Something our frinds from Australia might or might not appreciate!

MoochNNoodles

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I won a gift card to Outback (restaurant) from my company a few weeks ago. So tonight DH and I decided we'd drive to our nearest one (45 min away) and have dinner.

Well we got seated about 2 booths and a walk isle from the bathrooms, which was fine with me. There was a family sitting across the isle from us, one booth closer to the bathroom. So I could see them and the bathrooms easily. Behind thier table was a workstation for the staff.

So this little girl, probably 8 - 10 gets up and runs over to go use the bathrooms. Well she gets in front of them and then turns around looking panicked back at her parents. At Outback the bathrooms aren't labled Ladies and Gentlemen, it says Bloke and I forget what they have for the ladies room. So she just hollers out 'I don't know what one to use! It's in Spanish!' Her parents were pointing at the right one by then but she still looked panicked. One of the staff at the workstation pointed to it too. I could see they were all trying so hard not to crack up!
Poor thing! They did have the symbol on the wall, just not on the door where the name sign was!
 

pushylady

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Oh poor little girl! Doesn't she know "Sheilas" is Spanish for "Ladies"!
 

katl8e

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That's as bad as the cowboy bar, where they're labeled "Pistols" and "Holsters"
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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Good Lord!! I don't remember the last time I heard ANYONE in this country refer to a woman as a `Sheila'!!! `Bloke' does get used quite a lot though, I have to admit...lol...but more so by people around my parents' age.

I would LOVE to go to a place like that just to cringe at what the rest of the world thinks we're really like!

And we have kangaroos hopping down every street and Koalas in all the trees, too!!!
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Good Lord!! I don't remember the last time I heard ANYONE in this country refer to a woman as a `Sheila'!!! `Bloke' does get used quite a lot though, I have to admit...lol...but more so by people around my parents' age.

I would LOVE to go to a place like that just to cringe at what the rest of the world thinks we're really like!

And we have kangaroos hopping down every street and Koalas in all the trees, too!!!
YOU MEAN YOU DON'T!?!
I was thinking of that when I was looking at the decor in the restaurant tonight too. I think that happens a lot...gotta love stereotyping sometimes...
 

pushylady

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Originally Posted by katl8e

That's as bad as the cowboy bar, where they're labeled "Pistols" and "Holsters"
I had to think awhile bfore I figured out which door I'd go through!
 

sunnicat

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Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Good Lord!! I don't remember the last time I heard ANYONE in this country refer to a woman as a `Sheila'!!! `Bloke' does get used quite a lot though, I have to admit...lol...but more so by people around my parents' age.

I would LOVE to go to a place like that just to cringe at what the rest of the world thinks we're really like!

And we have kangaroos hopping down every street and Koalas in all the trees, too!!!
Outback Steakhouse and Ned Kelly's Steakhouse are very similar. We threatened to take our Australian friends to one or the other when they were here last year, just to confirm or deny the stereotypes they have in there! We couldn't bring ourselves to subject them to it, though.
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles

YOU MEAN YOU DON'T!?!
I was thinking of that when I was looking at the decor in the restaurant tonight too. I think that happens a lot...gotta love stereotyping sometimes...
Nope, unfortunately. These days pretty much the only place you'll see a Koala is at the zoo or in a wildlife sanctuary.

There are kangaroos that live at our local golf course, though. In fact, nearly all of the golf courses have wild kangaroos. Don't know why but they're a very common sight. They're not nearly as endangered as Koalas. Well, Koala Bears are not officially classified as endangered yet, but their population has dropped by a whopping 90% in less than a decade.

And, interesting fact, did you know they're not even remotely related to bears? They are called Koala Bears because they look like teddy bears. They are actually related to Kangaroos and Wombats.
 

katl8e

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Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Good Lord!! I don't remember the last time I heard ANYONE in this country refer to a woman as a `Sheila'!!! `Bloke' does get used quite a lot though, I have to admit...lol...but more so by people around my parents' age.

I would LOVE to go to a place like that just to cringe at what the rest of the world thinks we're really like!

And we have kangaroos hopping down every street and Koalas in all the trees, too!!!
And you all run around the Outback, yelling "CRIKEY" and wrestle crocodiles, too
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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Originally Posted by katl8e

And you all run around the Outback, yelling "CRIKEY" and wrestle crocodiles, too
LOL! We all have Steve Irwin to thank for THAT particular misrepresentation. But he's awesome and he does so much for conservation and wildlife. He's actually the real deal, even though he's so OTT.

I do say `Crikey' actually, but it's more because it's so old fashioned and I think it sounds cute, than it being a real part of the Australian vernacular. I tend to say `Lordy Dordy' a lot as well, but that comes from The Young Ones...
 

wellingtoncats

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I use Sheillas and Blokes quite a lot. Seen it used a lot in Aussie as well, and got to use crikey as well!


Never seen a Koala in the wild but gosh kangaroos are in the 1000's - they were coming up right around my Grandads house in Sydney.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

I use Sheillas and Blokes quite a lot. Seen it used a lot in Aussie as well, and got to use crikey as well!


Never seen a Koala in the wild but gosh kangaroos are in the 1000's - they were coming up right around my Grandads house in Sydney.
Ok....what does crikey mean because I really don't know?

I'd like to see a real koala bear! My mom used to sing a song to me about them when I was a kid. Now if I saw a kangaroo, I'd probably stand there with my mouth gaping wide and my eyeballs huge like a dorky tourist taking pictures! But it would be cool too!
 

fwan

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Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles

Ok....what does crikey mean because I really don't know?

I'd like to see a real koala bear! My mom used to sing a song to me about them when I was a kid. Now if I saw a kangaroo, I'd probably stand there with my mouth gaping wide and my eyeballs huge like a dorky tourist taking pictures! But it would be cool too!
i watched a koala give birth and ive got a picture holding one, i should scan it
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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When I was a kid a giant male boxing kangaroo found it's way into our back yard and wrecked a lot of stuff in it's terror before it was able to scale the fence and escape down the road. I'll never forget the sight of it bounding away down the street as long as I live. It was HUGE!

I've seen and held Koalas but again, only at wildlife sanctuaries.

Seen loads of kangaroos, though. Sam's right, they really are everywhere they just hide well!

Oh, and `crikey' is an exclamation. Say, for example, you won $1000 someone might say, `Crikey!! Well done!!'. It's a shortened version of `Crikey Moses!' - whatever that means...
 
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