Wednesday, October 25th - Now This Is a Vacation!!!
I hope to leave you all laughing tonight ... or spewing ... or choking ... or gagging ... whatever involuntary reflex action you feel most comfortable with when reading about our trip is the reflex action I feel most comfortable with when typing. For it is all about you my dear readers, except when work and travel and illness and random lifetime stuff get in the way.
Dry heaving wasn't covered.
Yes, you guessed right! I've been drinking with my dinner tonight. Mmmmm ... who knew that Irish whiskey and take-out pizza went so well together? These are the things that a career in banking and a lack of beer will drive you to some day, so consider yourselves warned.
What? You had no wine?
I don't know, Tangent Lady. I was dry heaving and wondering why you wouldn't open a bottle of wine to go with your pizza.
That's right ... Beaches and Cream. We did the only sane thing we could possibly do after eating all of that ice cream - we put on our fashionable Midwest swimwear and went to the pool for a nap! I've probably mentioned before that we usually spend our time at the BCV "quiet" pool ... it's really not very quiet any longer when there are dozens of urchins running around. And, mom and dad ... are you still here? Although the sign reads that children are not allowed in the hot tub without adult supervision, I am not the adult the makers of that sign had in mind. Please come boil in the hot tub with your kids and me or else herd them back into the pool where they belong. But please don't expect me to watch them for you just because I'm already here.
I'm not a big fan of unsupervised kids, either. Maybe because I haven't been a parent, who knows?
Yeah, you covered it.
You're quite welcome. I'm quote happy today, baby!
Sometimes I think Jay and I have been spoiled by cruising ... adults only pools are wonderful. While they can be less than relaxing sometimes, I don't usually find myself worried about whether or not anyone at the adult pool should be wearing a swim diaper. Although now that I think about it, maybe I should be ...
Oh, ewww! But yeah, I did enjoy the adults only areas on the
Disney Cruise Line.
I sense a strange foreboding...
Well slow down there, Nellie, because there's a strangely familiar shadowy shape moving towards you out of the semi-gloom, and Jay is muttering "I don't believe it" under his breath, and before you know it you're standing there like a slack-jawed yokel staring at your parents with just one phrase echoing through your head:
SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP!!!
Attagirl, Brenda! you haven't disappointed my expectations.
Time for some quick thinking ... Grimace is holding a drink cup in her hand which means that they've probably eaten dinner already ...
"Hey, how ya doin'? We're headed for Epcot and the festival food booths for dinner - wanna come?"
Grimace begins playing with the straw and the ice in her cup - she has a really annoying habit of moving the straw up and down through the opening in the plastic lid of her drinks once the actual beverage has been consumed. It makes a grating, plastic sawing sound coupled with the constant shifting of ice chips. It's a nervous habit of hers that means, "I can't wait to get out of here."
Before Jon could do more than look mildly enthusiastic about our proposal, there was the sound of a small avalanche and a gasp from Grimace. She'd actually managed to push her straw through the bottom of her cup and the ice spilled down her legs and all over her feet. We stood in stunned silence for a moment looking at that small mound of ice chips and the water stain covering one side of her shorts and then the spell was broken by the hysterical laughter of Jason and yours truly, who were doubled over with mirth.
Wow, the gods were on your side that night! That is some good slapstick. Egad, I'm having fun at her expense. I shouldn't. That right should be reserved for her daughter!
Having ditched the parental unit through good timing on our parts and misfortune on Grimace's part, Jason and I continued on our way to Epcot and another batch of eating around the world. Since it was growing dark we didn't take any pictures of the food booths - we went back the next day and took a bunch of photos in the glorious afternoon light of a perfect day. So look for those sometime in Day 9.
Tralalala...I expected you and Jay to go skipping off into the sunset. Heheh.
Tonight we start the gastronomic tour with my perennial favorite food booth - France. Ah, France...your surly demeanor is surpassed only by the tastiness of the treats we so willingly over-pay for.
Well, would Disney be Disney if you didn't over-pay for items?
Now the good stuff!
Why have one when you can have three?
What you see before you were three of the yummiest samples we tried all evening. In the background a Sparkling Pomegranate Kir...I've always been a big fan of Kir Royales, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this and I was right! This could have tasted like fizzy cough syrup if they'd used too much of the Pomegranate liqueur, but someone in France knows how to pour a drink and this was just right...a hint of sweetness but really very light and refreshing. So good that we ordered a bottle of Pama Pomegranate Liqueur once we returned to the armpit of the Midwest to help us endure the desolate vacation-less months ahead.
I'd have been surprised if you hadn't picked up the bottle for the home game.
The Food? Oh, yeah that was good, too.
Yeah, you've gotta talk about the food, you Lushinista!
(Lushinista is a brand new word I just made up off the cuff for your personal use, should you wish to use it. I reserve the rights to using that to describe myself should the need arise next month.)
