Disneyworld Wine and Food festival

Upon arrival at EPCOT, I picked up a festival passport (free)  and had it stamped at each kiosk where I ate. 

Of course, I had hit some of the kiosks on day one but day two was my big day to try everything.  I arrived at EPCOT around ten, knowing that World Showcase does not open until 11:00.  I stopped in at the W&F HQ which is where body wars used to be.  There I discovered  a couple of things.  First, they have a "Chase lounge" which is a room open exclusively to Chase card holders and Disney rewards Visa Holders.  Having both made entry a sure thing.  The room was just a quiet little lounge where you could enjoy free coffee and fountain soda (4 ounce cups), let your kids watch cartoons and  - the best kept secret in the park - pick up special wrist bands which entitle you to guaranteed seating a the Eat to the Beats concerts (one show per guest, per night) and entry into a special viewing area for Illuminations.  No need to line up hours ahead of the concert or to find a viewing spot hours before the illuminations show.

I grabbed my free soda, my free Gevalia chocolate square and headed over to the World Showcase.  On the way, I snagged a free packet of Ocean Spray Cran-raisins.  Soda, chocolate and cran-raisins... breakfast was taken care of and no money spent so far.



As soon as the food kiosks opened, I began my quest.:

Caribbean

I had a really flavorful dish called ropa Veija with cilantro rice

Argentina

Grilled Beef Skewer with Cimichurri sauce and Boniato Puree

Australia

By far, my favorite dish of the whole trip was the Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies that I had in Australia.  True confession time... it was so good that I took the whole family back down a couple of weeks later just so that I could eat it again.  sadly, on the second trip, I only got one serving and my kids gobbled most of it, leaving me with only the picked bone to gnaw on.

 

Mexico

In Mexico, I in joyed a beef taco which was called Taco de Filet (Casabel Pepper Sauce and Scallions, served on a flour tortilla).  I could have eaten more of those.

Scandinavia

Now, here is where I may lose some of you, especially my non adventurous family.  In Scandinavia, I chose the Taste of Scandinavia - Cured Salmon, Herring and Shrimp Salad.

I loved every bite of it even down to the dill garnish.

China

As I write this, I cannot recall for the life of me, why I chose the mundane Pork Pot stickers over the Chicken Satay with Spiced Peanut Sauce and Pickled vegetable while in China.  They were good but far from adventurous.

South Korea

This was the first thing I didn't like.  No, that is an understatement.  The Mung Bean Pancake with Shrimp and Kimchi Sauce was disgusting.  It was the only food I actually threw away after only one bite.

South Africa

OMG, OMG!  That is all I can say.  Almost as good as the lamb chop in Australia, I enjoyed  the Seared Fillet of Beef with Smashed Sweet Potato.  It was a tiny little bite but it was perfectly cooked and packed with flavor.  And the sweet potatoes were delicious.

Cheese and the Brewer's Collection

I chose the fondue over the Artisan Cheese Selection because, frankly, who can resit melted cheese?  By this time, I was getting pretty full and, although the fondue was OK, I didn't find it to be great.  I paired it with  a Schofferhofer Grapefruit beet from the Brewers Collection, not because I wanted beer but because there was a beer kiosk and rules are rules.

The beer reminded me a bit of a Lim-a-rita  (google it if you haven't tried one already).

I should take a moment to mention that one of the great things about this solo trip was that I could go at my own pace.  Every couple of countries, I would feel quite full.  I would stop and watch a show, people watch, or even read my kindle for while before setting out again.

Germany

 

I am not a fan of German food.  I tried the Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll but didn't care much for it.  I couldn't finish this dish.

Poland

Zapeikani (Toasted Mushroom, caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread with House-made Ketchup) sounds good on paper, until you get to the ketchup, that is.  But, in fact, in person this dish was just plain weird.  Another half eaten dish tossed in the can.

