Hungry Are The Damned! 10/15/07-10/25/07 - COMPLETED W/LOTS OF PICS!!!

[Karen Mouse]

I'm drooling over that chocky slipper

 

[PinkPrincessZ]

Ooooh, cake! Great update - made me look forward to our tea in October. Where can I find the Grand Floridian bakery menu?

Thanks!
Kris

 

[cntkg1]

Now that's my kind of food porn Benda. Very little meat and lots and lots of desserts!

That is one ADR I might make if I had a friend with me. (Chuck would never go for this).

I love all teas, the sand wedgies looked great, the tart and scones are right up my alley, and you already know my passion for desserts, desserts, and more desserts. Maybe a pre-cruise ladies mini meet at the Grand Floridian in Oct 09?

 

[oybolshoi]

I'm drooling over that chocky slipper

You would love it, Karen!

Ooooh, cake! Great update - made me look forward to our tea in October. Where can I find the Grand Floridian bakery menu?

Thanks!
Kris

Thanks for reading PinkPrincessZ!! I'm not sure that there is a menu for the Bakery - everything I've ever ordered from them has been a direct result of reading the food porn threads here on the DIS!

I can tell you that the slipper dessert was $14.50 and the cake was $25 ...I placed the order about 10 days before we were scheduled to be there for our ADR. If you take a look at the main restaurant board I believe there is a birthday cake / anniversary thread going and it has phone numbers and a lot of other great information for ordering things like this.

I hope that helps you and I hope you enjoy your tea come October.

Now that's my kind of food porn Benda. Very little meat and lots and lots of desserts!

That is one ADR I might make if I had a friend with me. (Chuck would never go for this).

I love all teas, the sand wedgies looked great, the tart and scones are right up my alley, and you already know my passion for desserts, desserts, and more desserts. Maybe a pre-cruise ladies mini meet at the Grand Floridian in Oct 09?

I'd be on board with an afternoon tea with you fine cruisers ...

Thanks for reading, Mother Goose - glad you liked it!

 

[Tink rules]

Tea ressies get made for us first thing every trip!!! Will have to adjust to tea caddy less tea, but I'm sure years of therapy or an extra glass of bubbly will suffice....

& I love my morning cup of sugar flavored with tea also... I'm just not a coffe person unless it has lots of liquor in it or its after a really good dinner - but then again... I like tea then too...

Glass jars of tea, huh??? I'm going to be like that cartoon character that sniffs lots and then floats back to earth

 

[TigerKat]

Perfect timing for this installment....I just started sipping my martini and I see a Brenda update . Great review Brenda, can't wait for Spoodles!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

That is such a lovely picture of the two of you.

 

[BriarRosie]

Thursday, October 18th - Tea/Tee Caddie/Caddy Cozie/Cozy ... Get Out Your Thesarus, Strainers and Loose Leaf, There's a Doings Transpiring at the Gardenview Lounge!

Pointless interruption: More words I really like: Dirigible; Lickspittle, Supercilious; Wonky...thanks for reminding me, Sunny; Unctuous thanks to those pretentious WI cheesemakers; Banality; Logy. End pointless interruption...

Oh goody! I was having schpilkes (Yiddush, lots of fun words there!) wondering when I'd see this review. (And lots of trip report guilt for me. heheheh)

Thursday could have gone down in the annals of Jay and Brenda's Gastronomic Rapacity as the worst day ever, but we decided that allowing one sub-par experience to ruin our food-fun would be silly. And mah-gawd...was it ever hot that day. I'm talking steamy, sticky, now-we-remember-why-we-never-visit-Florida-in-the-summer-anymore heat. It just sapped the food-angst right out of us.

OMG yes. I remember the heat of that day. Where did we start our day? At the hottest park to visit, Animal Kingdom. Love the park, not the heat.

We decided to spend the morning at MGM but were again side-smacked by the crowds - where did all of these people come from? We gave up after one attraction and decided that our time could be better spent at the pool - this was a wise decision my friends and much better than standing in line with the sweaty, crabby masses which definitely included us.

