake was the red velvet cheesecake, underscoring the brand’s ingrained place in some American childhoods (15:00).
• Upon receiving the menu:
  • “It’s thick and it’s weighty. There are... how many pages are we talking here?” — David (15:57)
  • 19 pages, according to their server; the vastness gives customers menu anxiety.

3. Iconic Dishes and Menu Experience (17:04)

• The server recommends Chicken Madeira as the most popular dish, describing its calorie-laden, cheese-laden decadence, which David orders.
• Rob sticks to "factory nachos" for nostalgia, though both are aware of impending cheesecake.
• The endless drink refills and bread service delight and slightly disturb David (“These free refills here get me, like, you end up drinking so much sugar.”, 26:31).
• Portion sizes prove overwhelming; neither can finish their entrée, echoing the stereotype of American excess.
  • “I feel incredibly guilty if I don’t finish a thing…not eating it is like I’m wasting my money.” — David (23:59)
• Both agree the flavor profile is monotonous and “melds to slop”; huge portions don’t guarantee a memorable meal.

4. Cheesecake Tasting — Too Much of a Good Thing (25:22)

• The duo debates cheesecake options, settling on fresh banana cream, Basque, Oreo Dream Extreme, and red velvet.
• David finds the cheesecake not just sweet but intensely rich, feeling even he, a sugar enthusiast, is defeated by the size and intensity.
  • “Usually, if something is incredibly rich, make it a bit smaller...big, rich, and sweet is a crazy combo to have.” — David (31:46)
• Both recall childhood and grandmother-made cheesecakes — highlighting the chain’s processed extravagance versus homemade nostalgia.

5. Décor and Chain Psychology (22:34, 32:27, 34:23)

• The restaurant’s design is dissected: Egyptian columns, blown-glass fixtures, “Eye of Sauron” motifs; an intentionally riotous mix described as comforting but also “fucking weird” (22:44, 32:27).
  • “If I try to describe to you what it looks like, you’d probably think it was one of the most horrible looking places around.” — Rick McCormick, designer (35:16 paraphrased)
• David notes the odd comfort found in franchised sameness — allowing transient Americans to feel “at home” anywhere, a phenomenon he begrudgingly begins to appreciate (33:18).
• Cheesecake Factory’s décor, they discover, is a patchwork of whatever the CEO and designer thought was cool, not tied to any logical theme.

6. Over-the-Top American Food Culture (46:29, 47:32)

• The podcast references the restaurant’s reputation as “America’s unhealthiest eatery” per the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
• Notable calorie bombs: bruleed French toast (2,800 cal), farfalle with chicken (2,400 cal), and Reese’s cheesecake slice (1,500 cal).
• Rob recalls seeing calorie counts on the menu before it was standard — an inadvertent acknowledgment of American overindulgence.

7. The History and Philosophy of Expansion (40:57, 42:00)

• Brief Cheesecake Factory history: Oscar and Evelyn Overton started with a small cheesecake shop in Detroit in the ‘40s, moved to LA in the ‘70s, and grew into today’s mega-chain.
• David contrasts his own Kiwi contentment with having “enough” to the American urge to "expand, get more, get bigger."
  • “Here, it’s like, expand, get more, get bigger. Is that...is that a very American thing?” — David (41:44)
  • Rob agrees, likening it to their own podcast’s growth ambitions.

8. Notable Quotes and Moments

Cheesecake Factory as 'Fancy' (03:28)

• “Cheesecake Factory was one of the, like, nicer places…nice as in beautiful decor, a location, or the food was like a beautiful meal that you would take a date on.” — David & Rob

Menu Anxiety (15:39)

• “They have a ridiculously massive menu. I actually remember getting anxiety having to go through this entire menu and figure out what to eat.” — Rob

Décor, Comfort, and Weirdness (22:34, 32:27)

• “It’s very sort of elaborate but also tacky, but also I don’t know what it's trying to evoke at all.” — David

Portion Size Guilt (23:59)

• “I feel incredibly guilty if I don’t finish a thing...Somehow not eating it is like I’m wasting my money as well, which feels bad.” — David

The Taste Experience (24:44)

• “It all tastes the same…just kind of melded to slop at this point…just a puddle of cheese and soggy chips.” — Rob

On Franchise Homogeneity (33:18)

• “There is something both awful about that, kind of franchising of things, but also quite nice. And I’ve fallen into…I think that cursed American thing of being like, there’s an element in me that’s like, yeah, the chain.” — David

The Cheesecake Overload (31:46)

• “Having big, rich and sweet is a crazy combo to have. And I’m pretty greedy, and I like my sugar, and I still found it too much.” — David

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Important Segments

• Cheesecake Factory Preconceptions & Mall Culture — 02:53–08:47
• On-site at The Cheesecake Factory — 14:02–31:46
  • Ordering food, menu discussion: 15:39–17:56
  • Tasting and portion commentary: 22:34–24:44
  • Cheesecake review: 25:22–31:46
• Discussion of Décor & Franchise Psychology — 32:27–36:59
• History & Expansion of Cheesecake Factory — 40:57–42:44
• American Food Excess & Calorie Counts — 46:29–47:32
• Reflections on the Visit & Chain Status — 48:25–49:32
• Feedback, Personalities, and Cultural Asides — 53:23–58:46

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Memorable Tangents

• Bizarre American News: David’s recap of a “practical joker” New Jersey police chief (09:33) is a darkly comic peek at American absurdities.
• Family Interviews and Intergenerational Memory: A warm sidebar on the lost art of quizzing grandparents about their lives (28:32).
• Vegemite Taste Test: Rob samples Vegemite the “Kiwi way,” demonstrating cross-cultural culinary bravery (50:02–52:50).
• Listener Feedback: Ranges from reflections on the embarrassment of buying toilet paper to the nuanced use of the word “fuck,” and learning about “Midwestern salads” (53:23–58:46).

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Final Observations and Takeaways

• Cheesecake Factory as an American Mirror: Its bigness, sameness, chaotic decoration, and relentless ambition are seen not as accidental, but as quintessentially American. The chain is seductive in its comforting predictability yet overwhelming and excessive in every aspect.
• Portions & Indulgence: Even committed sweet-tooths are overwhelmed; both cohosts agree moderation is nearly impossible.
• Nostalgia vs. Reality: While the chain occupies a soft spot in many American childhoods, the reality as adults is far more blunt: portions are too much, the food is “slop,” and the décor borders on the bizarre.
• Cultural Integration: David notes his slow “Amerification” through his growing tolerance — and even affection — for American chain culture.

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Conclusion

The Cheesecake Factory is more than just a restaurant. As experienced through the wide-eyed lens of a Kiwi journalist, it’s a sometimes delicious, mostly overwhelming, deeply peculiar institution that manages to be both comforting and confounding. It embodies America’s love of scale, novelty, indulgence, and the psychological security of the familiar chain restaurant. For anyone new to America — or for those who grew up here and want to see their surroundings anew — this episode brings the flavor, eccentricity, and cultural oddities of one of America’s biggest dining experiences to life.

