Wednesday, October 17th - Welcome to Casey's, the Counter Service of Choice for Discerning Ducks Everywhere
Well ... where do I begin? I suppose another apology is in order ...
I really am sorry for the delay. I have to be honest - my updates going forward may be more sporadic than I would prefer them to be. My commute to work, while already unpleasant, is very shortly going to enter the tenth circle of hell.
That's right; Dante missed a circle, so I've taken the liberty of creating one just for St. Louis traffic. As it is right now if I get home before 6:30 in the evening it's akin to Moses parting the Red Sea. And while working for the Soulless Dominions of Finance does have its perks, when they've had a rough year everybody suffers. When working on the department budget for 2008 we were told to "do more with less... it's not as expensive!"
Now you all know why I drink.
And speaking of drinks ... what did I choose for this evening? Since the mixologist is working late tonight, I opted for lazy but potent.
I'm enjoying a nice glass of Glenfiddich Special Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky (notice the absence of 'E') ... aged for 12 years. It has a lovely golden color and a light, refreshing scent - according to the tasting notes there is actually a hint a pear in the fragrance although I'm not picking it up. Now I'm a whisky newbie, so I can't tell you much about this other than it
doesn't taste like burning when I drink it. While there is definitely a strong flavor, the taste is very smooth and clean.
Brenda's improvised whisky rating scale: 4 peat bogs out of a possible 5!
**Not to be confused with the Bog of Eternal Stench**
Now, where was I before the second half of November and all of December vanished before I could say, "Bring me cheese... more; more; more!!"
Oh yes ... we were stuck on my birthday. No wonder you guys were getting anxious for something new.
After winning our fastpasses and working up an appetite riding Space Mountain, the Teacups, Snow White, The People Mover, and Aladdin's Magic Carpets the parasitic twin that resides in my stomach decided that it needed more food. And since it was my birthday I wanted Casey's - which is always an MK tradition for us. It's also a tradition for us to completely forget to take pictures of our food here so I can't share the photographic hot dog love with you, but let me assure you that this was the best hot dog of the whole trip.
We each ordered the Grand Slam, which is a 1/4 pound beef dawg on a semi-stale bun with a choice of fries or apple slices. Jay got the fries so I chose the apples (weird, huh?). To wash down the processed pork product we ordered two large bottles of water. After visiting the condiment bar for some mustard and melted imitation cheese we nabbed a table on the sidewalk and gobbled like hawgs. There isn't much to say about the food at Casey's - it's always reliable and it's always tasty. Who doesn't like comforting, unhealthy, vacation food while on vacation? The hot dogs are always warm and juicy and we like ours swimming in cheap, yellow mustard. The french fries are usually too greasy and a bit limp, but melted cheese whiz does wonders for them! Ahhhh, it's artery clogging vacation bliss at its best - the only thing that would make it better is if it could be enjoyed with a cold, frosty beer.
Apart from the food, one of the things Jay and I have always liked about Casey's is the ducks. Our experience has been that as long as you don't feed them while dining you can enjoy a quick "meal" relatively unmolested while the cute ducks waddle about looking for table scraps.
I'm not a fan of birds in general - my theory, as yet unpublished but supported by years of field research, is that birds are jerks; ducks, however, have always been exempt from this rule.
Until now.
Was it the heat? Were the ducks rabid? Was a cast member performing bizarre experiments on the waterfowl after hours... the unintentional and horrific result being a flock of carnivorous ducks???
The Advance Guard also known as Skirmisher Ducks
Pretending to be frightened by Plankton's "evil eye" the Advance Guard temporarily retreats
All right, I'm ready for my close up!
Feed me! Feed me now!!!
I kid you not, right after I snapped this picture that duck actually nipped me on the leg! Jason claims that all creatures great and small find me sweet and tasty ...
**
Editor's note: Oh, that's the most fragrant piece of BS I've read all day! 
... but since when do ducks nibble on people??? I just always assumed they were herbivorous and while I don't have a problem with ducks eating things other than plants and bugs, I do have a problem with them trying to make a meal out of
me. I still have in my mind's eye the image of an Alpha-male duck, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sauramon, perched on a railing and flapping it's beak while inspiring hordes of lesser ducks to storm the patio at Casey's where they will at long last taste man-flesh.
And that's why ducks are now offically considered jerks.
This concludes our round-about review of Casey's. I hope to update tomorrow night with pictures of birthday yummies from the Boardwalk Bakery and then I hope to present you with a review of Bistro Paris, where there were Frenchified good times and much birthday hilarity due to a misspelled birthday wish.
Oh, and did anyone watch Iron Chef last night (which would have been Tuesday, January 1st)? One of the judges used the word "unctuous" while he was talking about a dish and Jay and I just about busted a gut laughing. Once he was able to breathe, Jay looked at me and said, "I bet that guy is a pretentious Wisconsin cheese-maker!"
**To find this comment even remotely amusing, you may need to re-visit our Jiko review... specifically the cheese plate section. Or you can just take my word that it was very funny indeed and had you been here with us last night you, too, would have experienced much mirth.**
Thanks for reading ... if anyone out there is actually still reading.
)
Anyway, I can't remember the last time I had a hot dog there. I do remember the last hot dog I had at WDW though. (Hint: It's a great appetizer for a big honkin' sundae! 
)
There I go...
) I will be able to issue a formal invite on or around Feb 10th... If I don't make it on the cruise... then Planky can help me drown my sorrows on the next trip where we will be downing the little bottles of booze from the airplane and eating very unhealthy food... I know... Just his kind!!!
Brenda!!
I got attacked by those pesky ducks too but by the bus stop at MK, those beaks really hurt don't they 
There's nothing like a nice alcoholic beverage after a long day of work -- really, some days it's the only thing that keeps me sane.