We got smacked by the rain that started as we left AK and headed to the Studios. It was not the best visit.

Besides, as part of our unofficial WDW vacation / marriage contract, we had a reservation for afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. Jay is really a good guy - he knows how much I like to indulge my girlie side by doing stuff like this and he always lets me and he never complains. In return, he knows that I will order some special little something(s) from the Grand Floridian bakery to be delivered during tea and which would probably induce an immediate sugar coma in anyone suffering from diabetes.

OOH! Sounds awesome! I like having sugar rush food comas!

Our ADR was for 2:20PM; I have learned that it's best to have an earlier reservation for tea - not only do you have more time to enjoy the offerings, but there are more of them to choose from and they are fresh. And by fresh I mean that they haven't been sitting out all afternoon. Jay and I are true gluttons when it comes to afternoon tea...cue sarcastic audience response: Oh no, surely not the two of you? We always order the grand tea, which for $25.50 per person includes a selection of dainty tea sandwiches, scones and jam tarts with a yummy, thick Devonshire cream spread, followed by a choice of freshly baked tea pastries, strawberries and cream, or English trifle. All of this bounty is accompanied by a choice of tea and a lovely glass of Domaine Ste. Michelle champagne.

Yes, that's the selection I always ordered, the Grand Tea. But when I had it, it was always the Iron Horse Fairy Tale, not the Domaine Ste. Michelle. I wonder when they made the switch?

Does mid-afternoon life at Walt Disney World get any better than this?

No, it doesn't.

I think not.

Especially on hot days when you want a haven of a nice light, relaxed meal.

We checked in at the podium where I was sure to mention that I had pre-ordered some special items to be delivered at the end of our "official" tea. Please, everyone, never forget to bring your confirmation numbers with you for something like this. The CM at the podium didn't have any information about our special order but once I gave her the confirmation numbers she miraculously fished it out of the WDW Dining Special Order Vortex, thus saving us from a potential disaster that would have had me shedding enough tears to leave the Gardenview Lounge with a miniature saltwater pool.

That's a good PSA for anything Disney. If you don't have confirmation numbers, you can find yourself in the Special Orders Black Hole.

We were seated at a cozy little table for two and given the menu as well as the tea chest. There were twelve different labeled glass bottles with tea leaves in them, the idea being that you can experience the aroma of the tea before making a selection.

Hootie McBewb flashes the Gardenview tea chest

Hootie McBewb? Oh that's just a riot! The tea presentation box is nice, though.

Although I always choose Chamomile tea, I really enjoyed "testing" the other tea varietals before we placed our order. There were some teas that were described in such a way on the menu that I was tempted to try something new, but when I caught a whiff of their aromas I was turned off. Many of them smelled too strongly of florals or spice, and I knew that I wouldn't care for that kind of tea. I'm boring when it comes to hot tea - I either choose an English Breakfast tea or Chamomile.

I've done English Breakfast and Darjeeling.

Chamomile, by the way, is an herbal tea which is caffeine free and in some circles is believed to have medicinal properties. I don't know how true that is, but I can tell you that when I start to have issues with the internal plumbing a cup of Chamomile tea seems to soothe the gurgling, parasitic twin within. It is described as follows on the lounge's tea menu: A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste; a soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.

Sounds like something out of Pamelia's intestinal flume ride discussion during the Radiothon at the Adventurers Club.

Brenda's Chamomile tea in a ... French Press???

Whaaaaaaaat? Where is my fat little Victorian teapot? I can't dazzle Jay with my rendition of I'm a Little Teapot without it. I'm a Little French Press just doesn't scan - you English majors and poetry lovers know of what I speak.

WHAT???? That's a travesty!! I can't believe they are using those press pots instead of teapots!