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Notable Quotes Recap

• “It feels like a theme park of sorts, right? Nothing is real.” — David (14:34)
• “Usually, if something is incredibly rich, make it a bit smaller...big, rich, and sweet is a crazy combo to have.” — David (31:46)
• “If I try to describe to you what it looks like, you’d probably think it was one of the most horrible looking places around.” — Rick McCormick, via David (35:16 paraphrased)

Transcript

[A]

Hello. Hi, Rosabelle. How are you?

[B]

I'm good.

[C]

How are you?

[A]

I'm good. I'm just wondering, I know you've got a really busy day, you've got a lot of things on, but I'm just wondering if you could squeeze me in to your schedule for the podcast.

[B]

Well, you might have to book in a time with. With my management.

[A]

We're doing an episode about the Cheesecake Factory and I'm wondering what you can tell me about the Cheesecake Factory.

[B]

Okay, so I think the only thing I know about the Cheesecake Factory is from half listening to you talk about it.

[A]

Half listening? Excuse me.

[B]

Well, I think most of the time I'm only half listening to you.

[A]

Fair.

[B]

Is it kind of like P F tanks?

[A]

I think you're probably right. As in it's very big and it sells a lot of food.

[B]

Yeah, Cheesecake Factory. I mean, Factory makes it sound like there's a lot of food. So.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So they started with cheesecake and then just made some other food because they got insecure or what?

[A]

That's what I am genuinely quite curious about. All I know is they have cheesecake, but also literally everything else as well.

[B]

Okay, well, I'm looking forward to learning more.

[A]

Yeah, well, when you half listen to this episode, maybe you can learn something for once. I'm David Farrier, a New Zealander accidentally marooned in America, and I want to figure out what makes this country tick. Now, despite living here for about four years now, there are still lots of American activities I haven't done yet. And one in particular that stood out. I have never eaten at the Cheesecake Factory. All I really knew about the Cheesecake Factory is that they're very big. Big restaurants, big menus, big portions. This led Men's Health magazine to calling the Cheesecake Factory the worst family restaurant in America. While a scientific study found out that one of their chicken dishes had more calories than a 12 piece bucket of fried chicken from KFC. With all that in mind, it was time to visit the Cheesecake Factory. So let out their belts and prepare to put on some pound, because this is the Cheesecake Factory episode. Fly this, fly this.

[C]

Fly this bird touchdown in America I'm a fly this.

[A]

Bird touchdown in America.

[D]

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[A]

Rob?

[C]

Yeah, I don't know that I. When I think of Cheesecake Factory, that I necessarily go immediately to unhealthy food.

[A]

That's interesting, right? What is like, your first kind of thing that comes to the brain? Because I go big physical location and big. I think of, like, big, heavy portions.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And cheesecake.

[C]

I mean, this is going to sound bad, but growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Cheesecake Factory was one of the, like, nicer places.

[A]

Nice as in beautiful decor and a location or the food was like a beautiful meal that you would take a date on.

[C]

I hate saying yes to both of those.

[A]

That's all right.

[C]

I don't have those feelings now. But. But in, like, high school, there was a Cheesecake Factory at the Woodfield Mall, and that was, like, one of the nicer places to go. I. Yeah, maybe it was just. It was more expensive, too, but it.

[A]

Felt like a classy outing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Cool.

[C]

It wasn't like popping over to Sbarro for dinner, which.

[A]

What is that?

[C]

I love Sbarros too.

[A]

Is that. Is that. What's that?

[C]

Pizza.

[A]

A Chicago pizza place?

[C]

No, it's. It's a.

[A]

It's a chain.

[C]

It's a mall pizza place.

[A]

Okay. I'm intrigued already. You'll still say things and I'm like, what the hell is that? I think I've come so far, but I've got so far to go.

[C]

I don't know. So. Yeah, like, Woodfield Mall. It's a really big mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. I think it. It's one of the biggest in the country at least 20 years ago.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Was one of the biggest in the country under a single roof.

[A]

I am a big mall enthusiast, by the way. This mall, was it flat and large or was it a multi leveled kind of a deal?

[C]

Multi leveled, but also very large. I'm sure it's changed. I'm sure they've built bigger ones and like, Mall of America was. I think they had, like. They had weird, like, carrots next to, like, largest mall with, like, these stipulations that made it.

[A]

You mean like a decorative carrot? Like a statue?

[E]

Just like a.

[C]

A stipulation on what made it the largest mall.

[A]

Okay, I see. Did you say carrot?

[C]

I did. Or like an. An aster and.

[A]

Oh, I see what you mean.

[F]

I understand.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Footnote on it. Carrot's probably not the cuz.

[A]

In New Zealand, we have giant vegetables everywhere. Like in every, like.

[F]

No.

[A]

And including a giant carrot. It's like a thing. So I just imagine that in my mind.

[C]

But so like, the restaurants there, there was the Olive Garden.

[A]

PF Changs.

[C]

PF Changs.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

There was Sbarro. There was Cheesecake Factory. There was a Texas Day Brazil, which was like the nicest place at the mall because it was also like 75 a person.

[A]

Right. It's an expensive.

[C]

It's a Brazilian steakhouse.

[A]

Sounds delicious.

[C]

Do you not know about Texas Day Brazil?

[A]

Not at all. I've never heard of it. There's so many new things coming at me right now.

[C]

I only gone there once. It was like the rich people.

[A]

Yeah. It was like swanky dining experience. Big, big meat. You pay a $70.

[C]

No. So you have a coaster on the table. One side's red, one side's green.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

And you turn it over whether or not you want more meat served to you. And then they have like a giant salad bar that you can eat, but it's just like chefs coming or chefs coming with giant preparations. Meat.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

They're slicing off on you in front of you. Yes. If. If you have your card turned the right way.

[A]

Incredible. This sounds incredibly American, but it was.

[C]

A Brazilian steakhouse, so.

[A]

Yeah, it's not Brazil, but the American done in an American way.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You're like meat now more. Turn my thing over.

[C]

Bring it to me though. May be how the Brazilians do it. I don't know if that was.

[A]

We will find out in the episode about that particular establishment. I feel like we're already opening up multiple other food episodes back to malls briefly. Because I've wondered about this. Growing up in New Zealand, I'm so familiar with every, like, coming of age story or comedy. There's always kids hanging out in a mall and like, they get up to mischief. Was mall life part of your upbringing at all? Was that a thing you're going to hang out at the mall?

[C]

Yeah, a little bit. Oh, there was also a Rainforest Cafe.

