Is there Gluten in Whiskey? Sept trip: 9 days, 3 boys, 1 urgent care visit NEWx2 11/7

[okw19]

Your review made me so hungry! I want steak for dinner!
If someone would have said something to me, I would have said something like what Jennifer mentioned above. "Yeah, something like that!" Obviously that woman doesn't DIS so she probably wouldn't have liked a full explanation.

 

[kokotg]

Oh, Le Cellier...sigh.... Alas, I think we're never meant to be together.

Food looks pretty yummy! Sorry your neighbor made you feel awkward. I probably would have just said, "Yeah, something like that," and kept on flashin'!

Your review made me so hungry! I want steak for dinner!
If someone would have said something to me, I would have said something like what Jennifer mentioned above. "Yeah, something like that!" Obviously that woman doesn't DIS so she probably wouldn't have liked a full explanation.

I'm going to have to get braver before next year! Maybe I should take pictures of my food all year, everywhere we go, so that it won't feel weird to me anymore by then

 

[kokotg]

Chapter 16: Sunday wrap-up

When we left Le Cellier, Illuminations was just starting. Dave wanted to stop and watch, but I thought this was a bad idea because 1. Ari was just getting over being sick and 2. we were supposed to be at Animal Kingdom at 8 the next morning for EMH. We were planning to come back on Thursday, and I assured him we could watch it then.

NEW things for Sunday:

1. Florida urgent care visit
2. Eating at Le Cellier
3. trying the pork chop at Sunshine Seasons
4. “making” paper at Innoventions
5. watching The Circle of Life
6. Club Cool

So many new things!

 

[gallmcduck]

I'm a bit late in coming over now I am going back to catch up

 

[kokotg]

I'm a bit late in coming over now I am going back to catch up

 

[kokotg]

Chapter 17: Monday 9/18 part 1: Animal Kingdom

My notes for this day begin: “No one wanted to get up for EMH, but I made them.” Yep. Really, given the crowds we'd encountered thus far, it probably would have been fine to get there late, but I wasn't about to go to Animal Kingdom on an EMH day and NOT go to the EMH. That's for amateurs! And we had no park hoppers, you understand. We might make rookie mistakes with pressed pennies, but not with park hours.

The traffic light was out at the Pop Century exit, and there was a sad bus stranded there trying in vain to take a left. I hope it made it out eventually.

We made it to Animal Kingdom two minutes before rope drop—success!

We went right to the safari. This is the first time we'd ever gone straight to the safari at rope drop, and I was determined to see if all this hype about seeing the most animals early in the morning was true. There was a mob of people going into the safari line with us, and I was very impressed with how fast they can get everyone on a truck. We didn't wait at all.

We did see lots of animals!

You're not going to get a better view of the lions than this no matter HOW early you get up, though.

Next over to Everest, because the kids can't stay away from their beloved Everest for long when at Animal Kingdom:

Everest was a walk-on (I've only ever walked through the Everest non-fastpass line slowly enough to actually look at stuff once, and it was last year). I think we picked up fastpasses for it at this point, too.

Next we headed back over to Dinoland, where Ari revealed that he was feeling terribly hungry. He also wasn't particularly interested in riding Primeval Whirl again (perhaps some PTSD from Saturday's stomach episode), and Dave is never really interested in Primeval Whirl (he does not so much like spinny rides), so Dave and Ari set off in search of food while Milo, Gus, and I rode PW.

When we got off and found Dave and Ari, they reported that it's darn near impossible to eat in Animal Kingdom, or at least this part of Animal Kingdom, so early. We finally went over to the little store across from Triceratop Spin and used snack credits to get some chips.

We sat at a picnic table outside and noticed:

Huh? What's the Cretaceous Trail? Is there another exciting trail at Animal Kingdom with exotic animals, one that we'd somehow never seen or heard about before? No. It turns out the Cretaceous Trail features plants and animals that have “remained virtually unchanged since the late Cretaceous.” This might sound really exciting, but in practice it means lots of ferns. And a big dinosaur statue. But we had to walk down it to find this out.

See that squirrel way up there? He's been hanging out there since the late Cretaceous!