I was disappointed, I admit it. There's no romance in pouring hot tea from a French Press; aesthetically speaking it leaves me cold and detracts from the overall ambience of the tea table. And it eliminates the need for those burgundy velvet tea cozies with the gold tassels of which I am so fond. I asked our waitress about it and was told that a decision had been made to serve most teas in the French Press because it cut down on the amount of tea leaf floaties that ended up in guests tea cups. And I did find that she was correct - pouring the tea from the press through the tea strainer into my cup did result in fewer floaties than in years past, but I never really minded the floaties in the first place. I guess I'm just a traditionalist when it comes to afternoon tea, but I want a teapot. It seems more authentic and feels more romantic - what would the 7th Duchess of Bedford say if she knew that "traditional English afternoon tea" was being served without a sturdy China teapot???

Enough about that.

No, the rant is justified! I loved the strainers and such! This new way is so....sterile.

Jason chose Jamaican Spice for his tea selection, which is described as: A zesty herbal infusion with red liquor and a bouquet of flavors, tartness of hibiscus and sweetness of cinnamon for a sweet, tangy, and spicy finish.

Jay is much more adventurous than I am when it comes to trying new teas. I have to admit that the tea leaves for this blend smelled really good and I think the color once it's finished steeping is just lovely, but the taste was too overpowering for me - way too spicy and strong.

Someone at work gave me a Tazo teabag called Passion that had hibiscus and rose hips (do roses have hips?) and other stuff to make a bright magenta tea like that. I found it too overpowering, too.

Now, it's time for a poorly photographed selection of sandwich wedgies.

Bread and tasty flavored paste-fillings

We each received a plate of five sandwich wedges, a slice of cold pate', and a minature onion tart. The sandwiches from left to right were cucumber with watercress, egg salad, shrimp salad, chicken salad, and gorgonzola with grilled pear. Each one, as you can see, is served on a different type of bread with the crusts cut off. Ooooh, how grade school - perhaps my Bugs Bunny reference isn't so out of place after all!

Yummy. I like the watercress sandwich a lot for some reason. I like the peppery-ness of it.

I traded my pate' and onion tart to Jason for his egg salad wedgie. I think I also gave him my grilled pear-gorgon in exchange for some extra shrimp wedgie. We thought all the little wedges were tasty and provided a nice variety that paired well with both teas. I didn't like the pate' or the onion tart, but Jay said they tasted very good and he was happy to ingest extra servings of both.

I would have traded my egg salad to you for the paté and onion thingie! And the pear with gorgonzola really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Who doesn't like champagne at 2:30 in the afternoon?

One reason I love the Grand Tea is that it includes a glass of bubbly. I don't know about the rest of you, but my typical afternoon does not include a break for tea or anything else for that matter. It is filled with the drone of printers and the endless clicking of keyboards punctuated by the ocasional sneeze or emphatic curse. It might be much more tolerable with bubbly, but the Soulless Dominions of Finance frown upon that kind of thing. I guess what I'm trying to say is that glass of champagne with afternoon tea sums up vacation for me - it's lively and exhilarating and fun-filled and maybe even a little naughty because, to quote the Grimace, "you shouldn't drink before dinner - people will think you're a lush."

Well mommy-of-mine, I'm a lush because I ordered a second glass!

Hmm, I always ordered the Grand Tea because I wanted the bubbly, too! I never did order a second glass of it, though.

Once we finished eating all of our sand-wedgies we were each given a scone and a jam tart. The scone is a light biscuit with golden raisins baked into it - I always slice mine in half and smear it with the Devonshire cream that we forgot to photograph. And then I smear jam (see that tiny little jar on the plate?) all over the cream. And then I stuff the whole artery-clogging thing into my mouth and savor the sinful flavors. The jam tart is also quite tasty smeared with cream, but on this ocassion the crust was just a bit too dry. Thank goodness for champagne.

Tart and Scone ... sounds like a bad English romance novel, doesn't it?

Oh man. This is usually my favorite part of the tea. I think Devonshire cream is so sinfully good, it should be outlawed in at least 36 states.

And now, for Lori ... I do hope she's reading because I did remember her comment about taking a picture while wearing the pope-hat tea cozy.

Yes, yes! I'm reading this! I thought to myself, "How can Brenda do the Pope hat tea cozy thing without a tea cozy?"