[A]

Oh, okay. So I'm.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. This is on the list because I still don't understand that place and I. There's not many of them left and I feel like we need to do an episode before they all, like, vanish.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That's an exception because PF Changs, like, they are harder to get to now. Like, they're on the way out.

[C]

I feel like I don't mind the P. F. Changs.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Actually.

[A]

Okay. So and so all the big American, like, names Were in this mall.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But, yeah, that was like paradise. That was a high school, like, place to hang out.

[A]

Yeah. So. Okay. And what would you get up to? You'd, like, talk about, like, gossip and stuff and, like, go skateboarding and, like, have your Discman on and stuff. Backpack over one shoulder.

[C]

I don't remember doing it a whole lot.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

I did have a friend, though. He was a little bit older. His name was Mikey. And he, like, he was. He would. You would. If you go to Woodfield with him, like, he. Because he grew up in Schomburg too. He would, like, go through with the dumpster entrance where the employees were and.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, go the back hallways of the mall and then just bowler as hell. Yeah.

[A]

Well, he'd just stroll in like. Yeah. In the place. And no one, like, no.

[C]

So there were a few times I went with him where it was Mikey.

[A]

King of them all.

[C]

I'm not even sure the benefit of that.

[A]

Just kind of like you're behind the scenes, you know, like a fast track.

[C]

To like PF Chang came out like a side door on the third level.

[A]

It's very, very funny. I really like that. That's something that appeals to me a lot. Okay, so we went to the Cheesecake Factory and we're going to play our trip there shortly. There's a couple of bits of American news I keep forgetting to get to that I just want to raise because I. If I don't now, I'll. Since we did the Creed episode, Endless. I mean, Creed is everywhere. You send me Creed stuff all the time. Unfortunately, it seems to be much more of a thing now. There's an incredible video of someone singing six feet from the Edge song in the Grand Canyon. And so it's just them. It's someone filming from like the edge of the Grand Canyon. Someone across the other side or. It's all done with AI and it's just made up. But it's booming across the Grand Canyon. It's incredible.

[C]

It's Scott singing.

[A]

I wish. Not just some guy, just a lunatic. This other headline, which is very old now, but I think it's worth hitting out the. Reading out the headline. Trump official who added journalists to war plan chat is related to Creed's. Creed's lead singer, basically. It turns out that Mike Waltz, security adviser, is the brother in law of Scott Stab, which is coincidentally, probably not. Probably not one of the most American things I've ever heard of. It's just so, so good. And one other thing, it was a story that I got kind of obsessed with. Because I just couldn't believe what I was reading. Nothing to do with cheesecake factory in any way whatsoever. There was a police chief in Hudson county, which I believe is in New Jersey. And this was a headline. Hudson county police chief Robert Farley is being accused of assaulting and harassing his officers. So people he worked with and was in charge of. And a lengthy list of complaints that included defecating on floors, exposing himself, shaving his back, attempting to drug co workers. This is a clincher. This is a police chief and sticking a hypodermic needle into an officer's penis. I've got no more to say on it. I just think that is a remarkable person to be in the police force. Okay. With all that said, do you think.

[C]

It was like, down the p hole?

[A]

I'm deeply curious. I feel it would have just been probably just directly into the shaft as some kind. He was like a practical joker, but he just got out of hand in a really. Just like. When I say out of hand, I mean like illegal shit.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But he just sounded like the worst kid at school who was like, doing the most annoying pranks. But he ended up being a cop and then a police chief. And the whole story is like a list of other things he had done. And it just gets crazier and crazy. He spotted the coffee pot in the office with Viagra and Adderall and loved using racial slurs.

[C]

These are pretty great pranks.

[A]

Should I start doing some in the flightless bird office?

[C]

Hypodermic needles. I'm just curious as how that prank plays out.

[A]

The headline also refers to the fact that he pooped on desks. And I find pooped is a very.

[C]

Fun word for a news article.

[A]

Fun word for a news article to use. So. August 2024, not long ago, officer Darren said that things soured between him and the police chief. And he said, quote, chief Farley chases me around his office. None of this is funny. After cornering me in the filing area with no further room for retreat. So he's in the corner, he's backed up. Officer Farley's hulking over him back. Recently shaven as another practical joke on the floor, he sticks a hypodermic needle through my jeans into the tip of my penis. So basically just got the needle through, Just jabbed it, basically. Stabbed. Yeah. Darren wrote in his complaint that the needle drew blood and that he was further humiliated when he had to explain the injury to his wife. Imagine if I went home, if I had this wife. I got home I was like. I'm like. Like, my dick hurt because Rob, like, chased me today and, like, jabbed a hypodermic needle through my, like, shorts into my penis. And I'm deeply embarrassed by this, and I'm sorry. And then this is a quote that kind of sums it up, which is, I think, how I'd feel if you did this to me. From this point on, the chief creates a hostile work environment. He wrote, it's pretty hostile. The chief would shave his body here on people's property, their persons and their food. It's rough, man. He was also fond of scraping. This is insane. And I. Again, I don't quite understand the sentence. He was also fond of scraping fluids from his underwear onto people seated in his office. I think I've said enough.

[C]

Sweaty underwear problem.

[A]

Sweaty underwear. Yeah.

[C]

That you're ringing out again.

[A]

Police chief in New Jersey. And, yeah, every day in America, there's, like, a new delight.

[C]

I mean, on a related note, let's listen to us eating at Cheesecake Factory.

[A]

Really good. Really good throw.

[F]

Table for two, please. David and Rob, you just wait over in the lobby.

[A]

We'll get you seated shortly. Okay. Thank you.

[E]

You're welcome. This is your first Cheesecake Factory experience.

[A]

This is it.

[F]

I've walked past many of them. I have poked my nose in, but this is what I've always wanted.

[E]

It's very gr.

[F]

It is great. It feels like. I mean, like, many of these chains in America, it feels like a theme park of sorts, right? Like nothing is real.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

I mean, they do a pretty good job. This is what the one in Chicago feels like, too, in the suburbs.

[F]

But, yeah, generic. You walk in and it feels like you're home. It's like, this is a Cheesecake Factory.

[C]

Yeah.

[F]

How many times have you dined at a Cheesecake Factory? You know, you've got kids.

[A]

You've got a family in California.

[E]

I've probably been about three times for a long time. My birthday cake was a red velvet cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.

[F]

Okay, so this was kind of in your DNA. You, as an American, were kind of raised in here.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

The one I went to is at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg that I went to all the time. But being in the suburbs, you were a little more handcuffed to chain food, so. But this was, like, the nice place.

[C]

If you wanted.

[E]

If there's a special occasion in here.

[F]

Party two.

[A]

That's us.

[F]

It's happening.

[A]

Hello.

[E]

I don't know if you know this, but the other thing about Cheesecake Factory that it's known for is they have a ridiculously massive menu. I actually remember getting anxiety having to go through. Through this entire menu and figure out what to eat, why I've.