It comes out near the Dinosaur exit.

Dave and I are fuzzy on what happened next, but I think I took Milo and Ari on Dinosaur while he took Gus on Primeval Whirl. Anyway, people rode stuff.

And then back to Everest! Because we love Everest!

Then we figured we had just enough time before the next Flights of Wonder show (Ari and Dave hadn't seen it yet, remember) to walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

Last year, there this was guy working in the bat house—we think his name was Louis—who we've been talking about all year. He would give this talk about bats, in a droning voice, all about what bats eat and all that sort of thing. And then he would stop. And then as soon as someone new walked in, he would start all over again in that nasal monotone. Dave does a great impression of Louis the Bat Guy. Okay, so you sort of had to be there. But we were really, really hoping that we would see him again so that we could record his bat talk with my iphone and then post it here so it would be like you WERE there. Alas, no such luck. Some completely personable, interactive CM was there this time, answering questions about bats.

There was some batfighting going on while we were there, and I heard one CM explain to another one that that would be happening a lot because it was bat mating season. So that was kind of exciting. But it was no Louis the Bat Guy.

"These bats do not eat blood. They are fruit bats."

Dave is really scared of tigers (not me; tigers don't scare me at all—I could take half a dozen of them with one hand tied behind my back), so the Maharajah Jungle Trek is a little challenging for him.

OMG! Tigers! But Dave is terrified of tigers! Maybe we should just turn around now...

Tigers?! Where?! (Gus is the only one who would cooperate with my funny picture taking idea here. I knew that drama class he's taking would pay off!)

Oh no! They must be close!

Phew! That tiger's not scary--he's ASLEEP! And he's behind thick glass.

(I did this whole hilarious tiger captions thing in my pictures last year, but I didn't do a trip report, so hardly anyone got to see them).

Also! While we were on the Jungle Trek, the kids did their very first pin trading! Well, Gus did, at least:

We had to rush through the last part of the Jungle Trek to get to Flights of Wonder in time. By the time we got there, the show was just starting. There were still some seats off to the sides near the front, but we decided to try out the still nearly empty bleacher section in back instead.

Wow! This is the place to sit in Flights of Wonder! Especially if you have kids or are short (raises hand). I wish I could track down The Most Important People In the World and tell them the secret that they don't need to resort to the kind of shenanigans that get them called out in strangers' trip reports to be able to see the show. We had a great view! And when they brought some of the birds out into the audience, they were right there next to us. The only disadvantage to the bleacher seats might be if you're trying to get picked as one of the volunteers, but our kids are too shy for that anyway.

Look at all those suckers up in the front, while we look right over their heads like royalty!

So close! We could've touched that bird!

Okay, so we love Flights of Wonder, and we've seen it a million times, and it's the exact same thing every time (except this year there's a new Angry Birds joke)...but this time some off-script hilarity ensued. You know the part where the rats are supposed to run across the little wall while the people on stage talk about the rat problem they used to have? Well, the rats weren't cooperating on this day and, apparently, refused to run across like they were supposed to. So Guano Joe and the bird lady engaged in some very funny banter, which was probably the funniest to those of us who had seen the show a million times and knew exactly what was supposed to be happening. “That rat problem lasted a LONG time,” ad libbed Guano Joe, “it seemed to go on FOREVER.” And then, finally, “I'm not even going to talk about this anymore!” Then he turned around to where the rats were supposed to be and yelled, “you just lost your union card!” I love Guano Joe. I want to be his friend.

And after this...lunch! Which I'll get to next.

 

[shan23877]

Great update! I several times! Good dramatic photo, and I especially enjoyed the photo captions. That's one hearty squirrel!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the review of Le Cellier - it's a shame about the woman being concerned over your photography.

Wow you got a lot done at AK! Great safari pics and we loved Flights of Wonder.

 

[BerrysGirl]

I've sat in those seats before too! They really are the best seats in the house

 

[Mombits]

subbing!