Italy

I can't find my picture of the Cannoli I ate in Italy but it was time for something sweet.  It was,... well,... Cannoli.  You ususally can't go wrong with a deep fried shell filled with cream but this was especially good.  Described as Canolli al Cioccolato (Chocolate Covered Cannoli filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate and candied Fruit), it really hit the spot.

Fife & Drum

Again, rules are rules.  The only offerings at the Fife & Drum were the Red Stag Frozen Lemonade and the Red Stag Frozen Honey Tea Lemonade.  I had the generous frozen lemonade.  And then I had a nap.

This seems like a good time to take a break.  The rest of the food adventure will have to wait for tomorrow.

Disneyworld - getting there

No, not a new Disney trip... just a continuation of the story of the October trip (guiltily looking around to see if anyone noticed how long its been).

I must say  that traveling standby solo is so much easier than flying with two kids.  I arrived t the airport two hours early for my first choice flight which gave me the opportunity to get on the standby lists for two flights prior to that one.  I also got listed on standby for our affiliate airline.  They are in separate terminals so I was running back and forth between terminals to wait at gates for each airline.  I noticed that another passenger was doing the same thing but soon discovered that he was not my competition.  Although he was an airline employee, it was for a totally different airline so he was below me on the priority list.   Back at my preferred flight, I met a woman who was flying standby as as an employee's spouse.  She and her husband and  3 year old child were coming from overseas and had been traveling for a couple of days.  He had to go on without her when a single seat became available.  She was probably ahead of me on the list (based on how long she had been traveling) but when a single seat became available, my number came up.

I arrived in Orlando with no problems and caught the Magic Express to my hotel.  I dropped my bags and headed straight for Epcot.  I only had two days to met my goal of eating at all 28 kiosks.

The crowds were on the light side since it was a weekday.  The Wine and Food Festival gets very crowded on weekends.   I loaded up a prepaid  card that you conveniently wear around your wrist and began my journey around the world.

I had left the house at around 5AM and was starting to get pretty tired by about 3PM so I headed back tot he hotel to get into my room.  Of course, once I got to the room, I was doomed.  I took a "quick nap" and never made it back out.

I would have to finish all of the rest of the food in one giant Herculean endeavor the following day.

An imaginary dialogue

Wow, Maria and the kids must really be doing a lot of traveling.  It has been months since she has updated the blog.  I can't wait to read about all of their adventures.  They must have logged in 20 more states since the last post.

Sorry to disappoint.  Not as an excuse but as an explanation for neglecting this blog, I offer the following:   I placed myself on a self imposed exile from blogging and fun time on the computer in general as in early December I was to teach a class and had not done one bit of writing on my lesson plan.  I had been pretty sick and had procrastinated to the point where I was freaking out.  I banned myself from all internet not directly related to the class.

The lesson pan was written and the class went off without a hitch... well,. not exactly true, several small hitches but it was done none-the-less.

Then, the hubbub of Christmas was upon us.  With shopping and decorating to be done, blogging was put on the back burner.

So,the only trips under our belt were the ones I have already referred to, my solos Disney trip, our trip to Colorado and the family trip to Disney.

I would use this weekend to write about those trips but Lil' Bit and I are on our way to Philadelphia first thing in the morning to help a friend move.

So bear with me as I get caught up.  The blog will be back on track sooner than you know it.

Disneyworld - October 22-24

My solo birthday trip to EPCOT

I had asked for only one thing for my birthday this year.... a solo trip to the Wine & Food Festival at Disneyworld's EPCOT.  I have been to the festival a couple of times in the past.  My fist time was the year we had the dining plan and we saved all of our snack credits for the week and then Lil' Bit and I slipped over to the world showcase and spent a wonderful afternoon sampling foods from around the world with our snack credits.  Other times I have been there it has been whole family as well but one nice afternoon, I was allowed to break away for a while and stroll around with my friend Craig, a foodie like me.  My time alone was limited, though.  It was not long before I was called back the the real world of taking daughter's to the bathroom or refereeing arguments about what to ride next.