[F]

I've grabbed it, and it is. It's thick and it's weighty. There are. How many pages are we talking here?

[E]

They're numbered 19 pages. I remember many times just going through this, not retaining what I'm reading and just flipping through these pages. They have cheeseburger spring rolls, followed by mozzarella sticks and then crab wontons.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

They offer everything for food. I mean, I really just came here for the cheesecake.

[A]

Hello.

[F]

How are we doing today?

[A]

We're good.

[F]

It's my first trip here, so I'm documenting it for old time's sake.

[A]

I'm gonna.

[F]

I think I'm gonna get a root beer. I think.

[E]

Yeah, I guess I'll do a root beer, too. And.

[C]

And a water.

[G]

Two root beers, two waters. And I'll put some more for our bread and butter for you guys. Okay.

[E]

I might go old school, and I used to order the factory nachos. Might do some nachos today. How much cheesecake do you anticipate on eating? Because we might want to plan our meal based on how much cheesecake we want to add to the mix.

[F]

Of course, because dessert is a big factor that's coming. And I imagine the slices here aren't tiny.

[A]

No.

[E]

And it's a big factory.

[F]

Oh, my God. What do we got here? We've got the root beer. We've got some delicious bread coming in. What is the most common, like, what is your signature meal that most people would get if they're iconically wanting to dine at Cheesecake Factory? Besides the cheesecake, I would say the.

[G]

Most popular dish that we have is our chicken Madeira dish. So it's gonna be two lightly breaded chickens, and then it's gonna get it topped up with some cheese, asparagus, mushrooms, and then maduro wine sauce that we make in house. And a side of mashed potatoes with it. I would say that's our most popular dish. One of my personal favorites is the parmesan herb crusted chicken. Few chicken breasts come with, like a herb, like a parmesan crust on top. Baked pretty much. And then it also comes with mashed potatoes.

[F]

I guess we have to save space for the cheesecake at the end, right?

[A]

You do.

[G]

We also just got a new one, so our triple berry bliss as well. It's becoming very popular.

[F]

I think I'm going to get that insane thing that you mentioned at the beginning, what was that?

[A]

Chicken Madeira.

[F]

Chicken Madeira.

[C]

And then I'm gonna do the nachos.

[E]

Can I do no sour cream?

[F]

No sour cream. That's an interesting move. You're not a sour cream man.

[E]

Not on nachos.

[C]

I like my nachos.

[A]

Pretty simple.

[F]

I like my nachos soggy with sour cream and meat and cheese. I want them, like, dribbling out of my hands.

[A]

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[F]

How would you describe the decor of this place? Because it's very, it's sort of, it's.

[A]

Very sort of elaborate but also tacky.

[F]

But also I don't know what it's.

[A]

Trying to evoke at all.

[E]

They got some like Lord of the Rings. Sauron.

[F]

You're fucking right it is.

[A]

It's the Eye of Sauron right there.

[E]

It's like, kind of Celtic as well, but then a lot of, like, blowing blown glass fixtures and a lot of patterns.

[F]

Thank you so much. God, these nachos, Rob, this is fucking insane.

[E]

Yeah, this is a very large plate of nachos. And your chicken. I don't even know. I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at. I'm seeing a lot of mushrooms. I don't think I've ever seen a piece of chicken that shape or size.

[F]

I guess it's gonna be amazing. I'm gonna feel like death afterwards.

[A]

I can tell.

[F]

I think it's sort of several bits fused together by cheese. Cheese and slop and.

[A]

Yeah, it's very. It's very flavorsome.

[F]

I mean, it's. It's a lot. I also love the only green in here. These, like, four lonely bits of asparagus.

[A]

That are fused into the cheese.

[E]

Are you the type that feels any codependency with the food, what you're leaving on your plate and how, like, will you force yourself to eat more, especially if a waiter recommends an item for you?

[F]

Yeah, I feel incredibly guilty if I don't finish a thing. And I also just feel like I want to get my money's worth if I paid for a full meal. Somehow not eating it is like I'm wasting my money as well, which feels bad. It feels bad. So I've eaten what feels like a third of this meal. I am full, and so I can't do anything about that. But, yeah, I feel it's sort of insulting. And, you know, I've said this before, but I've put on weight since I've been here in America, and it is just from bigger portions and my inbolt pressure to finish.

[E]

I mean, this is also bigger portions, even within America, because I've maybe had a fourth of my nachos and I'm full and do not want anymore.

[F]

Also, with the. I think both our meals, essentially, it all tastes the same. Like, most of this was, like, very. It's like a sea of the same. There's nothing changing. Every bite essentially tastes the same. And that gets too much.

[E]

Yeah, I agree. And both of them have just kind of melded to slop at this point. Mine's just a puddle of cheese and soggy chips. And you. I can't even tell what's chicken and mashed potatoes anymore on your plate. And now we're about to have a bunch of cheesecake. Maybe we only do two pieces. We were talking about how many we needed to get, but I think two is probably enough.

[G]

So one of my personal favorite is gonna be the fresh banana cream cheesecake right here. One that's very popular is a classic Basque. So it's a crustless cheesecake with a burnt top. And it's come sided with some. Some berry sauce and the mixed berries. Another really popular one, I would say is the Oriole Dream Extreme cheesecake as well. And then another one that I really like is their fresh strawberries.

[F]

They. The Dream Extreme cheesecake is a great name and it's got Oreos in it, which are very American.

[E]

Yeah, I mean, that's not normally my choice, but if I'm normally like a pretty classic cheesecake. So all of the bells and whistles of most of these are not what I would go for. Yeah, I would either do the original or the red velvet if I was coming here. But you're a big candy sweet guy. You should definitely do. You should do the Oreo. We do the red velvet cheesecake and then.

[F]

And I'm gonna get the Oreo.

[A]

The Oreo dream. Got it.

[G]

I'll get those throw for you guys right away.

[F]

Thank you.

[A]

No, I've gotta stop. I gotta stop.

[F]

These free refills here get me, like, it's just you end up drinking so much sugar.

[E]

This says 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutritional advice. I think my nachos were 2600. I'm glad I only had like five of them.

[F]

Here we are. These are big.

[G]

Oreo Dream Extreme. And then the ultimate red velvet cheesecake.

[F]

Thank you so much. You're wonderful, Rob. These are fucking big. There's something that I forgot about, and that is that this is rich. It's not just sweet, it's rich.

[E]

Yes, Very, very, very rich. Do you guys have cheesecake in New Zealand?

[F]

We've got cheesecake. It's not a hugely popular dish. It's not common at all. And certainly not a factory that deals just in cheesecake.

[E]

My grandma used to make us cheesecake, like, very simple cheesecake. My grandma was not layering in red velvet cake and putting Oreo crumbles and frosting on hers.