My initial problem - no teapot means no tea cozy - was soon rectified when I noticed a stash of cozies to my left, hidden behind a decorative pillar. However, since it wasn't actually my tea cozy and I had no way of knowing when it might be called into service, I decided to practice good hygiene by not placing said cozy directly on top of my head.

The coronation is at hand ...

I look like a human version of Crown Royal. And please, no comments about the sausage-link arms - I'm working on trimming the fat as fast as I can.

Glee! I burst out into hysterical laughter from the moment you gave me a shout out, until I got to the part of looking like a human version of Crown Royal! I had tears in my eyes by that point, because it was just so true! And I think the camera lied. Your arms are not like sausages!

When first dessert rolled around, we had to choose between the English Trifle and the Tea Pastries...no strawberries and cream? Wah!! Knowing that our special order would be coming soon, I advised Jay that the prudent choice would be the pastries. And in truth, the trifle was pretty gross the last time we tried it. We were each allowed to choose two pastries from a big, silver, triple-tiered serving dish that must have been ridiculously heavy for our server to lift up and carry over to our table.

I'm a sucker for the cream puff swans, so I picked one of those and some other sort of cakie that I think might have been a raspberry cream-filled giant petit four. Only that thing on my plate is really more of a triangle and most petit fours are squares ...

Chocolate-filled swan and mystery cake

Jason chose the chocolate eclair and a violently purple square of something we were told was a blueberry mousse cake. The eclair was as good as anyone would expect it to be - how can you go wrong with chocolate, puff pastry, and cream filling? **Note to self - revisit your comments about the Boardwalk Bakery and their eclairs.**

This cake tastes like purple

If you took the swan from your plate and the eclair from Jay's plate, you'd get the Lori dessert plate.

We both tried the blueberry thingie, but all I got out of it was intense sweetness. Hey, I can suck on a sugar cube if all I want is sweet. Where's the blueberry? Or, since we're so close to Halloween: Where's the Boo-Berry?

Jason maintains that the blueberry flavor was there all along and he thought this was the best pastry out of all four that we picked. Me ... I liked the swan the best.

I think the two cake-like things were too scary. And the purple thing? Way too scary!

And now, second dessert ... and third dessert, which together would have covered the cost of at least one more grand tea. But it was my unbirthday and I really wanted a cake and I just love ordering stuff like this from the Grand Floridian.

Miniature Cinderella's Castle Cake

Cinderella's Slipper Dessert

I've actually heard of Disney Weddings making that Cinderella cake for each wedding guest instead of a large wedding cake. I think it's such a cool idea! I always wanted to try that slipper dessert, but I never ordered one.

When I ordered the cake I was given the choice of chocolate or vanilla, and opted for vanilla all the way. So the cake itself was vanilla with a vanilla cream filling and covered with vanilla buttercream. The castle cake-topper was hollow white chocolate. It was the perfect size for two people to share and it tasted divine - a wonderful combination of light, moist cake with sweet, intense vanilla cream. If the Grand Floridian bakery staff put that much care into a miniature cake I can't wait to order a full-size one some day.

Oh man. I would have ordered the chocolate! Yum!

As for Cindy's slipper - that is a white chocolate slipper filled with vanilla mousse and dotted with four raspberry buttons. It also comes with a dark chocolate tear-drop filled with milk chocolate mousse. Eating this dessert can result in spontaneous toe-curling for hours afterwards.

That's it. Next time I eat at the GF, I'll pre-order one of those! I'm sold!

I must offer an extra "thank-you" to the staff at the Gardenview Lounge, who actually delivered the cake with a little candle in it so that I could make a birthday wish. They gave me a birthday tiara and a long-stemmed pink rose. I gave the tiara to a little girl who was waiting for the monorail while we were heading back to the Beach Club - it looked a heck of a lot better on her than it did on me! But I kept the rose because I love pink roses - they're so delicate and pretty.

Although we were replete to the point of satiety, we stopped to pose for a picture during our waddle back to the resort. Would you believe me if I told you that we still ate dinner later in the evening?