While I love my kids and have never wanted or needed a vacation away from them, I really needed to get one chance to do what I wanted on this trip.  And while I love my husband and have no need to get away from him for even a spa weekend, we have such different opinions about how to spend time in Disney and I knew that bringing him would not work out.  Yes, it could be romantic to get away with him for a couple of days.  And I could picture he and I strolling around the park arm in arm.  But then reality comes crashing into my pretty little dream and I then realize that we would have a little time like that but then he would start bugging me to dot hings that he wants to do.  Nope... this trip had to be taken alone.

Did I miss my family?... naw, I was only gone two days.  Do I feel guilty about not bringing them?... heck no!   Do I want to go without them again?... well, confession time.... yes, I will probably try to get away with it again one day.

There is one little tiny bit of guilt though.  When the kids and I vacation, we scrimp and save.  We find the cheapest smallest rental cars or rely on public transportation.  We bring our own breakfast and lunches and find a cheap dinner.  We don't spend more than a few dollars on souvenirs.  But on this trip, I splurged.  I spent a lot of money on food (which is why I went there to begin with).  I felt a little bad about that.  Not bad enough to change what I was doing but ad none-the-less.

I love trying new foods.  I am an adventurous eater and, as you know from the whole premise of this blog, I love to set a goal for myself and reach it.  My goal on this trip was to eat (or drink) one item from each of the Wine & Food Festival's 28 "countries". 

Stay tuned to see if I reached this goal......

Quick update

My mother-in-law came up with a great idea to go to Connecticut this weekend to visit a certain flea market.  She loves flea markets, knows my kids love them and also, I think, is intrigued with the idea of being a part of history as we climb to our goal of 50 states visited by June 2014.

But, alas, I had to break her heart.  Sorry Mom, I am way behind on blog posts (this blog and my main one) and just cannot go out of town until I get some typing done.  OK, you got me , it is not only blogging that needs to get caught up on.  I am also working on a lesson pan for a course I will be teaching in a few weeks, have a ton of housework, including two very neglected litter boxes, and have no money left.

So, we will have to plan our trip to the flea market for the spring when the season starts up again.  In the mean time, I need to lock myself in the computer room and get caught up on blogging.  I owe trip reports from Disney, Colorado and Disney... no that was not a typo.  I have been to Disney twice since my last post.

Columbus, OH - budget report

Let me give my disclaimer first.  Big Boy has a debit card.  He has one because I was always forgetting to pay his allowance and he was always forgetting to bring his money so money started to become this magical thing with no real meaning.  So, I began depositing his allowance automatically into a checking account for him and he has a debit card attache tot hat account.  I hold the card, of course and have final veto over his purchases.

That said, since he had a friend with him, I think he felt the need to show of a little bit and spend some money with his debit card.  This is why we wasted  spent almost $15 on snacks.  $15 is normally my budget for a whole day's food.  Also, since we had a guest, I splurged on McDonald's lunch instead of making the kids eat sandwiches.  In hindsight, as I mentioned before, I should have had them just order a snack since we would be filling up on ice cream later.

I did not put gas in the rental car because I drove it about 20 miles and the needle never budged.

We broke even on the ice cream since I had planned on buying about #20 worth of ice cream in the store which tthey gave us free.  I bought quarts to take home which I probably would not have done if they had not offered them half price.  So, the ice cream was a wash.

Here is where the money went:

amount	category	note
$     14.77	food	snacks for boys
$     21.75	food	McDonald's
$       5.70	food	drinks for ride home
$     10.00	souvenir	box for ice cream
$       7.50	souvenir	souvenir
$     20.00	souvenir	ice cream
$     22.42	transportation	car rental
$       8.00	transportation	airport parking
$  110.14	total

Columbus, OH - the race home

Keeping in mind that we were only going to be in Columbus for a very short time to begin with and we spent too much time at McDonalds, we now had about an hour until it was time to board the plane.