[A]

I want to say for the record that my GR also made a really good, simple cheesecake. And rest her soul, Monica, it was the best cheesecake in the world. It was so good. Except for your grands, maybe.

[C]

Yeah, she made a really good cheesecake and she made really good cinnamon bread.

[E]

Oh, yum.

[A]

Those are two really good dishes.

[C]

2 very like grandma dishes too.

[A]

What was your grand's first name?

[C]

We called her Grandma Lala.

[A]

Oh, so cute.

[C]

Loretta was her.

[A]

Oh, Grandma Lala. Monica was my grandma.

[C]

What year was Grandma Monica born?

[A]

I have no idea. I couldn't do the maths on that. She was very old when she died.

[C]

Yeah, mine was born in like 1912.

[A]

Oh my God. One of my biggest regrets about my grand and my grand, my grandpa on both sides was that I didn't quiz them enough about their lives. And I'm trying to remember this one with my parents. It's like you do this weird thing. We don't quiz them enough about like the really interesting part of their lives, which is the stuff you don't know when there are kids and stuff.

[C]

I did that this summer with my dad.

[A]

Oh, get out.

[C]

When we, we did that road trip from LA to Chicago and back and he came with. With me and Calvin.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I, me and Calvin kind of interviewed him throughout the trip and recorded it and like just asked him about growing up and what his dad was like that I'd never met.

[A]

And that's such a good idea. And how for anyone actually wanting to do this, including like myself. What. Any tips on how to do it? Because everyone's always like, do I sit down and make this a really official recording? Do I just like make. Is it on my phone? Like, how did you do it?

[C]

I didn't have an official recording. So like what, you go out and your little field recorder and I had some like general directions on which I wanted to spend.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Kind of each day talking to him about. I didn't want it to just be like, okay, cool, let's have a two hour conversation about this.

[A]

No, you wanted to guide it to specific places to learn about specific things.

[C]

Let's talk about what your parents did before you were born and what you remember as a little kid and then what high school was like and then how you chose what you wanted to do for college.

[A]

And did it make you see your dad in a different way?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[A]

And also cool having Calvin chipping in with his. No doubt, like quite specific, like, you know, kids have such a remarkable way of thinking because they're not locked into all our weird adult shit.

[E]

Yeah, it was fun incorporating him, but.

[C]

He oftentimes would just fall asleep like 20 minutes into it and just got like bored and would ask the same questions of like, what were your favorite toys?

[A]

I kind of want to see him like doing that with like a big political guest or a celebrity Just, you know, if they don't, like, keep him interested, he's just going to fall asleep. There was that Tim Robinson sketch where he was interviewing people and he'd just be on his phone just so painfully bored. And it reminds me a lot of that. Okay, Cheesecake Factory. My memories of that day are mainly feeling very taken out afterwards. I was exhausted. I could. You know, when you can feel your body, like, battling to, like, digest and absorb, that's, like, stuff that you've just put in.

[C]

I think you were steered in the wrong direction on what you ordered.

[A]

I just remember the solid mass of chicken, potato, and cheese with these four, but mushroom all fused into what I would call sort of a blob or a glob.

[C]

You ordered a very heavy. I mean, not that the nachos were even nachos.

[A]

You could tiptoe around a little bit. You know, this was just.

[C]

I was very, like, non committal. It was kind of like an appetizer that I ate very little of.

[A]

Yeah, no, I like your technique. I like your technique. And the cheesecake, my triple Oreo, whatever, it was too much. It was sweet and rich and big, which, you know, I think usually with something, I feel like if it's incredibly rich, make it a bit smaller or if it's, like, incredibly sweet, again, make it smaller. Having big, rich and sweet is a crazy combo to have. And I'm pretty greedy, and I'm pretty. I like my sugar, and I still found it, like, too much.

[C]

That's very surprising to hear from you. But I. I will say I do love their cheese. I do love their cheesecake.

[A]

How was your red velvet?

[C]

So a couple days ago last weekend, Calvin went to a birthday party at the movie theater next to the Cheesecake Factory. We went to. And then after they went to the Cheesecake Factory and Natalie went to pick him up, and I was like, hey, will you bring. Bring some red velvet cheesecake while you're picking up Calvin? So, yeah, I had it. Yeah, a couple days ago. Again, solid. So, yeah, their cheesecake's great.

[A]

As far as a red velvet lover, the Cheesecake Factory. It does a good one.

[C]

I mean, it's. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Okay. So I was reading on the Cheesecake Factory, and I wanted to go through a few things. I learned the artwork and decor was incredibly striking in there, and every single.

[C]

One looks exactly the same, which is, I mean, typical of a franchise.

[A]

But, yeah, it's a comfort thing. And I will say this for the record, I think it's why I'm drawn to these Slightly horrific places like McDonald's and Starbucks. It's because when you walk in Duncan, there is like a certain. No matter where you are in the country, you might be out on the road and feeling a little bit like you're missing home. You can walk into a place and it's like, this is just like my local. And there is something both awful about that, kind of franchising of things, but also quite nice. And I've fallen into, I think, that cursed American thing of being like, there's an element in me that's like, yeah, the chain.

[C]

Yeah, I can see that. Yeah. Cheese Egg factory is just so specific.

[A]

And it's, to be clear, it's fucking weird. Yeah. Like, it's really deeply unusual.

[C]

Like you're looking kind of in a forest.

[A]

Yeah. And the Eye of Sauron was a good observation. There is that. So I read up on this a little bit. I'll see if this helps at all. So this is from their website, which is now archived. So this is from the Wayback Machine. It's not currently on their site.

[C]

Oh, it's like what the White House did, she said.

[A]

I mean, the White House and their website changes. Incredible. So part of the Cheesecake Factory experience is enjoying our distinctive decor. So they know that it's out there. This is where we add our color and fun, from the Egyptian columns and hand blown lighting fixtures to the dark cherry wood and brass accents. A common theme found throughout the Cheesecake Factory are our murals. And they're created by Mary Destuis. I'll be saying that incorrectly, but it's my best bet. A former manager who launched the trend at our Redondo beach location in 88. So that's where the murals came from.

[C]

88, the year I was born.

[A]

Ah, amazing. These are sync murals. Add panache. You don't hear panache very often.

[C]

Wait, the Cheesecake Factory has been around since 1988?

[A]

Yeah, it's been around for a very long time. So rewind from that. This is from the dailymeal.com the key designer who did all the batshit stuff came on board in 1992. So that was four years after the Redondo beach location opened. And he did all that, as this site says, wacky as heck decor. So blame it all on Rick McCormick, who is a veteran designer. If your instinct is, what do any of these things have to do with cheesecake? The answer is absolutely nothing. It turns out they were just items their designer and the CEO thought were cool. So that's that simple. It's that simple, I guess.

[C]

Good on them.