Remorseless Eating Machines

Thanks so much for reading - I hope you all enjoy this update. Our next stop will be Oodles of Spoodles!

That is so awesome. I really love that picture of you and Jason in front of Space Ship Earth while you're holding the flower. I can't believe you can eat that much and not look like...well, ME!

 

[jeminni]

Great review of the afternoon tea Brenda. Now I just need December to hurry and get here so I can try it again

Waiting patiently for your Spoodles review now.

 

[DisneyMom5]

Nice!
Though I must say, having had my dinner just before this,
and drowning myself in some upside-down peach cake as my dinner of choice,
I was WAY too full for a report of this magnitude. Ugh.

Thanks!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Afternoon tea looked so good, and your pictures were wonderful! Do they do different sandwiches for kids? My dd will be 7 next trip in Dec., and I don't see her eating any of the selections except maybe chicken salad. We got her a slipper dessert in Oct. for her "half-birthday" and I loved that chocolate mousse!

That was a really good installment!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Well, I just found an answer to my own question; I looked at the menu here on the Dis and saw that they do have a child's tea! PB&J, ham and cheese, chocolate milk and two pastries--sounds good to me, too!

 

[my3disneygirls]

Ahhhh. I'm wanting to start a tea tradition with my girls. I wanted to do the princess tea this trip with my little one and do regular tea the following trip with all three of them. Hubby doesn't want to spring the 225.00 for the princess tea. Killjoy!

 

[oybolshoi]

Tea ressies get made for us first thing every trip!!! Will have to adjust to tea caddy less tea, but I'm sure years of therapy or an extra glass of bubbly will suffice....

& I love my morning cup of sugar flavored with tea also... I'm just not a coffe person unless it has lots of liquor in it or its after a really good dinner - but then again... I like tea then too...

Glass jars of tea, huh??? I'm going to be like that cartoon character that sniffs lots and then floats back to earth

Tea is one the first ADRs I usually make, too! And be sure to ask for the tea chest ... I noticed that not everyone was being given a chance to snort tea leaves.

Perfect timing for this installment....I just started sipping my martini and I see a Brenda update . Great review Brenda, can't wait for Spoodles!

Thanks for reading - I'm sure that martini can only make the experience more enjoyable!

That is such a lovely picture of the two of you.

Thank you so much - I really like this picture, too.

Great review of the afternoon tea Brenda. Now I just need December to hurry and get here so I can try it again

Waiting patiently for your Spoodles review now.

Thanks for reading - glad you liked it! I'll see what I can do about Spoodles ... I've got a lot of responses to catch up with.

Nice!
Though I must say, having had my dinner just before this,
and drowning myself in some upside-down peach cake as my dinner of choice,
I was WAY too full for a report of this magnitude. Ugh.

Thanks!

I put a lot of effort into this one - I felt like the last couple I posted were kinda weak. You should come back and read it again when you're hungry.

BTW - I had Imos for dinner last night!

Afternoon tea looked so good, and your pictures were wonderful! Do they do different sandwiches for kids? My dd will be 7 next trip in Dec., and I don't see her eating any of the selections except maybe chicken salad. We got her a slipper dessert in Oct. for her "half-birthday" and I loved that chocolate mousse!

That was a really good installment!

Well, I just found an answer to my own question; I looked at the menu here on the Dis and saw that they do have a child's tea! PB&J, ham and cheese, chocolate milk and two pastries--sounds good to me, too!

You answered your own question before I could! I have seen parents with younger kids at the Gardenview for afternoon tea and they always seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Thanks for reading, and you know ... I can't decide which I like best - the vanilla cream mouse or the milk chocolate mousse. I think it depends on my mood!

Ahhhh. I'm wanting to start a tea tradition with my girls. I wanted to do the princess tea this trip with my little one and do regular tea the following trip with all three of them. Hubby doesn't want to spring the 225.00 for the princess tea. Killjoy!

Oh, come on ... he's gotta let you guys do the princess tea at least once ... while they're all still young enough to be allowed in. If I had a little girl I'd be all over that tea, I admit it.

Thanks for reading - glad to have you here!

