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Mormon Lite: Mormon-themed restaurant chain

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PETE | 2:43 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

Good job Erik.....I needed a laugh today! This was perfect. Thank you!

Mike A. | 4:11 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

I can see it now.

Matt | 4:27 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

As an active Mormon here in Southern California, this cheesy Utah Mormon humor, reinforces my decision to stay far away from the Zion Curtain...
Besides, the Church is "truer" here in SoCal and "cheese-free"...

Comments continue below

B Petersen | 5:01 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

Fun humorï¿½good job

Oh wow... | 5:20 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

That was ridiculous. Deseret News, Please don't ever publish anything this un-comical again. As a non-Utah Mormon, I try hard to respect Utahns and not be a "Utah Basher", but this doesn't give me any incentives to continue trying.

Rachel | 5:34 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

To the negative comments... lighten up people. With all the negative junk out there, why do you complain about a joke, regardless if you think it's actually funny or not.

Becky | 7:03 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

Great fun! For those of us who live far from "Mormon Valley" it is nice to share some Mormon humor.

ryan | 7:19 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

heard this one before; unfortunately, it wasn't funny then either....

Tofudisan | 7:37 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

What's with the negativity people? I'm a convert who used to live in SoCal and now lives in Wisconsin. I find this joke hilarious! I'm willing to bet (in a non-gambling way of course) that President Hinkley would smile and probably snicker at this joke.

beverly | 8:45 p.m. Sept. 5, 2007

grrrrreat!!!! we just had a "steak Dinner" at one of those resturants. and we loved it. not many places have such friendly and clean cut men and boys taking care of your needs. and its nice to have help cleaning up too. in texas

Nancy in Minnesota | 12:09 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I love it! With apologies to Joe Walker, I humbly offer my own seasonal addition to the menu for the franchises in the Deep South: At Easter they should serve Joseph Smithfield Ham (from Virginia) with Candied Wheat Potatoes. Oh, I love those groans!!

Shiz | 12:29 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

No need to lose your head over this.

King Fillet Discourse | 12:58 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I think its great that Mormons can see a lighter side to their idiosyncrasies.

yep | 1:39 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

This is several years old. It came from a "Snide Remarks" column by Eric Snider. Credit where credit is due, people.

Lame | 1:59 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

This was dumb...cheesy and just dumb.

Meret | 2:38 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

As a Mormon living in Europe with family in Utah it is continually clear to me that there is a distinct mormon utah culture out there that has nothing to do with the actual church and religion, hard for utah mormons to separate sometimes. I did have a good laugh though, at their expense.

Luis | 2:41 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I found it quite hilarious. I believe it is inappropiate of any formal newspaper to be posting jokes like this, but hey, marketing is what drives our economy and I can see the reasons why they would put in here. I must say it was funny, and definetly will not be funny if you are not mormon and you have not been a mormon for a while already.

Aragon | 2:59 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike | 3:11 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I grew up in Utah, but the military has taken me out of Utah, so I have had the opportunity to associate with plenty of "non-Utah Mormons." Last time I checked, it was the same church. What's the deal people??? Last time I checked the commandment was "judge not lest ye be judged." What's going to happen with all these "non-Utah Mormons" that are so quick to judge and are so critical of "Utah Mormons?"

sharonearly | 3:30 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

sitting here in sunny northern spain this article has made my morning if not day!!! yes i'm a mormon and i'd love the opporunity to have something like this here especially as a mother of 3 teenagerswho find their social life somewhat limited as THEY try to keep church standards.

NY | 4:45 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I chuckled a couple of times here in NY. I don't know what "Matt" and "Oh Wow" problem is. Lighten up guys. Plus why are you reading the Deseret News if you hate Utah so much?

danite | 5:09 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Isn't the point of a joke, Rachel, to actually be funny? So a joke that isn't funny exists for no good purpose at all? As to President Hinckley's reaction to this mass of bad puns, I doubt that he'd have time to read it, but if he did, any smile would be a polite way to hide the wincing.

Rebecca | 5:23 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

In my youth, we DID have "Stake House" dinners for fundraisers for summer camps and such. We did everything, including the making of reservations before hand to know how much of which meat to order. We had hostesses and servers and it was all pretty official looking, held at the Stake Center. It was great fun, although we didn't go so far as naming the menu items in ways mentioned here. It was a very popular fundraiser in our ward for many years! Funny, we were just talking about this a short time ago. Great times!

SLaker | 5:44 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Funny article---where's the Funeral Potatoes? Utah's greatest contribution to world cuisine--mmmmmmm...

Boston | 6:10 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I am a non-Utah mormon and I just cant see why anyone would get offended or even not find this funny. Utah has its own culture, I havent heard any knocks on how So Cal Mormons are into themselves, because is a very bad stereotype. I think they should definately make this restaurant. When I visit Utah, I will come by for a steak. Extra cheese please.

Jeff | 6:11 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Good one!

lyn munter | 6:30 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

What a hoot! I loved your cheerful lighthearted article. Been a member many years - love the church and if you cant have a sense of humor about ourselves - oh well! We need to smile more - be happy - have joy - thank -you Deseret News for making my day!

Motherland Doris | 6:50 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

That was a total hoot... well done. The "putting the chairs away and hoovering" made me bellow.
It's great when people can laugh at themselves.
Keep it up.
Cheryl from London, England.