[A]

McCormick himself admits the style might not sound good if you've never experienced it yourself. Telling the website, if I try to describe to you what it looks like, you'd probably think it was one of the most horrible looking places around. So he gets it.

[C]

We should try promoting our podcast like that to people out in the world. I'm like, this idea sounds terrible.

[F]

It sounds terrible.

[A]

If you like, if you go, if.

[C]

You listen, you'll like it.

[A]

You'll like it. From the outside, it sounds awful. It's like two white guys talking to each other for ages. Awful. So this Daily Meal article goes on to say, no two Cheesecake Factory locations are exactly the same, but they all share a riot of influences, from Egypt to Victorian England to areas in Central Europe. And according to an old interview that McCormick did, the Egyptian style was mainly because Overton always thought Egyptian stuff looked cool. And he was the CEO I mentioned earlier. So that's why it looks like it is. They just thought it was cool.

[C]

Can you imagine that corporate meeting where they were talking about how to design this?

[A]

There's 20 people around the table and.

[C]

The CEO being like, I just think this Egyptian style looks really cool.

[A]

So would have been a PowerPoint presentation.

[C]

Would have probably been mostly white people sitting in this room.

[A]

Yeah. He's like, Egypt. Have you seen it? Look at this photo. It's amazing. Yeah. Europe, Victorian, England. Let's do it all. It's very American. You just like grabbing a bunch of other influences and like branding it as your own thing.

[C]

They don't do it in an offensive way. I don't think either, like, it's offensive from a design aesthetic.

[A]

From an aesthetic point of view.

[C]

From a cultural. From a cultural standpoint, it's. I don't think.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Offensive.

[A]

No. I think I felt comfortable and at home in there, and I saw many different people dining and all seem to be having a. A good time. I've also learned recently that they cut 13 items last month from their menu, but they've added 23 more, so.

[C]

So we gotta go back.

[A]

Yeah. So you thought that menu was gonna get down to 18 pages. It's probably up to about 21 now. I thought that was quite good.

[C]

They also have so many options of cheesecake. Oh, like it's like two pages of cheesecake flavors.

[A]

Insane. I'm sure there's some blogger out there that's gone through and had like one bite of every cheesecake. But we will live our lives and we won't have all that cheesecake I.

[C]

Mean, this sounds like a challenge, David.

[A]

I think it does sound like I've just laid it down right now.

[C]

I think you should.

[A]

No, I'm trying to keep my cholesterol under control. I can't give myself a challenge like that.

[C]

We should find out how many there are in just like, one a week.

[A]

One a week.

[C]

You can have half a slice of.

[A]

Cheesecake, you can have the other half.

[C]

And you can try every single flavor.

[A]

It's not that much of a crazy.

[C]

Idea if that's your dessert for the week, for the next year.

[A]

I wonder if by the end of that year I would come to love cheesecake more or if I would be like, I can't deal with any more of this.

[C]

I feel like it'd be moderate enough if it's like you're having three or.

[A]

Four bites only don't do the whole thing.

[C]

No. Half might even be too much.

[A]

I think I got through about a third of my Oreo.

[C]

When I have a slice even, even like last week, I have like a third and then a third. It lasts.

[A]

You pop it back in the fridge. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had a birthday cake one year and it was really big and I put it in the freezer and I just like, chip away at it. During the year, do you let it.

[C]

Thaw or you eat it frozen?

[A]

It's frozen. Yeah. You can freeze a cake and it's still pretty good. Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors. Support for Flightless Bird comes from Mint Mobile. Now, do you say data or data? Data. Data. Hmm. Well, in my house, we say data. That's the New Zealand way. And for the longest time, I thought paying a fortune on my monthly data plan was just normal. That was until I found out about Mint Mobile and their premium wireless plans that start at just 15 bucks a month. My old provider, it was over $80 a month. I thought that was normal here in America. Turns out it's not. Mint Mobile plans start at just $15 a month. So say bye bye to your overpriced wireless plans. Jaw dropping monthly bills because Mint Mobile is here to rescue you. All plans come with high speed data or data? Data. Data, your choice. And unlimited talk of text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Ditch overpriced wireless and get three months of premium wireless service from Mint mobile for just 15 bucks a month. No matter how you say it, don't overpay for it. Shop data [e-mail] bird that's mintmobile.com bird upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5 gigabyte plan required equivalent to $15 a month new customer offer for first 3 months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees. Extra siement mobile for details. Okay, so some history of the Cheesecake Factory. Just so we cover up all these facts. Oscar and Evelyn overton their dreams to create a successful business. And it was in the late 1940s that she opened a small cheesecake shop in Detroit. That's where it all started. In order to raise her two small children, David and Renee, Evelyn chose to put off her dream and gave up the shop. She moved her baking to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best local restaurants in 71. With the kids out of the house and her and her husband now in their early 50s, they decided to move their cheesecake business out of the basement into Los Angeles. And there in LA, they opened a 700 square foot store, the Cheesecake Factory. That's where it started. 70s and from there it just got bigger and bigger and they franchised and now it's everywhere.

[C]

The idea of that original 700 square.

[A]

Foot shop is like amazing. Yeah, but that's enough.

[C]

And then the dream of then like let's make this bigger and bigger and bigger and then franchise and then quality probably starts to degrade. I like their cheesecake, but I bet those cheesecakes out of her basement were. Would have been incredible.

[A]

Exquisite. It.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. There is that drive and I think I'm wondering how that is sort of encoded into your DNA because I feel like, yeah, I'd be happy with that shop. It's like, oh my God, I run this thing. But here it's like expand, get more, get bigger. Is that sort of like do you know where that.

[C]

I think that's a very American thing. I mean we did it with this podcast, I guess. So let's go on video. Let's go.

[A]

Let's go video. Let's do live shows.

[C]

Let's. Let's not be content with what it is.

[A]

Small thing. Yeah, that's interesting, isn't it? Because it's because like my idea of like that feeling like a good idea is it's like wanting to. Maybe it is that it's wanting to spread it, like get it to more people, get it to different audiences or shouldn't have it already. And that's maybe what it is like spreading Cheesecake Factory around.

[C]

Well, and it's ambition. It's just interesting how the mindset changes completely, starts here. It even is just like wanting to go eat at that place.

[A]

Because I also think if you. If I wasn't doing the show with you, like, you know this about me. Like, you have had to prod me to do things. Like, when you're talking about going on YouTube, I think my original response was like, oh, you know youtubers kind of. I was just like. Like shooting with camera. Like, being visuals, it just seems so hard. And this whole time. And same with the live shows. Like, you're like, let's do live shows. My initial reaction was, this seems hard and scary. And you were like, no, it's fun and it can be better and more like different layers to what the show is. So that's your American ness. Like, prodding my.

[C]

Sort of dragging your kiwi.