 

[oybolshoi]

Well Lori, I had a great response all spaced out and perfectly typed and then my effing laptop glurped and I lost it all ...

I'm so annoyed right now .. bah! Anyhoo, thank you for your very entertaining reply to our adventures in afternoon tea - I was thinking about you when I typed it up. I wish you could have seen Jay's face when I started mucking about with that tea cozy ... he thought I was even more nuts than I usually am.

I think you used the perfect word to describe the French Press for afternoon tea - sterile. That's the impression I was trying to convey. I think they should offer guests a choice ... I know I'd opt for a teapot every time.

And you must have a slipper dessert on your next visit ... so delicious and so decadent. And while you're at it, order another glass of champagne!

Thanks for the kind words on the Epcot pic - it was actually the photopass guy's idea. He spotted the rose and told us we'd make a pretty picture. It turned out nice.

Oh goody! I was having schpilkes (Yiddush, lots of fun words there!) wondering when I'd see this review. (And lots of trip report guilt for me. heheheh)



OMG yes. I remember the heat of that day. Where did we start our day? At the hottest park to visit, Animal Kingdom. Love the park, not the heat.



We got smacked by the rain that started as we left AK and headed to the Studios. It was not the best visit.



OOH! Sounds awesome! I like having sugar rush food comas!



Yes, that's the selection I always ordered, the Grand Tea. But when I had it, it was always the Iron Horse Fairy Tale, not the Domaine Ste. Michelle. I wonder when they made the switch?



No, it doesn't.



Especially on hot days when you want a haven of a nice light, relaxed meal.



That's a good PSA for anything Disney. If you don't have confirmation numbers, you can find yourself in the Special Orders Black Hole.



Hootie McBewb? Oh that's just a riot! The tea presentation box is nice, though.



I've done English Breakfast and Darjeeling.



Sounds like something out of Pamelia's intestinal flume ride discussion during the Radiothon at the Adventurers Club.



WHAT???? That's a travesty!! I can't believe they are using those press pots instead of teapots!



No, the rant is justified! I loved the strainers and such! This new way is so....sterile.



Someone at work gave me a Tazo teabag called Passion that had hibiscus and rose hips (do roses have hips?) and other stuff to make a bright magenta tea like that. I found it too overpowering, too.



Yummy. I like the watercress sandwich a lot for some reason. I like the peppery-ness of it.



I would have traded my egg salad to you for the paté and onion thingie! And the pear with gorgonzola really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.



Hmm, I always ordered the Grand Tea because I wanted the bubbly, too! I never did order a second glass of it, though.



Oh man. This is usually my favorite part of the tea. I think Devonshire cream is so sinfully good, it should be outlawed in at least 36 states.



Yes, yes! I'm reading this! I thought to myself, "How can Brenda do the Pope hat tea cozy thing without a tea cozy?"



Glee! I burst out into hysterical laughter from the moment you gave me a shout out, until I got to the part of looking like a human version of Crown Royal! I had tears in my eyes by that point, because it was just so true! And I think the camera lied. Your arms are not like sausages!



If you took the swan from your plate and the eclair from Jay's plate, you'd get the Lori dessert plate.



I think the two cake-like things were too scary. And the purple thing? Way too scary!



I've actually heard of Disney Weddings making that Cinderella cake for each wedding guest instead of a large wedding cake. I think it's such a cool idea! I always wanted to try that slipper dessert, but I never ordered one.



Oh man. I would have ordered the chocolate! Yum!



That's it. Next time I eat at the GF, I'll pre-order one of those! I'm sold!



That is so awesome. I really love that picture of you and Jason in front of Space Ship Earth while you're holding the flower. I can't believe you can eat that much and not look like...well, ME!

 

[oybolshoi]

Amarillo - just makes me smile

Yes ... it feels good when I say it and it makes me think of amaretto!

Brenda, I love that you love Buncombe! We lived in Buncombe County, NC for years!

And yes, just getting to this page, and then posting, was a VERY constipated process!

