HOLY OFFSEASON HELL: THE BLOOMIN’ ONION IS TWENTY
We had no idea what a momentous day this truly was. We figured it’s the usual, right: wake up, eggs, too much coffee, crying jag around 9 o’clock due to anxiety caused by the herd of caffeine bulls running through our defenses, deep pondering of old Dangermouse videos, watch a few basketball highlights and consider what life would be like if we’d been born 6′10 (poor Mom!)…
…when suddenly we get this email in our inbox:
Hi EDSBS,
I do blogger/online outreach for Outback Steakhouse and wanted to give you the chance to visit the restaurant and join the 20th birthday celebration of the Bloomin’ Onion. Would you be interested in a gift card to use with friends and family? Use the gift card to take advantage of the full bar and watch a game in a great sports environment with good food.
Please let me know if you’re interested.
Best,
Account Personladychick

That third Chinese symbol means “HEARTBLEEDSPLOSION” That’s the best translation, really
HOLY HELL WOULD I? It’s the twentieth anniversary of the Blooming Onion, people! Those of you not immobilized by your own fatness or currently not trapped under toppled obese people, get off your asses and dance, for it is feast day. At no point in American history have we ever had a more ingenious or charismatic combination of batter, onions, and salt-and that’s counting Charles Barkley and Charles Durning, who like many fat men are in fact just large puddles of those three ingredients lit into life with the application of high voltage by mad scientists in rural laboratories.
Not only did Outback have the audacity to take a 27 cent onion, slice it in an innovative flower shape, coat it in no more than two cents of batter, salt, and pepper-oh, and their secret blend of yuMmy Spices and inGredients!- and baptize it in the sweet roiling fury of a deep-fryer, friends. No, Outback goes a step further and charges you over twenty times what they paid for it in the first place and serves it with mayonnaise, motherfucker.
Oh, and bitch about the ingredients all you like, hater. You just don’t want to see me shining. From the grease. On my beard. The numbers aren’t bad, man. In fact, health nazi, what other dish can you name that in addition to being deliciously tasty, can feed a good-sized adult male for a day?
Calories: 2310
Total Fat: 134 grams
Carbohydrates: 241 grams
Protein: 35 grams
Not only do you get your fat for a week, but you calories for the day and Gigantor amount of protein simultaneously. Fuck just eating one: down the whole thing and another, and you’ll be eating protein like a Pumping Iron-era Arnold in his prime. Plus you’ll have so much fat running through your system, a car will become unnecessary, as you will skate along on your own stream of yellow excreta leaking from your ass. Whoa, did someone say new cardio sensation? We did: ONION SKATING. Eat two of these a day, and we’re out there running laps on concrete wearing socks and patented Outback Outdoor turbo chaps, the official sport of dedicated Double Onioners like me, man.
So happy birthday, Blooming Onion. Even though you were born in Tampa, you’re truly Australian: bold, zesty, and if you eat the whole thing, you’ll probably die, just as you would from eating most things in Australia. Bonzer, mates! That’s Australian for diet-induced incontinence.
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40mpF3IcIA
Comment by sonofsamford — March 5, 2025 @ 12:59 pm
2
Those health facts are just staggering.
“Eat two of these a day, and we’re out there running laps on concrete wearing socks and patented Outback Outdoor turbo chaps, the official sport of dedicated Double Onioners like me, man.”
Truly a wordsmith, sir. 2 BLOOMIN ONIONS for you. (And a box of Total so that you have enough fiber to keep it in)
Comment by ehrenb2 — March 5, 2025 @ 1:01 pm
3
A celebration of the signature appetizer of one of our lovely bowl sponsors.
“You can’t spell ‘Outback’ without ‘UT.’”
Comment by Signal to Noise — March 5, 2025 @ 1:01 pm
4
Um, FLAVORED mayonnaise, O. That shit is crazy delicious.
Comment by Eirishis — March 5, 2025 @ 1:03 pm
5
LOL, “trapped under toppled obese people.”
Just for that nugget of humor I’m going to inquire about that Zwinky right now.
Comment by bama_buck — March 5, 2025 @ 1:04 pm
6
cue up the digeridoo and the shameless (but totally commendable) corporate whoring of of montreal and orson
Comment by worstfan — March 5, 2025 @ 1:06 pm
7
If memory serves me correctly, I was watching a Jefferson Pilot broadcast several years ago…and I think they said the guy who started Outback was an alumnus of Kentucky. I could be wrong..but I think that is what they said..
Comment by CapstoneAlum — March 5, 2025 @ 1:13 pm
8
Whatever happened to the Aussie rules football player going to different college campuses feature? Eaten by a dingo?