[A]

Dragging my kiwi corpse along and, like, pushing me on stage. But I've appreciated it. It's like, I wouldn't do that without you. All right, maybe I'm slowly learning the American ways. Okay, what else did I learn? I came across a sort of horrible side dish of a story. New Jersey Cheesecake Factory workers OD'd were playing Russian Roulette.

[C]

Was the headline OD'd while playing Russian roulette?

[A]

No. So the Russian roulette was talking about how they were doing a lot of cocaine. And I just thought this was another very American thing, because if you do cocaine in America, my understanding is big chances laced with fentanyl, and that's how they overdosed. I don't mean to bring the tone down, but I just thought, what an American thing. These happy Cheesecake Factory workers doing coke and eating cheesecake. Doing coke, eating cheesecake and then just fentanyl and everything at the moment, which is probably yet another topic we should dive into at some point. Another sort of awful story, but incredible headline that I related to and just how I felt after I'd eaten there. My heart literally exploded on a date at the Cheesecake Factory. Pretty good headline. This is from December 24th, when Stephanie Anderson went on a dinner date with a potential new partner. I like how they phrase that. Who else are you going to go on a date with? She never expected that her heart would literally explode. And I should say this is from the Daily Mail, which isn't the classiest newspaper.

[C]

I feel like there's a.

[E]

There's an angle, some clickbaitiness to this.

[A]

Head just a little bit, but we'll.

[E]

See where it works.

[A]

Some podcaster came across it, and it's like, I'm gonna read this. The 39 year old met up with a man she was seeing at the Cheesecake Factory in Salt Lake City, Utah.

[C]

Oh, now she's seen the man. It wasn't in Potential.

[A]

Yeah, it's changed. Now she's seeing him. When she began expecting intense pain in her jaw, she initially brushed it off. But as the pair waited on their cheesecake, the pain began spreading to her collarbone, growing worse by the minute. The mother of three was in agony when her date rang the emergency services for help. Paramedics arrived and discovered that the biggest artery from her heart had ruptured, causing the blood to stop pumping around her body. She was rushed to emergency open heart surgery. They removed the damaged blood vessel and replaced it with a synthetic tube. I would summarize this by saying it's the ultimate clickbait because it didn't really have anything to do with the fact she was eating cheesecake. No, it wasn't like the purely location and someone thought we can turn this into a story. But I wanted to give shout out to that headline because it got your attention. It got my attention and it did feel pretty intense eating there. I just wanted to follow that up with what I mentioned in the intro to this episode. Back in 2014, it was deemed the unhealthiest US eatery. A watchdog group called the center for Science in the Public Interest has named the chain as the winner of the extreme eating survey, noting that three of the country's nine most calorie heavy dishes are served at the Cheesecake Factory.

[C]

I do remember the Cheesecake Factory being one of the first places that I remember seeing the calories next to a meal.

[A]

I mean, should we give them credit for that? The fact they did it? They're not trying to hide it.

[C]

It might have been a legal thing.

[A]

You're told you must tell people what you're putting in.

[C]

Well, I think they've. Haven't they made that. That a requirement?

[A]

It is a thing now, now. Which is freaking good.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

The offenders included its bruleed French toast, which serves up almost 2800 calories and 93 grams of saturated fat, which is not good fat. The other dish is. It's. I'm going to say this wrong. I'm not a foodie far fella. F A I F A L L E. Falafel. No different. Anyway, something with chicken and roasted garlic includes 2,400 calories while a slice of Reese's peanut butter chocolate cheesecake has 1500 calories. So yeah, some of the dishes there not the healthiest Although you can just do what you did and not eat all of it.

[C]

I'm surprised only one of the three was cheesecake.

[A]

Cheesecake is its healthiest meal, apparently. Everything else there, not so much. And that concludes my Cheesecake Factory fact finding mission. Any other takeaways from your dining experience? Anything else people should know about the Cheesecake Factory? I think we covered, I would say, just like extensive menu. Started with cheesecake, expanded into everything else when they opened up in Los Angeles from that little basement store, and now, actually, I have one question for you. You sort of talk about that mall and the different restaurants there. Where would Cheesecake Factory sit on a. I want to impress my date or give my family a really good time. When you've got a P. F. Chang's, a Cheesecake Factory, those other places you.

[C]

Listed at that time, I would say P F Chang's and Cheesecake Factory would be towards the top.

[A]

Okay, cool.

[C]

And then Texas State, Brazil would have been like the number one.

[A]

Well, I had a really nice time there with you. Our server was lovely. They seated us quickly and efficiently. It was very busy in there. And I will say their bathrooms, much like the restaurant were. They were big in there. I walked in there and it was like expansive.

[C]

Yeah. You didn't have to wait for a stall.

[A]

Didn't have to wait for a stall.

[C]

Are you thinking you'll go back anytime soon?

[A]

I'm going to consider your pitch of getting eating one of every cheesecake. I'm also thinking I'm gonna go and see a movie at that mall again soon. I think I probably. If I get there early, I wouldn't say no to having dinner there beforehand. Oh, I liked it, but not the meal I had. I would. I would try something else.

[C]

If there was one really close to us, I feel like that challenge would be a little more attainable.

[A]

It's a little easier.

[C]

Just that it's hard to get to that.

[A]

The admin's a mission. Yeah. It's not an easy. It's in this big mall. Parking's horrible.

[C]

So if someone wants to bring David cheesecake too.

[A]

Yeah. Flight the spread chat gmail.com if you want to deliver me one cheesecake once a week. A deranged fan of the podcast. Okay. While we're on a food theme, before we get into feedback, we talked about.

[C]

I saw him back there.

[A]

We talked a lot about Vegemite and Marmite. I got this when I was given this in Australia and I thought, you should try some. So I've got a spoon.

[C]

Do they not have it here.

[A]

They do, but it's hard to get. And it was a gift. So people know that I love this stuff. And it was like they knew I would love it. There are certain stores, like, it's sort of. I feel like I've seen it once at the Grove, which is this, like, fancy mall. Like the fanciest food store had it in that international food section. You can probably get it on Amazon.

[C]

Or something, you know?

[A]

But this was given with love.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

I'm giving it to you with love. So what I've done. I've got a spoon. You can raw dog it and just have a spoonful. Or I stopped by because you're American. I thought just sort of, you know, make things a bit more palatable. I bought a Dunkin donut, and I thought you could also rub some on the top of a Dunkin donut.

[C]

Is this sweet? I thought it was.

[A]

It's not sweet. It's savory. But sweet and savory.

[C]

That's a beautiful fusion kind of a donut.

[A]

Did you get it? So I got you two options of donuts.

[C]

Oh, you got me. Okay.

[A]

Got your spoon. And I would suggest just getting a spoonful instead of rubbing a bit on this.

[C]

On a cinnamon sugar donut.

[E]

Is this gonna taste weird?

[A]

I've never tried it because I don't.