 

[fromscratchmom]

First up—drinks! I ordered a Merlot, and then Dave tried to order a sampler of three different types of whiskey. Our waitress paused. “I think whiskey has gluten in it,” she said. This was when she told us about her friend with celiac, who, apparently, has been saddened by having to forgo whiskey herself. Dave is a big beer connoisseur (he even brews his own beer), so that's been a tough adjustment for him, but he doesn't regularly drink whiskey at home...he just thought it sounded good when he saw it on the menu. What I'm getting at is that this isn't something we'd ever had reason to look into before. “I thought whiskey was made with corn,” Dave said. She offered to go check with someone in the back and report back with her findings.

A few minutes later, she came back, telling us that half the kitchen had been hard at work searching the internet to find out whether Dave could have his whiskey and that, sadly, he couldn't. “They're all blends,” she explained. Of different kinds of grains. So no whiskey for Dave. He ordered a merlot, to match mine, but he was kind of bummed about it.

Well, I'll tell you the one thing I KNOW about whiskey and gluten which is that after I went gluten free, and after I did the research and decided I might be fine to have whiskey since it is distilled ... I had a single serving of the one whiskey I have an interest in consuming once in a blue moon, Tullamore Dew. and I had a very unpleasant reaction. I did a little more research this time about my specific brand rather than about distilled spirits in general and I found out that it "may contain trace amounts of gluten". If I remember right it said that the trace gluten comes from the barrels its aged in. Go figure. I drink so rarely that it hardly matters, but I was pretty bummed at first, given its the one 'strong drink' that I've even had wanted a sip of in the last 10 years.

Maybe at some point I'll do some more specific research and pick a specific brand of cognac I can try, or maybe some other liquor. who knows. I just don't really drink hardly ever, especially right now while I've been focusing so hard on losing weight and getting healthier.

 

[kokotg]

Great update! I several times! Good dramatic photo, and I especially enjoyed the photo captions. That's one hearty squirrel!

thanks! Day 4; I'm think I'm hitting my stride with this trip report thing

Love the review of Le Cellier - it's a shame about the woman being concerned over your photography.

Wow you got a lot done at AK! Great safari pics and we loved Flights of Wonder.

It's almost embarrassing how much we love Flights of Wonder. I realized this is the second year in a row we've watched it twice in one trip!

I've sat in those seats before too! They really are the best seats in the house

We should probably try to keep it quiet, lest word get out . We'll go there next time and everyone will be cramming into the awesome bleacher seats while the front is totally empty

 

[kokotg]

subbing!

Well, I'll tell you the one thing I KNOW about whiskey and gluten which is that after I went gluten free, and after I did the research and decided I might be fine to have whiskey since it is distilled ... I had a single serving of the one whiskey I have an interest in consuming once in a blue moon, Tullamore Dew. and I had a very unpleasant reaction. I did a little more research this time about my specific brand rather than about distilled spirits in general and I found out that it "may contain trace amounts of gluten". If I remember right it said that the trace gluten comes from the barrels its aged in. Go figure. I drink so rarely that it hardly matters, but I was pretty bummed at first, given its the one 'strong drink' that I've even had wanted a sip of in the last 10 years.

Maybe at some point I'll do some more specific research and pick a specific brand of cognac I can try, or maybe some other liquor. who knows. I just don't really drink hardly ever, especially right now while I've been focusing so hard on losing weight and getting healthier.

Oh no! Well, there you go, then--I guess it's good they tell people it's not safe at Le Cellier.

 

[kokotg]

Chapter 18: Flame Tree Barbecue

Now it was time for lunch. Well, it was really early for lunch, but we'd been trying to eat really early, before the rush, to minimize the wait for special chicken tenders and such. My gluten free Disney app didn't even list the Yak and Yeti counter service place, but we decided to stop there and see what they could do anyway. The manager came out to talk to us right away, and told us the kids could have burgers with gluten free buns, and the adults could have Mandarin chicken salads. So not a lot of choice there. I am not so much a salad eater, and Ari is not a burger eater (or a salad eater unless it's a very specific salad involving romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, an Italian vinaigrette dressing, and nothing else). Ari has a...complicated ethical system that means he'll eat only humanely raised beef and pork and eggs, but he allows himself to violate his rule occasionally on vacation. But not all the time and only for things that look really yummy . So...he ate a lot of chicken on this trip and got pretty tired of it.