Comment by WarCardinals — March 5, 2025 @ 1:13 pm
9
One of the finer aspects of life in America…not only do we get regaled with the anniversaries of various iconic food products, we are solicited to participate in the celebrations of said dubious milestones…I can tell my grandkids “I was there when that pile of goo turned 20!” Of course I’d eat two…my life insurance will cover my wife’s obvious concerns.
…and, the Bloomin’ Onion has always reminded me of the grease content available at the Varsity.
…and also, I wrecked my car in front of the original Hooters (bastard sibling of Outback) and delayed their grandopening for a period of 1.5 hours…and that was before they had hard liquor…
Comment by sb — March 5, 2025 @ 1:14 pm
10
so, in honor of the new government in australia, is the outback going to allow it’s staff to unionize, apologize to all the undocumented workers it’s ever fired and start selling almost exclusively to the chinese?
Comment by kleph — March 5, 2025 @ 1:21 pm
11
They say the key to happiness in life is to simply pay attention. The world around you is a truly wonderful place. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you exhibit A. The Bloomin Onion is twenty! If the world were such a horrible place, could this gastrointestinal bomb of such goodness survive that long? I say no! So raise your glass high, to the magnificent bastard who had the courage to invent, market, sell and make obscene profit from a key contributor to my soft middle! Prost! I say!
Comment by skinnyphatman — March 5, 2025 @ 1:22 pm
12
I’m still waiting on a restaurant to offer deep-fried cow (like in the Aqua Teen episode.)
Then we’re one step closer to my ultimate tailgating menu item: the BuffCowPigTurDucKen (which consists of shrimp stuffed into a a chicken, stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey, stuffed into a pig, stuffed into a cow, stuffed into a whole buffalo, covered in batter, and deep fried.)
Comment by Will (the other one) — March 5, 2025 @ 1:34 pm
13
When is the birthday of their Aussie Fries? Men’s Health called it the worst food in America:
1: The worst food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
# 2,900 calories
# 182 g fat
# 240 g carbs
Bloomin’ Onion ain’t got nothing on its brother…
Comment by AllWhoYonder — March 5, 2025 @ 1:42 pm
14
Oh, Penfold.
Comment by Holly — March 5, 2025 @ 1:47 pm
15
Do deep fried burgers count as deep fried cow? We got em downtown Gainesville.
Comment by AtomicDog — March 5, 2025 @ 1:53 pm
16
Outback should make it healthier by frying it in Olestra. That would be a great idea.
Comment by Allahver Fist — March 5, 2025 @ 1:55 pm
17
You forgot the sodium, OH MAN the SODIUM!!!
Also, I thought these things were made up at state fairs, not by some corporate test kitchen outside Toledo.
Comment by Brian — March 5, 2025 @ 1:55 pm
18
dammit, Holly beat me to the punch.
or
Oh, crumbs!
[/penfold]
Comment by DC Trojan — March 5, 2025 @ 1:56 pm
19
Fuck it, the Bloomin’ Onion is a fried representation of the goddamn American Dream - I, for one, salute it
Comment by Jerkwheat — March 5, 2025 @ 2:04 pm
20
#14 and #18 - good stuff. dangermouse is the greatest secret agent in the world.
Comment by Last Dragon — March 5, 2025 @ 2:07 pm
21
The entire series is out on DVD now, btw.
Comment by Holly — March 5, 2025 @ 2:14 pm
22
I worry about the sodium in the Bloomin’ Onion.
Yes, I spend most of my day trying to work paraphrased American Psycho quotes into the nomenclature.
Comment by DHC — March 5, 2025 @ 2:44 pm
23
Bra.
Comment by NewAZTiger — March 5, 2025 @ 2:47 pm
24
Vo.
Comment by NewAZTiger — March 5, 2025 @ 2:47 pm
25
Wow, I feel less guilty after my Varsity lunch. 2 dogs all-the-way, rings and frosted orange.
Total cal.-1313
Total fat-77g
Total sodium-1894mg
My cardiologist will be proud. And this is not even mentioning all that colon cleansing roughage. What? Minimal fiber? Then how do you explain…..
Comment by hunglikehussain — March 5, 2025 @ 3:07 pm
26
Thoughout its twenty years I wonder how many years this thing has taken off Outback’s custumors lives. Except for Madden oif course, the Bloomin Onion only makes him stronger. The funny thing about Madden is that he is afraid to fly, but the amount of crap he puts in his body is far more dangerous than any airplane ride (including test missions).
Comment by GloryGlory — March 5, 2025 @ 3:32 pm
27
I’m not sure this is the endorsement they were looking for O. But thanks for the lesson in markup.
Comment by Johnny — March 5, 2025 @ 3:35 pm
28
Just had a native speaker translate it. By character:
1st: Fried
2nd : Onion
3rd: another onion
4th: Flower
5th: Ball
It’s a fried onion, onion flower-ball!!! Literally!
Comment by War Eagle Atlanta — March 5, 2025 @ 3:58 pm
29
35 grams of protein? From an onion?
