Boma Trepidation

[LuvMyEAR]

...or downright anxiety! I have just booked Boma for dinner on our first night in town, after months of reading reviews and glowing recommendations. For 5 out of the 6 of us, it looks like a perfect choice...lots of exciting new items on the menu. However, then there is DH, who has some very definite food requirements.

Now, I am not talking dietary restrictions. This is pickiness in the EXTREME, coupled with absolutely no desire to ever try anything new. To him, NEW = BAD. Trust me, I only made the reservation after reading that picky eaters managed to eat well at Boma, but pickiness is a matter of degree, and DH carries it to the nth degree! Despite reaching grandfather status, his taste has not evolved one iota since approx age 5.

How extreme is extreme? Well, the ONLY acceptable seasoning is salt. Condiments? Well, there is margarine. Fruit means an orange, vegetables are cooked carrots. Potatoes are white, with nothing to improve their flavor, and don't expect to ever, ever serve any form of rice or pasta. Bread can be white or whole wheat. Meat is great, but seasoning...see above. Yep. Salt. Fish is a no-no. Salad is an outright obscenity. Are you getting the picture?

I really need to know that he will be able to find some meat & potatoes at Boma that will be plain enough to serve as a meal before taking him into a $40+ dining venue that will leave him hungry. Dessert is no issue, as long as there are no nuts in either the cookies or brownies. Yes, travelling with him does present a challenge, and of course I love to try every new food experience possible.

What can I say except that opposites do attract!

 

[mevelandry]

Are we married to the same man?

Good thing is, BOMA is a buffet. Worst case scenario, he can dine on zebra domes.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Hey mevbelandry, That's Too funny...and I share your pain! Cooking isn't much fun, is it? I do feel bad for him, and try to accommodate his tastes but could just cry when I look at all the options we have to pass up because there is not a single thing on a menu that he would eat. Literally, he is limited to a cheeseburger (without the cheese, please!) and chicken strips throughout most of WDW. He will eat the fries - way too often, actually - without ketchup, of course. Everyone would love to go out for breakfast, but since all he eats is toast, there is not much point. <sigh>

 

[rlovew]

Well I think the children's area includes chicken nuggets, fries, and mac and cheese that are plain. I don't know what seasonings are on the carving station meats but those are a possibility.

 

[Dug720]

Hey mevbelandry, That's Too funny...and I share your pain! Cooking isn't much fun, is it? I do feel bad for him, and try to accommodate his tastes but could just cry when I look at all the options we have to pass up because there is not a single thing on a menu that he would eat. Literally, he is limited to a cheeseburger (without the cheese, please!) and chicken strips throughout most of WDW. He will eat the fries - way too often, actually - without ketchup, of course. Everyone would love to go out for breakfast, but since all he eats is toast, there is not much point. <sigh>

Is there a reason he orders "cheeseburger without the cheese" rather than "hamburger"?

 

[RaspberryDragon]

I too just made reservations to Boma even though I'm not going to WDW for another month. I'm lucky to not have any picky eaters in my group! That being said, you should check out the disneyfoodblog website. They have a wonderful review for Boma that was very helpful for me to see what to expect. I would post the link but I can't yet since I haven't posted enough, sorry! The review is from 2013 but I don't think the menu has changed much. It's filled with pictures too which is always helpful! From what it shows, there's fresh fruit (strawberries, grapes, etc.), mashed potatoes and baked chicken (at the childrens buffet).

 

[hunan6]

He may find something to eat, but it probably won't be that exciting for him. Based on the glowing reviews, I expected much more from Boma. It may just be that our waiter was the crankiest CM I have ever encountered. I enjoyed the food, but other members of my party found it a bit too exotic for their liking. As another poster said, you can eat from the kids buffet, but it seems like quite a waste for chicken nuggets and Mac n cheese. If he is willing to sacrifice for everyone else, maybe he can tough it out. Otherwise, you might want to look elsewhere. It certainly is a good meal, but just not for everyone, picky eaters especially. Hey, gotta love those zebra domes though.

 

[fallen_angel727]

We LOVE Boma!! However, we both enjoy more exotic foods.

I did however recommend it to my cousin and her husband. Her DH is EXTREMELY picky, basically steak, potatoes and veggies for every meal with very little variation, maybe a burger or some pasta but that's it. They took my recommendation and as they were leaving I got a text from cousin's DH saying it was the best meal of the trip!

 

[Jo-Anne]

I am not extremely picky, but I can't do spicy foods or things like curry. However, my husband loves the exotic and ethnic foods, so we went to Boma. To be honest I was glad I was on the free dining plan when we tried boma as I really didn't find a lot to eat. I was ok, but if I had to pay out of pocket, I certainly would not have gotten any value.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I didn't find Boma to be that exotic at all...I was pretty disappointed in the offerings, actually.

There is a carving station where he can get meats that are not all that flavored, and he can always cut the outside off where the seasoning are. I remember there is plain jasmine rice available, there is mac & cheese at the kids' station, but I do not recall seeing any other type of potato. There is a pretty standard salad bar as well, and a bread station with the standard Disney offerings. He'll definitely be able to find something to fill his belly with, even if it's just some meat and bread. Though I would be angry to be paying Boma prices for meat & bread!