Excellent! And have you noticed how much speedier the boards have been since yesterday? Thank you great and glorious server gods!

The boards have been extremely slow this week - Glad to know it's not just me!

Some of my favorite words are:

Discombobulated
Dilapidated
Inebriated
Soporific
Vernacular
Wonky

And then, there is one which I have never actually used in conversation, but it's such a wonderful word, I will share anyway. Sesquipedalian - having many syllables. Isn't that ironic?

Great list, Sunny! And you included Wonky - I love the word wonky!!

Brenda....

Todd Rundgren has always been one of my all time favorite singers...

Someone did a Kingdom Hearts video to one of his songs...

I think you'll recognize the title...

This is for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7cgAurE2Bk

Excellent! Thanks for the link.

Favorite word?

Bamboozled!!

Nice choice, Mother Goose!

I teach high school students. I used discombobulated this week and you'd think I'd grown a second head. The kids WOULD NOT believe it was a real word, was sure I had made it up. I didn't steal it from Brenda, but may try soporific next week. Not part of my usual vocabulary! Can't even pronounce sesquipedialian. Well, I guess I probably can, but choose not to use it.
Love Brenda's command of the English language. Keep it coming.
(Soon, please).

Deb

Hi Deb! Discombobulated is a great word - thanks for reminding me of it! And there's no such thing as stealing words ... none of us own the language (do we ... because if we do we've been missing out on some copyright royalties ... ). Thanks for the kind words and thanks for coming back to read!

This is just SO WRONG!
You are going to drive Brenda off of these boards, English Gent!

I agree! Not only Brenda but the rest of us as well. Gross.

I'm sorry if AFEG's post bothered anyone - he and I have a playful sort of relationship so it didn't really disturb me much (grossed me out, yes). It actually reminded me of that Simpson's episode where Homer decided to gain enough weight to be considered eligible for disability. At one point during the episode Mr. Burns asks, "Who is that gastropod, Smithers?"

That waitress definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning! It's not as if the money was coming out of her pocket by throwing ithem out and making you new ones It sounds like there are enough great restaurants in Vegas to keep you both happy but I'm a little sad that you're straying from our beloved WDW Don't like it so much that it becomes your new favorite vacation destination

Well, we definitely won't be headed back to the Galley any time soon. Maybe the entire wait staff can refine their coffee making skills in our absence.

Vegas will never become our favorite destination ... we like it but it doesn't compare with WDW.

Well, my poor six year old who was standing next to me when I was reading this thread sure didn't appreciate it either.

Again, my apologies. I know that AFEG would never have posted that if he thought it would upset anyone.

Thanks for the reviews! I can't wait to read more soon!

Thanks for reading - glad you're enjoying them!

 

[disgrits]

T 4 2............

another great one Bendy.....

 

[Tink rules]

Yeah... I'm seriously tired... it took me a minute to translate that one...

Time to go to bed Michelle.....

 

[shovan]

Thursday, October 18th - Tea/Tee Caddie/Caddy Cozie/Cozy ... Get Out Your Thesarus, Strainers and Loose Leaf, There's a Doings Transpiring at the Gardenview Lounge!

Pointless interruption: More words I really like: Dirigible; Lickspittle, Supercilious; Wonky...thanks for reminding me, Sunny; Unctuous thanks to those pretentious WI cheesemakers; Banality; Logy. End pointless interruption...

All of this bounty is accompanied by a choice of tea and a lovely glass of Domaine Ste. Michelle champagne. Does mid-afternoon life at Walt Disney World get any better than this?

I think not.

Brenda's Chamomile tea in a ... French Press???

Whaaaaaaaat? Where is my fat little Victorian teapot? I can't dazzle Jay with my rendition of I'm a Little Teapot without it. I'm a Little French Press just doesn't scan - you English majors and poetry lovers know of what I speak.

