​This must be bizarre-stories-of-violence-in-fast-food-restaurants month. There was the story about a woman being Tased after line cutting at McDonald's. Earlier this afternoon, Gustavo blogged on the machete attack at a Taco Bell in Guam. Now there's news that a manager at a McDonald's in Australia has thrown hot oil on an allegedly drunk customer who threatened to kill him.

According to the Wentworth Courier, the incident occurred at 3:30 a.m. on Friday in Sydney's King Cross section. The paper says the manager allegedly warned the man, "If you come over the counter, I'll throw oil on you."

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Landmark Steakhouse McSettles after racist receipts

​A federal lawsuit filed by a successful African-American businessman against a Newport Beach steakhouse that repeatedly listed him on credit card receipts as "McStinkyNigger," "McNigShit" and "McCottonwood" has been mutually dismissed, according to records at Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Orange County.

Court files show that lawyers representing plaintiff Mark McHenry and Landmark Steakhouse of Corona del Mar agreed to a stipulated settlement of the lawsuit on Feb. 2 -- a month before the case was scheduled to be heard by a jury.
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Los Angeles Times

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McDonald's gets a bad rap. There's so much talk about how it's killing us with its scalding coffee, (former) pink slime and general repulsiveness, but nobody ever mentions how it can save lives.
 
Well, the Los Angeles Times brings us that heartwarming story. On Wednesday afternoon in downtown LA, a 45-year-old man climbed up a radio tower while stripping off all his clothes. When he got to the top, he told police what he wanted. No, not money or an ex-lover.

He wanted McDonald's hamburgers. More >>

Pizza Hut

​Pizza-loving guys, have you been struggling to find the right way to ask your pizza-loving gal to take her place next to you on the pizza-stained couch for the rest of your lives, amen? Your friends at Pizza Hut have come to the rescue with the $10,010 proposal package, which includes Pizza Hut's $10 Big Dinner Box, plus a ruby ring, limo ride, flowers, fireworks show, photographer and a videographer.

Capture that special moment when your bride-to-be answers the door in her sweatshirt and no makeup and just expecting to tip the pizza guy, when suddenly, she's caught like a deer in video camera lights, and you're at her side on bended knee.

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Angry Asian Man

​UPDATE, FEB. 9, 9:13 A.M.: Starbucks sent us this response regarding the incident: 

"Starbucks does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and has a lengthy history of leading on and supporting policies that promote equality, inclusion and diversity. We were disappointed to hear of the poor experience this customer had in our store and have apologized to him several times. This experience is unacceptable and not indicative of the welcoming and respectful service we strive to offer our customers in our stores. The partner (employee) who was involved in this incident is no longer employed by Starbucks."

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Flickr user hermanturnip

Not worth a cheese burger

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Sure, I've eaten some really good food, but food worth being tased for? No. (Okay, there may one or two meals for which I wouldn't mind being tased but for the most part, no.) More >>

Edwin Goei

​Have you heard about Jack in the Box's bacon milkshake? The milkshake is just part of a marketing campaign that includes a commercial that has a dude named Neal telling his mother that he's getting married to bacon. The push for its new BLT Cheeseburger includes a new catchphrase where Jack asks: "Love Bacon? Marry It." 

Seriously though, for those who've already been to Slater's 50/50 like I have and sipped their bacon milkshake, it'll be been-there-done-that. The bacon milkshake is available right now at just about every Jack in the Box outlet I checked. But a warning: for a regular-sized milkshake that costs $2.90 after tax, it has no actual bacon.
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Flickr user johnsember

To think, these used to make me hungry

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I'm not going to lie. I enjoy the occasional trip to McDonald's.

Whenever I'm feeling particularly unhealthy, I can polish off a 20 piece and fries on my own, no problem. What Stacey Irvine's been doing for the past 15 years, though?

Hukkeughhh (That's attempt number one). More >>

OK State Senate website

Senator Shortey

​Soylent Green will not be manufactured in Oklahoma. Not if that state senator Ralph Shortey gets his way. The freshman Republican introduced a bill this week in the state legislature "prohibiting the sale or manufacture of food or products which contain aborted human fetuses." So anyone out there planning on marketing human balut or roasting up a suckling person better steer clear of the Sooner State.

We weren't aware that eating human fetuses was even a thing, and we have watched a lot of Bourdain and Zimmern shows. 4 out of 5 cannibals we surveyed said, "Eeeeeeewww! That's gross" to this report (not really, we made that up).

Perhaps Mr. Shortey should have an etiological conversation with his spiritual advisers: when does cannibalism begin? At birth, or at conception?

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Are you an intense-type gamer that gets lost in Call of Duty 3 for 12 hours at a stretch? Well, you've gotta eat some time, and to minimize that time away from the couch, Ben Heckendorn engineered this motorized Hot Pocket dispenser you can mount to your game controller.

A nerd named Sandwich invented a thing years ago so he can eat without leaving his epic card game, so it's not like the concept has no precedent.

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