Do they wrap it in a cow’s carcass ala Luke in the Bantha before they put it in the magic frying machine?
Comment by vegas_buckeye — March 5, 2025 @ 4:01 pm
30
I’m more of an Awesome Blossom guy
Comment by Tommy — March 5, 2025 @ 4:09 pm
31
Just looking at the stats for the Blooming Onion makes me want to do 50 push ups and run a mile. I don’t know if there’s a faster way to develop heart disease outside of mainlining lard into an artery.
Comment by thegreatshocka — March 5, 2025 @ 4:21 pm
32
thegreatshocka @ 31: perhaps a full Scottish breakfast? Bacon, sausage, eggs, fried bread, potato scones, black pudding, half a fried tomato, toast, butter, tea with 3 sugars.
If you wanted to act like an English person and substitute baked beans for the black pudding, I suppose you could.
Comment by DC Trojan — March 5, 2025 @ 4:33 pm
33
35 grams of protein? From an onion?
That sounded a little strange to me too. I looked it up, and one raw onion only has 2 grams of protein. So even if one Bloomin Onion contained 3 onions, that means the batter and mayo mix has some mega protein in it.
Add an Outback porterhouse to that and a loaded potato and one of their desserts, and call your cardiologist and bariatric surgeon in the morning.
Comment by Brian O'Blivion — March 5, 2025 @ 5:14 pm
34
“Sweet rolling fury”…I’ll never look at my Fry Daddy the same way again. Bless you and your prose, Mr. Swindle.
Comment by Because They Can — March 5, 2025 @ 5:24 pm
35
DC Trojan,
I seldom claim my english heritage, but even the english love black pudding
Comment by Jonathan — March 5, 2025 @ 5:31 pm
36
http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/december/topsecretrestaurantrecipes2.html
http://www.recipetrove.com/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,122/Itemid,26/
Listen, i found various recipes on how to make these marvelous motherfuckers, and in no way can I figure out how the hell there’s 35 grams of protein in one.
Comment by greenbbs — March 5, 2025 @ 5:45 pm
37
And yet through all of this…. the thought of a Bloomin’ Onion sounds absolutely delicious right about now.
Comment by aventius — March 5, 2025 @ 5:57 pm
38
when i eat a bloomin’ onion i like to just go ahead and set a timer for 45 minutes…b/c that’s when it will come flying out of my ass exorcist style.
let the record show that i eat them anyway b/c they are just so damned tasty.
Comment by gerry dorsey — March 5, 2025 @ 10:33 pm
39
I used to work at Chili’s, with their meager immitation in the form of the Awesome Blossom. We used to sell so many of those things that we wouldn’t even use the wire basket to drop them into or pluck them out of the fryer- our hands were so covered in batter that we would jsut reach into the 375 degree oil and grab them out of the fryers, and wouldn’t even feel the heat, since our batter gloves protected us.
there was probably more than one night that i ate more than 3 of these things in one shift. know wonder i used to be a fat-ass…
Comment by Dalton- I thought you'd be bigger... — March 5, 2025 @ 11:03 pm
40
Good Ol’ cloggede arteries…
Comment by Hey Dalton- I thought you'd be bigger... — March 5, 2025 @ 11:39 pm
41
@36
It must be from the flour and butter milk that I’m guessing the use to make the batter? Although that still seems a little high, but they would have no reason to lie when they’re still publishing the rest of that heart-numbing stat-line.
Comment by Cam — March 5, 2025 @ 11:57 pm
42
Jonathon @ 35 - that could be my bias talking. I bet the good people of the north of England would eat black pudding, but I have my doubts about anyone south of say Doncaster or Sheffield. Shandy swilling softies.
Comment by DC Trojan — March 6, 2025 @ 12:58 am
43
32,
While all of that sounds like one tasty gut-bomb of a breakfast, I still have to give it to the Bloomin’ Onion. The reasoning behind this is simple: the people who run Outback Steakhouse fully expect you to continue eating after downing that behemoth of an appetizer. Never mind you just ate an entire day’s worth of calories, and probably 3 days’ worth of carbs, cholesterol, and fat, go ahead and order a porterhouse, maybe a side of potato slices and a large Coke. I just hope someone is there to jump start your heart with a car battery after attempting to move away from the table with any reasonable speed.
Coincidentally, for breakfast this morning I had two medium eggs fried in extra-virgin olive oil, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, and a glass of water. The grand total? Around 300 calories. I guess I’m trying not to collapse from massive heart failure before the age of 25.
Comment by TheGreatShocka — March 6, 2025 @ 2:21 am
44
. . . go ahead and order a porterhouse, maybe a side of potato slices and a large diet Coke.
FIxed to reflect typical American dining habits.
Comment by DevilGrad — March 6, 2025 @ 8:52 am