What A Hoot

Day 9: Coffee is your friend.

Tonight I went with my good friend Goldstein to Hooter's for dinner. While pretty much everything on the menu is fried and/or full of sugar, the food tastes good and the atmosphere is fun. Yes, Hooter's remains one of the last bastions of blatant non-PC-ism, with waitresses in hot pants and tight t-shirts, and countless examples of trite "hooter as euphemism for female breast" humor adorning the t-shirts, wall plaques, and menu. What's actually quite interesting is how...well...innocent the place actually is.

While Hooter's obviously wishes to appeal to the frat-boy crowd (a crowd which swills copious amounts of beer, coincidentally) the clientele tends to include quite a few families. Kids are frequently seen at Hooter's, and I do believe birthday parties are even offered. I have seen plenty of middle-aged couples enjoying the heart attack inducing bill of fare, the women seemingly unfazed by the gentle chauvanism that prevails throughout the room. The waitresses seem to take it all with a grain of salt, maintaining a good humored but not inappropriate familiarity with the customers. I have never seen any misbehavior at a Hooter's, which bespeaks volumes...

Hooter's appears to reflect our American obsession with sexuality repressed. The sophomoric humor and oddly wholesome atmosphere seem to legitimize the playfully horny theme, allowing for a dash of naughtiness offset by childlike silliness. One can easily see why Hooter's has never spread to Europe. The Europeans have a much more grown-up and relaxed attitude towards sex, and would see no need to try and blend it with a modifying quasi-innocence.

...or maybe the Parisians and Viennese just don't like greasy wings and fried pickles.

In today's News From The Motherland...a dust-up over a comment from Madonna...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8225989.stm

Cheers!
FLT3