That slightly over-cooked offering to the left is formally known as a Chausson au Fromage de' Chevre. American translation: Goh-t Cheeee-ez Tarrr-t. Oh! Despite being a bit more brown than I would have preferred, this cheesy tartlet was excellent and flavorful without being overpowering. Didn't pair too well with the Kir but we managed to choke it down anyway.
We get French lessons again!
That is one big honkin' sample, though. I would like to try that sucker this year!
And look at that little baby on the right...Creme Brulee au Chocolat. American translation: Chalk-let Krem Brew-lay.
What is there to say? This was better than we had any reason to expect or hope. Crispy, melted sugar topping...cool, rich creamy chocolate...squabbling over who got to eat the last spoonful chased with some of that Kir, which was just fabulous with this dessert!
I am disappointed this was not brought back for this year's festival. It looks so good! Last time I tried it, it was "just ok", which is saying a lot when it comes to chocolate!
I love France for another reason... the anonymous alcoholic squishee booth. Four score and seven years ago when our forefathers and I started this trip report, you might recall mention of a Lemon Citron Squishee and my vow to come back and try its more colorful cousin: The Grand Marnier Squishee.
This drink was good times indeed. If it hadn't been for the relentless pursuit of food I could have stayed right there at that booth pounding these babies down until Illuminations started.
Having tried both slushies I offer you now my humble post-alcoholic opinion. The Lemon Citron is definitely more of a daytime indulgence - it's lighter and less sweet, very much like frozen lemonade with just a hint of alcohol. The Grand Marnier is sweeter and denser - it's an evening indulgence, which makes sense really, since Grand Marnier is more of an after-dinner drink anyway. Both were very good, but I think the Grand Marnier was the more popular of the two drinks just based on the number of people we spotted wandering around Epcot with them during the week.
Who knew I could learn about Slushie/Squishy Ettiquette! I haven't tried either yet, but it looks so refreshing, I know I'll probably have it within an hour of arrival.
And talk about a conversation starter! There I was perched daintily on a bench slurping orange slush from a plastic cup and someone would plop down next to me, "Wow! What's that you're drinking? I love the color! Where can I get one? France? Really? Was it expensive? Guess I'll have to give up food. Thanks for the tip!"
This happened many times during the evening while I was waiting for Jason to come back to me with food. I'd like to think that all the attention had something to do with the amusingly magnetic force of my personality but who are we kidding? It's all about the booze and I'm happy that I could share the alcoholic squishee-love with so many people. And I hope Epcot never ever ever ever ever ever closes that booth.
It doesn't take much to get semi-drunken people to talk at Epcot. I was once accosted in Norway by an enthusiastic gal who thought my food sample looked amazing and didn't realize the kiosk was 20 feet away from her. Your experience doesn't surprise me.
Where else did we eat? Let me think....Oh, Turkey! We went to Turkey.
[
Circassian Chicken et al
Look at the size of that portion! At $2.50 per sample this was one of the best bargains at the whole F&W Festival. I tried it and I didn't really like it, so Jason at the rest - he thought it was quite good. While he was chowing on that generous plate o'food, I decided to be daring and purchase something from the Morocco booth.
Ooh, the "circus chicken" looks tasty and another huge portion!
Food Choices: Beef Kefta Pocket; Chicken Bastilla; Pistachio Baklava
Drink Choices: Ksar White; Guerrouane Red; Bodegas Pinord Moscatel; Casa Beer; Mint Iced Tea
I ordered the Chicken Bastilla and a serving of mint iced tea. I can't say that the chicken was bad, but I really struggled with this taste combination. My tongue and my brain both had the same reaction: cinnamon ... puff pastry ... powdered sugar ... CHICKEN??? One of these things is not like the others! Get the poultry out of the dessert for never the twain shall meet!!!
What? You haven't seen the original Iron Chef show? They would make squid ice cream just because they could!
But I think I understand. We both have that aversion to lavender in our desserts.
It's not really raw, but it sure is chewy
This is the Tokyo Sushi Roll with Crabmeat. The sushi was sticky and chewy and sort of tasteless. Jason said that the sauces on the side were there to provide flavor, but I can't eat stuff like Wassabi and I'm not crazy about ginger, so it looks like I'm stuck with chewy and tasteless.
What a disappointment!
I tend to skip the sushi at the kiosks because I'm afraid of getting the chewy and tasteless.
**Pointless diversion for the sake of another bad joke**
See, Jay loves to garden and he has a gift for growing things. Every winter he orders his seeds and in the spring he goes to a local nursery for more seeds and tomato plants and stuff that makes things grow. I just point the garden hose or sprinkler where directed because I inherited a black thumb from Grimace (like that's even a surprise).
Know who else loves Jay's garden? The rabbits. They come from miles around and line up around his fenced-in organic smorgasboard, their noses twitching while they stare at the produce with those flat, creepy, bottomless rabbit eyes. Oh, and they give each other fleas and scratch a lot.