We raced out of Jeni's bowls of ice cream in hand, box in tow and jumped into our rental car.  Luckily, the airport was only a short drive away but we still had to return the rental car, make the long walk (jog) though the airport, get our security documents and then get through security.

As we jumped out of the rental car, I yelled an apology to the car rental agent for all of the trash left in the car (drinking cups and our ice cream bowls).  We usually leave our rental cars spotless but there was no time to grab everything.  The agent shouted out to us that it was OK and to just concenrate on making our flight.

At BWI airport, they have kiosks set away from the ticket agent where you can print your boarding passes (in our case, security docs, since we don't get boarding passes until later) without ever seeing an agent.  At the Columbus airport the passengers have to approach the counter to check in.  I was juggling carry on bags and my big Styrofoam box so I set the box down a the nearest point.. which happened to be the scale where you put your checked bags.  The agent came over to help me check my bag and I explained that it was carry on.  Noting the type of box it was, she asked what was in it.  When I told her, she responded that it would have to check it.  I tried to find out if this was an airline policy or a TSA policy since I had been told earlier by my husband (an airline employee) that this would not be a problem.  I could not get a clear answer from her.  Having no time left to argue, discuss, research or prove that I could, indeed carry it on.  I quickly relented and gave her the box. She charged be an additional $10 for an airline approved box and seemed to take forever to check it.  She did assure me that it would make this flight though.

The boys had gone ahead of us through TSA security since one of them needed the bathroom.  This left Lil' Bit and I.  as we waited to retrieve our bags from the security belt, a TSA officer held up Lil' Bit's bag and asked whose it was.  I gave her up in a heartbeat.  he then pulled out two water bottles that she had grabbed when we were picking up our rental car.  He took the water out and had to send the bag back through screening.

After all this, we made it to the gate, breathless but with a few minutes to spare.  We boarded our first choice flight with no problems.

Awesome, wonderful, perfect.  everything has fallen into place.

Then.... Big Boy looked at me with an "I'm going to throw up" face.  He had just looked in his carry on bag and discovered that he had left his brand new Kindle in the rental car.  He had stashed it in the glove box when we went into McDonalds and had forgotten about it when we raced to get out of the car.  As upset as I was with him, I had to admit that if we had a few more minutes, we would have done a better job of leaving the car and may have remembered it.  I frantically pulled out my cell phone and attempted to call Enterprise before we had to turn off all phones.  No answer.  I spent the rest of the flight worrying about it.

As soon as we arrived at BWI airport, I called Enterprise back and asked them to look for it.  They advised that the car had already been rented again and they would call the person immediately.  It took a while to get an answer back but we we retold that the renter had found the kindle and wold bring it back when she returned the car.  Several days later, I got another call that they had it back and would mail it.  I am happy to report that we do have the Kindle back.

After a quick stop to visit with my husband, who was working at a nearby gate, we headed down to baggage claim.  We  looked for our box with no luck.  I spoke to several employees and Customer Service Agent Levi assisted us in our search.  he told us that it looked like our package would be on the next flight in or the one after that.  Well, I wasn't about to sit around the airport with three young kids waiting for ice cream so I mentally wrote off my $20 of ice cream and $10 box as a loss.  I asked him to keep and eye and if i t came in to let my husband know.  My husband got off work before the box arrived.

I realized that if the ice cream was found and if someone put it in the freezer for me, I would still be unsure if it was safe to eat.,  What if it had melted but then refroze without my knowing how long it sat at room temperature.

We went to bed that night figuring that we had a good trip despite the rush and the loss of our ice cream. Then, at 11:20 PM, my cell phone rang.  It was Levi from the airline.  He told me that he found my box, opened it and confirmed that the ice cream was still frozen solid and he was putting it in the employee freezer.  My husband found it there safe and sound the next day and brought it home for us.  We have been enjoying...no savouring it ever since.  A quart is not a lot of ice cream and we only had three (after I delivered J Dog's to his mother).  We have rationed it out but enjoyed every bit.