[E]

Have a sprinkled frosting donut.

[C]

I don't savory paste.

[A]

Have a sniff of Vegemite and see what you think. Just have a sniff of it. All right.

[C]

It's kind of like. It's a little fudgy smelling.

[A]

Okay. So I would typically in the morning, have a bit of toast, layer of butter, and then I spread the vegemite pretty evenly, but it's okay if it's a bit chunky. And that is how David Farrier starts his day.

[C]

Yeah, I can see there's. And you.

[E]

You're one of those people that doesn't clean his.

[A]

Look, just don't get it. Look, don't.

[F]

We don't need to get into my.

[E]

Clean spoon or knife before dipping in another spoon.

[A]

This isn't about how I tunnel in and don't clean my knife. Okay. Yeah.

[C]

All right, I'm gonna go.

[E]

I'm not taking that much.

[C]

Is that enough?

[A]

That's good.

[C]

It's good.

[A]

Some would say too much.

[C]

Salty.

[A]

Yeah. Super salty tasting. Yeah, it's okay. That seems okay for you.

[C]

That's not great.

[A]

Would you spread it on a bit of toast?

[C]

I would not have a spoonful of that ever again.

[A]

To be Fair. That's not how it should be eaten. It should be on toast.

[C]

It's not awful.

[A]

Okay. Vegemite. It's not awful. Well, you're more Kiwi Australian now, and I'm proud of you. And you're just gonna have a little bit of water there to wash that down. I'm proud of you, Rob.

[C]

It's very potent.

[A]

It's like.

[E]

It's a very strong flavor.

[C]

Yeah, that was too much.

[A]

It was too much.

[C]

And to be clear, I thought it was not enough.

[A]

No, it was way too much. No, it's sort of like you generally would give a very light spread on a bit of toast because it is such a strong flavor. So you legitimately. Rob, you did. Did really well just then, but I wasn't going to hold you back, and I think you're being very polite about it all. Okay, a bit of feedback. Aquino. Roden. I mentioned. I can't remember on what episode about the embarrassment of going to a supermarket to buy toilet paper.

[C]

That was the blimp episode. Because that's right.

[E]

People know what you're gonna do with it.

[A]

I was embarrassed about buying Vaseline and toilet paper only.

[C]

No, you're. You bought Vaseline to make it not embarrassing.

[A]

Okay. My anxiety agrees with you, David. And I'll admit I laughed at the idea of you getting nervous about your toilet paper purchase after listening to the episode. I witnessed a man leaving a convenience store holding nothing but one singular roll of toilet paper. And that was it. I was shocked. I think that's much worse than buying a pack of toilet paper. It's just buying that singular role. David, I hope that one day you and I will feel half as confident as that glorious man leaving the convenience store holding one roll of toilet paper.

[C]

Me too. I hope that for both of you.

[A]

Respect. Sam said the subject line, thank you for solving a 20 year mystery for me. Of course. That's a great subject line. I read on. Due to Life being Life, I was about 18 months behind on Flightless Bird episodes. I marathoned them through last month. It was a fun journey. Enjoyed hearing Rob more. Shouldn't have read that bit out. Your ego is just kind of going through the roof. While catching up, I heard a lot of your ads for sweaters, specifically David mentioning that New Zealand calls them jerseys. And last week, Inner city pressure by Flight of the Concords came up on my playlist, and a line that's always confused me immediately made sense. Your favorite jersey is covered in lint. I never understood how a jersey could become covered in lint. Because in America, jerseys or athletic wear, like sports uniforms, they aren't generally a material that collects lint. I love how specific this feedback is. If there was lint, you could just shake it off. But sweaters, I now finally understand. So I'm really pleased that I fly the Concorde song from a very long time ago.

[C]

That's wild. That that show was 20 years ago too.

[A]

It is, right?

[C]

Is that right?

[A]

Yeah. No, it's really old. Flight of the Concords. I'm gonna see when it premiered because Reese talked about it on that.

[C]

That restart 2005. I guess it's about right.

[A]

I mean, it came out. I feel like 98. Oh, no, that's the band. Let's see the TV show. I love how when you Google now, the first page is basically just ads. Yeah.

[C]

And like the bullshit Google AI stuff that is more and more wrong.

[A]

Quite wrong.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Kids will be doing school projects, doing that shit and just learning bullshit about the world.

[C]

I was searching if someone was in a movie or not, because I couldn't. It wasn't on the IMDb and it like, it made up in the AI that this person was in the movie.

[A]

Basically. It's just hallucinating bullshit. Not that smart. AI June 2007 is when Flight of the Concords premiered. So almost 20 years ago.

[C]

It was the music they were listening to. They were just a fan of the band.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If that was 98.

[A]

Yeah. 98 for the band. And they would just play in like tiny clubs. So I never witnessed it. But you'd have Taika Waititi in there with them and Brett and Germain, and they'd be playing to like 30 people. And look at them now. That's crazy. I like the suggestion that Kate sent in. She said, have you ever heard of Midwestern salads? Have you heard of Midwestern salads?

[C]

I mean, probably. I don't know what the distinct.

[A]

This kind of blew my mind. So she grew up in Kansas. She writes, I thought they were a normal part of everyday life until I moved to New York City, where my friends shamed me. Basically any mixture of ingredients with a base of whipped cream, jello or mayo, AKA Miracle Whip, if you're a monster, qualifies as a salad in the Midwest, I've heard.

[C]

Yeah. That's. Yeah.

[A]

Pretty gnarly.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Potato salad and pasta salad are probably the most ubiquitous across the U.S. but there are much better salads out there. My personal favorite being frog eye salad. And I'm going to save that for an episode I eventually do on Frog Eyed salad. About that salad. And my favorite bit of feedback that came in to flightless bird chatmail.com was from Mike. Hey, David and Rob. Love the show. Great that Rob gets a chance to get a more active role on the show. To which I agree. He goes on to say, I love the word fuck. No other word can be used so effectively in so many different ways that being said, in the hands of the wrong person, it can go awry. David, you are that wrong person. Listening to you saying fuck is rough. Don't force it. Let it happen naturally and it won't be so awkward and cringy.

[E]

Really Getting called out for being, like.

[C]

A nerdy, awkward kid.

[A]

I think so, yeah. I replied to Mike saying, terrible fucking feedback. David, he hasn't replied. If you have any feedback, any input about Cheesecake Factory, we are always flightless bird chat gmail.com.

[C]

I'M sure we missed something vital.

[A]

Oh, we always do.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I was just. Rob was saying before, our listeners are kind of intimidating because the feedback is always super smart and things that we hadn't even thought of.

[C]

Yeah. That seems smarter than the feed, smarter than the episode that we've put together.

[A]

Yeah. Which is amazing. And it's like the dream, but it is also incredibly intimidating. Have a wonderful week. You do, and we will see you next weekend.