So, there we are at Epcot trying Kirin Ichiban for the first time and I say, "This is really pretty good, don't you think?"
Jay nods and takes another drink.
"We should try to find some of this when we get home and then we can drink it while we admire the garden with the rabbits."
Jay gives me one of those sidelong looks that usually mean: I think you're probably going to say something to reinforce my opinion that you are nuts but it's part of your charm so go ahead...
I start to giggle. "We can call it Kirin Itchy Bunnie!!!"
**End pointless diversion**
Groan! Bad Pun Alert!
I actually wanted to ask if you knew about using marigolds to keep the bunnies away from Jay's garden, though. I don't have a black thumb, but I hate weeding. So I don't garden.
Once we finished our sushi we wandered into the Japan-mart where they sell all kinds of great, sometimes tacky stuff including Speed Racer memorabilia! I loved that show when I was a kid, but it's even better watching it as an adult - hilarious, especially because it's not supposed to be funny.
Already filled to the brim with alcoholic good cheer, we headed towards the area of the store that sells Japanese foodstuffs. I'm sure it's politically incorrect but we love to look through all the Japanese foods, especially the candies, and laugh at the names and the packaging. It's not supposed to be funny, but it is. But I don't want you to think we only poke fun at Japanese products ... Jay and I find just about everything funny and we aren't shy about laughing in public. If you hear a hee-haw the next time you're at WDW, don't be alarmed; it's probably just Jason and me being insensitive about something again.
Oh I love the Japanese department store! Where else can you find shrimp flavored chips, some really gross snacks that look like minnows you use for fishing bait, and the Great Wall o' Pocky! (I'm going to have to take a photo of that on my trip.)
Anyway, I bet you'll never guess what we found while we were there mocking Japanese food packaging! That's right - a Sake bar!!
Color me surprised...
I've found the bar before and have my souvenir cup somewhere still. I usually get plum wine instead of sake there.
Well, when in Japan
We had never tried sake before and asked the young girl behind the bar for a suggestion. She was really sweet and told us that we should try her favorite sake: Wakatake. Not too sweet and not too dry, and it was really quite good. I don't know didley about Sake, but I love the name... Wakatake Sake. It rhymes and that pushes my silly button.
Does Mojo Jojo drink Wakatake Sake?
Ahem ...
Here. Have another squishy.
From Japan it only seems logical to import ourselves to America town, where there is more food to be sampled.
Food Choices: Maine Lobster Roll; BBQ Pork Rib with Grilled Fresh Corn; Blackberry Cobbler
Drink Choices: Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay; Albemarle Rose'; Rancho Zabaco Heritage Vines Zinfandel; Sterling Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
So that's a lobster roll ...
I like to call this a Lobster-Dog since it's served on a miniature hot dog bun. This was actually lobster salad served on a toasted bun and I've been told that this is the authentic Maine / East Coast way to serve a lobster roll. It was actually pretty good, which is saying something because I'm not really a big fan of lobster.
This was also the most expensive food sample at the festival, coming in at a whopping $6.50 per order!
Yay! More overpriced food!
Of course, I'll still buy one.
Once the show was over we took our time leaving Epcot - it's so peaceful and romantic wandering through the World Showcase as the park is emptying out. And while hordes of people are pushing out the front gates we just stroll through the international Gateway back to our hotel. Well... actually we went to the ESPN Club first because we wanted to watch Game 4 of the World Series and I was dying for a tuna pita - one of my favorite sandwiches at WDW.
It was not to be. Game 4 was a washout ... and ESPN changed their menu, banning the tuna pita and quite possibly ensuring that I'll never eat there again. I'm serious - the rest of their menu options make the bile rise in the back of my throat.
Bummer about the tuna sandwich. The only thing that would make me go into the ESPN Club is the bathroom. I get a kick out of the TVs being in sight while nature calls.
There was nothing left to do but make our way back to the room, where we were met by a smiling Grimace. I don't have a picture so you're just going to have to take my word on this and use your imaginations, but she was smiling all right.
Why?
She hit scratch-off pay dirt and won $26 on five lottery tickets and giggled like a school girl for the rest of the night.
Doesn't take much of a win to make her happy.
Ooops! I almost forgot ... Jon bought Plankton a present while he and Grimace explored MGM together. I found it thoughtful and maybe a little disturbing that Jon was now buying accessories for Plankton, but at least he was having fun.
Quake in fear you mortal fools!
ROFL! Jon rocks the cat box!
I think Plankton is actually having secret preparations to take over for Mickey at the Fantasmic show.
. We had to walk back to Boardwalk because just looking at the Friendship Boats made me want to yak!!
). I have a feeling my parents won't be into the F&W booths, so they can spend some "quality time" with the grandchildren while DH and I indulge.
Adonde esta mon amiga??