 

[SusieBea]

I am not a fan of Boma, and I'm not a picky eater. The rest of our family enjoys that buffet, however. I just walked around the corner to Mara, the QS restaurant to eat and read a magazine.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Dug720 - cheeseburgers w/o the cheese...because we haven't seen a "hamburger" on a QS Disney menu in years - LOL. He always specifies the cheeseburger without....and when the CM says "Hamburger?" he always asks why there are none on the menu.

fallen_angel, I will take heart in what you said about your cousin's picky DH. Meat and potatoes, amen. Plain meat and potatoes, at that.

I have to admit, I am not chuffed about spending the Boma bucks if all he can do is eat from the kids' buffet. He wouldn't even touch the mac & cheese, either. But, I do hate to ask him to separate from the family for our first night there. I think we will have to talk about this one a bit, and he can make the choice. I know a certain DGS who would be happier accompanying him to Mara.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Gasp - they contain coffee. Therefore, DH would not even want to taste one. Meanwhile, DD, DSIL, and I can't wait to try them!

I am glad to hear the food is not too spicy, as DSIL has to be a bit cautious that way. As for me, I've often thought about adding sriracha sauce to my morning coffee instead of cream.

Yep, maybe he would like Mara better.

 

[Jennasis]

He is but one of 6. No need for the rest to go without because of one person. Make the reservation and if he's still hungry after then he can go to the Mara and get something else.

 

[willowsnn3]

We ate there last week and I found plenty to eat. My 40 yr old dd tried some things but wound up just eating mashed potatoes & mac/cheese and some desserts.
I found the carved beef (that I rarely ever get) was very good and also the carved ham. Loved the bobotie and peanut rice. Tried a spoonful of the 'exotic' stuff. Most of it wasn't that good, not bad, just not to my taste. I usually love the salad selections at Disney buffets but Boma's selections were not very good with the exception of the pasta salad.
Zebra Domes were disappointing to me. Nowhere near all the hype, imho.
Granddaughter tore up some baked chicken & rice.

OP, they did have some carrot soup, lol, on the bar. I tried it and tasted just like pureed carrots.....

 

[Octoberbaby]

...or downright anxiety! I have just booked Boma for dinner on our first night in town, after months of reading reviews and glowing recommendations. For 5 out of the 6 of us, it looks like a perfect choice...lots of exciting new items on the menu. However, then there is DH, who has some very definite food requirements.

Now, I am not talking dietary restrictions. This is pickiness in the EXTREME, coupled with absolutely no desire to ever try anything new. To him, NEW = BAD. Trust me, I only made the reservation after reading that picky eaters managed to eat well at Boma, but pickiness is a matter of degree, and DH carries it to the nth degree! Despite reaching grandfather status, his taste has not evolved one iota since approx age 5.

How extreme is extreme? Well, the ONLY acceptable seasoning is salt. Condiments? Well, there is margarine. Fruit means an orange, vegetables are cooked carrots. Potatoes are white, with nothing to improve their flavor, and don't expect to ever, ever serve any form of rice or pasta. Bread can be white or whole wheat. Meat is great, but seasoning...see above. Yep. Salt. Fish is a no-no. Salad is an outright obscenity. Are you getting the picture?

I really need to know that he will be able to find some meat & potatoes at Boma that will be plain enough to serve as a meal before taking him into a $40+ dining venue that will leave him hungry. Dessert is no issue, as long as there are no nuts in either the cookies or brownies. Yes, travelling with him does present a challenge, and of course I love to try every new food experience possible.

What can I say except that opposites do attract!

Oh, goodness! I thought my hubby was the only one! And mine is spoiled rotten too. I often have to prepare two separate dishes at dinner to please my kids and husband. He is my third child that I obviously adopted when we married Having said that, he LOVED Boma. I am glad too because Boma is my favorite restaurant at Disney. He usually only eats red meat, potatoes, very little pasta, small amount of veggies, no pork, no chicken unless it is fried(and I DO NOT EAT FRIED FOOD So, no chicken for husband), nothing sweet, and you get the picture. But, he liked Boma!

 

[MommyJen]

Over the last year or so my husband has gotten a little better with trying new food. Except vegetables. Forget about that ! So when I booked Boma for dinner during our first family trip to WDW I was skeptical. It turned out to be one of his favorite restaurants. There were plenty of meats to keep him satisfied and he insisted we go back during our second trip. Keep the ADR and enjoy!

 

[Art 1]

If he ends up not liking what is on the menu just tell him it's ok if he leaves and eats elsewhere. I wouldn't worry too much about it really. I wouldn't get angry about it if I was you or him.

 

[Coonhound]

He could always just choose to stop acting like a child and not impose on his family on vacation. Why even cater to this- Just show up at the restaurant, he can certainly look over the menu, and if there's something he wants he will order it and if there isn't anything he wants he will just have to order something and try it or he will go hungry. I thought this post was about an immature child, not a grown man.

 

[sunnyday123]

He could always just choose to stop acting like a child and not impose on his family on vacation. Why even cater to this- Just show up at the restaurant, he can certainly look over the menu, and if there's something he wants he will order it and if there isn't anything he wants he will just have to order something and try it or he will go hungry. I thought this post was about an immature child, not a grown man.

I can't even imagine the stress of tryng to plan meals around this. Why should 5 other people suffer and eat the diet of a coddled 5 year old? He's grown!

It's also extremely unhealthy to eat like this. I can't imagine the amount of vitamins he's lacking.