Matt | 6:55 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I've never been west of Missouri, and I think this is pretty creative. I laughed more at the end than at the beginning. We should be able to laugh at ourselves, I would hate to take myself that seriously.

Bob | 7:01 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

The only problem is--if you complain that your meal is a tiny bit overdone, they stare at you and smugly suggest that if you don't like it here, you should go eat at Maries.

George | 7:08 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Thanks. We laughed all the way through. For some reason the image of the boys wearing their father's ties really struck my funny bone - so true.
On the serious side, I think it would work. Where do I invest. The only part that won't work is the myth of everyone staying after to help clean up. I served twenty years in a Bishopric and Stake Presidency, and many times I found myself alone with clean up still to be done.

So Cal So Funny | 7:19 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Here's one So Cal reader who smiled widely at this funny piece.

Jessica-Anne | 7:40 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I live back East and I thought this was so funny. Some people just don't know how to laugh at themselves.

Jon | 7:40 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Actually, for a second, I thought this was real.

Nebraskan from Utah | 8:00 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

You left out the many different jello choices for dessert.

And don't forget Pearls before Swine - mashed potatoes (instant pearls) with ham chunks mixed in.

For those of you who can not understand the non-Utah people who can not enjoy this... consider this view: We are consistently trying to explain and counter the myths, missconceptions and missunderstandings. Most of these issues come from LDS members themselves that get non-members confused. For instance, it is only the LDS people who still bring up "Mormons have horns"; "LDS Scouting programs are secretly ran different than other Scouting troops/teams/crews"; "Only faithful LDS members will be in heaven"; "Food must be served at every non-Sunday meeting"; etc. Yet, it is the non-member who gets reinforced how strange we can be and they don't want to learn anything more. Is it any wonder that some of our non-Utah members hate to see these kind of jokes?

sansbox | 8:10 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what's funny to one person just might be profane to another. Playing loose and wild with names that some LDS folks might hold in high regard or that are associated with sacred thoughts can reduce the humor factor. I found the concept in general to be funny, but was struck with some dissonance due to the use of some of the hijacked names. It could have been just as funny if more care was taken, at least in my opinion. But that has been my reaction to Eric Snider's humor most of the time, if indeed he is the author.

Pat | 8:13 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Having a good sense of humor is a great quality, one that more people should try to develop. I think the idea is quite fun and enjoyed reading it and I'm not from Utah, but I am LDS.

Sue | 8:29 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

..maybe on the side they can offer a catering service... Turkey and dressing sandwiches (with "just a bit too much sage") and ice cream punch anyone?

Jerry in Texas | 8:34 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Fantastic! I'd eat there... but only if they let me bring some lime jello!

AdamOndi | 8:38 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

The comedic value of the piece notwithstanding, it really bugs me that the Deseret Morning News would willfully participate in this act of plagiarism of Eric D. Snider's work. It wouldn't have taken much effort to Google some of the phrases in the article and find the original author and source. For instance, if you Google "Poor Wayfaring Pan of Beef," the very first result points straight at Eric D. Snider's original article posted on his website.

For shame, Deseret Morning News.

Jimbo Fontana worcestershire | 8:47 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

So... Its not real.. Lame.. Sounds like a pretty cool idea.. And hey, Utah mormons are used to the stigma that we are the worst...Thats the problem with generalizations, they rarely reflect the truth. Like canadians. :)

QueenBee | 8:56 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I just read that joke... It originates from Eric Snider's website (www.ericdsnider.com)

washcomom | 8:56 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I'm assuming one of the salads on the appetizer list is the classic "green jello salad"
- Hello, Jello?

It put a smile on this Oregonian's face.

GM | 9:00 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

For all the comments above, the ones starting this restaurant, will soon be "laughing" all the way to the bank. Good luck with your creativity and your abilities to make your idea fly! And, I get sick of hearing all you out of staters bashing the so called Utah Mormons. How strange that many return back to Utah after years of being away.

Offended Reader | 9:08 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

This was just plain awful. The sarcastic tone of this article does no one any good, and I would be just as offended if it had poked fun at any other religion (or any other group of people for that matter). Can you imagine the outrage and offense this would cause if it had been written in any culture other than a Westernized nation? Also adding to my disappointment; for a newspaper with such strong ties to the LDS Church to publish this immediately shows the rapid decline of media. If we strongly desire the media to provide us with worthwhile, meaningful, and not hurtful content such as this. If we proscribe to an idea that we live in a more morally sound state then why are we allowing our media to drag us down to the same standard as the rest of the country??? This was TERRIBLE!!! Deseret News, get a clue and raise yourself out of the mire!

Fred Vader | 9:16 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

The only thing this eatery missed is the fact that it would have to be entirely "pot luck". Each customer should be required to bring a meal to get a meal too...

Nice | 9:22 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

I've already been to such a themed establishment! It's Hires Big H! Great place!

NY | 9:30 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Offended Reader: Are you sure you posted your comment to the story you intended?

CWJ | 9:31 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Offended,
In the word's of Sergeant Hulka (Stripes), 'lighten up Francis'. I do a pretty good Spencer W. Kimball impersonation. I don't do it out of disrespect to the man. You gonna be offended at that too.

Paul P | 9:31 a.m. Sept. 6, 2007

Ugh.... Church sponsored pot-lucks are bad enough. Why would I pay to attend one?

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