The charge is grisly enough to qualify as folklore - a culinary creepypasta that's been circulating since at least 2012, when a "This American Life" segment explored whether ersatz calamari might actually exist. The hosts never found proof that anyone, let alone Olive Garden, served such a thing, but the story's unforgettable texture - literal and metaphorical - lodged deeply in the public imagination.
She was everywhere and she loved it and it was a wonderful experience, although she had to ask my brother what does it mean if you go viral. She didn't know that," Gail Hagerty said. "She used to say that if you were going to have 15 minutes of fame and if you were 86, you had to do it soon. You couldn't wait.
Olive Garden's mints are distinct with custom branding, featuring a green top and brown bottom, differentiating them from standard Andes mints which have all-brown packaging.
Marilyn Hagerty wrote an article praising Olive Garden, leading to a viral backlash filled with condescension, until Anthony Bourdain defended her perspective on social media.