I was disappointed, I admit it. There's no romance in pouring hot tea from a French Press; aesthetically speaking it leaves me cold and detracts from the overall ambience of the tea table. And it eliminates the need for those burgundy velvet tea cozies with the gold tassels of which I am so fond. I asked our waitress about it and was told that a decision had been made to serve most teas in the French Press because it cut down on the amount of tea leaf floaties that ended up in guests tea cups. And I did find that she was correct - pouring the tea from the press through the tea strainer into my cup did result in fewer floaties than in years past, but I never really minded the floaties in the first place. I guess I'm just a traditionalist when it comes to afternoon tea, but I want a teapot. It seems more authentic and feels more romantic - what would the 7th Duchess of Bedford say if she knew that "traditional English afternoon tea" was being served without a sturdy China teapot???

Enough about that.

Jason chose Jamaican Spice for his tea selection, which is described as: A zesty herbal infusion with red liquor and a bouquet of flavors, tartness of hibiscus and sweetness of cinnamon for a sweet, tangy, and spicy finish.

Hey Mon, it's zest-tea!

I like my hot tea sweet and milky, by the way. Jason sometimes will drop a sugar cube into his tea, but that's about it. This next picture sums up my tea drinking perfectly. Does anyone here remember that old Bugs Bunny cartoon where Pete Puma keeps trying to corner Bugs and eat him for dinner? There's a running gag about Bugs asking Pete how many lumps of sugar he wants in his coffee or tea and Pete always says "Oh, three or four," only to get bashed over the head by Bugs with a mallet. At the end of the cartoon Pete says this:

You better give me a whole lotta lumps...

And then he proceeds to bash himself over the head with the mallet while Bugs watches him. Have I just dated myself by bringing up a Bugs Bunny cartoon that was originally filmed in 1952? When I was a wee lass Bugs was one of the only decent cartoons on TV in the mornings before I left for school. And it wasn't until I watched those same cartoons as an "adult" that I caught a lot of the humor. So subversive ... so pun-ey ... so downright silly ...

Ahem.


Who doesn't like champagne at 2:30 in the afternoon?

One reason I love the Grand Tea is that it includes a glass of bubbly. I don't know about the rest of you, but my typical afternoon does not include a break for tea or anything else for that matter. It is filled with the drone of printers and the endless clicking of keyboards punctuated by the ocasional sneeze or emphatic curse. It might be much more tolerable with bubbly, but the Soulless Dominions of Finance frown upon that kind of thing. I guess what I'm trying to say is that glass of champagne with afternoon tea sums up vacation for me - it's lively and exhilarating and fun-filled and maybe even a little naughty because, to quote the Grimace, "you shouldn't drink before dinner - people will think you're a lush."

Well mommy-of-mine, I'm a lush because I ordered a second glass!

Once we finished eating all of our sand-wedgies we were each given a scone and a jam tart. The scone is a light biscuit with golden raisins baked into it - I always slice mine in half and smear it with the Devonshire cream that we forgot to photograph. And then I smear jam (see that tiny little jar on the plate?) all over the cream. And then I stuff the whole artery-clogging thing into my mouth and savor the sinful flavors. The jam tart is also quite tasty smeared with cream, but on this ocassion the crust was just a bit too dry. Thank goodness for champagne.

Tart and Scone ... sounds like a bad English romance novel, doesn't it?

Well Maaamm! This was definitely worth waiting for!!!

Bob & I were literally laughing our butts off reading about your tea! ( ahh, don't we just wish we could actually laugh them off..)

Champagne before dinner??! You are such a lush!

And you have surely dated yourself, since us old farts didn't even need the details of the sugar lump bugs story to crack up over it!

And hey Mon, I gotta have some of that zest-tea!!

Thanks for making our evening! ( I know that's really sad isn't it, as I said before we're old! )

Have to agree about the french press though! This Duchess doesn't even approve of tea in a FRENCH pot!!

 

[Tink rules]

FAIRTHEWELL....

(THAT COULD BE 3 WORDS, HOWEVER...)

My mom has been using that word since before I was born and she STILL doesn't know what it means!!!

& if I make it down to Tea in March (it's booked, I just have to fit the trip in...) I will see if I can remember to request the tea pot just to see if I can get it....

(surprised they haven't sold them on Mousesurplus yet...)