Our next choice was Flame Tree Barbecue. We'd never eaten here before. I think I've always been put off by the outside seating, but I have to say that the shady, covered pavilion stayed very comfortable while we ate, and it was certainly not a cool day. Ari was tired of chicken and suspicious of roasted chicken after getting sick so soon after Wolfgang Puck, so he wanted nothing to do with the chicken here. My app told me there was Amy's macaroni and cheese here, but the manager told us that there was not. We wound up ordering a fruit plate and a side of fries for Ari, the chicken leg meals for Milo and Gus, and the smoked half chicken meal for me. We susbstituted fries for the cole slaw for my meal, because I don't like cole slaw (I don't think they'll always do that. We were willing to pay extra for them, but she subbed for us). Dave got a pulled pork sandwich on a gluten-free bun and cole slaw. Looking over the menu, it seems like this is supposed to come with beans instead of cole slaw. Dave likes beans just fine, so I'm guessing the beans aren't gluten-free.

We waited the standard 30 minutes for the food. While waiting, we watched the ducks who hang out begging for food, and Ari spent some time on his strange mission to break into the Disney wifi. He likes to find networks and then try to guess the password. Shockingly, this is rarely successful. He's probably about the right age for Matthew Broderick's ode to teen geekdom, War Games, about now, though. Must put that on the movie night list. Speaking of passwords. A cautionary tale about breaking into computer systems. And nuclear war.

Then the food arrived!

There was a lot of food! Dave wished he had split my chicken with me instead of ordering his sandwich. Everyone seemed to like the food well enough. Milo and Gus each got 2 chicken drumsticks, so there was more than enough food there, too. The kids' meals came with the standard two sides or one side, one dessert, so we had grapes and carrots and Enjoy Life cookies between them. Ari had no complaints about his fruit platter and fries, though I was a little sad he wasn't getting any protein (the fruit platter came with yogurt, but he doesn't eat yogurt). The flavor on the chicken was good...nothing remarkable—a dry rub sort of barbecue rather than saucy. Dave wound up eating a lot of it, too, if I remember right.

All in all, a pretty decent meal and experience.

 

[shan23877]

Lol at Ari trying to hack into the networks. I bet he'd LOVE War Games That's still one of my husband's favorites

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm glad you managed to find somewhere to eat your lunch and it sure looks like you got a lot of food! We never ate here as there was not much we would be able to order.

Lol at Ari trying to hack into the computer networks!

 

[kokotg]

Lol at Ari trying to hack into the networks. I bet he'd LOVE War Games That's still one of my husband's favorites

I watched it so many times when I was a kid, but I haven't seen it in years now. I'm curious to see how it's aged...

I'm glad you managed to find somewhere to eat your lunch and it sure looks like you got a lot of food! We never ate here as there was not much we would be able to order.

Lol at Ari trying to hack into the computer networks!

It was a recurring thing on this trip that Dave would wish after we ordered food that we'd shared meals and saved credits. It's hard to figure out, since the kids are different ages and eat different amounts for every trip!

 

[nadira36]

Oh how I miss Flame tree BBQ! We had awesome food there last time - Ryan also got the half chicken - I had this chicken salad that was so incredibly filling and so good : ) only 55 days until we're in AK.

I didn't even realize Y&Y had a counter service - we did table service there - and other than someone getting glutened (soy sauce on the table was very tempting for a little girl to grab and guzzle:s) the food was perfect.

Ryan always gets flights of scotch while in Disney. There might be some risk of gluten added in some, but wine is actually more of a risk. THough I suppose it might depend on where it comes from.

IT's funny in all my years going to Disney I've also never been to Flights of Wonder. Timings always been off for it, maybe this trip we'll go.

 

[HilJoy14]

You pictures of food are making me so hungry! (Doesn't help that it's 5:20.) I'd have just said "yup" or something to the lady asking if you were a food blogger. Or just say you want to scrapbook the pics. Everyone may not do it, but it's not really weird or anything.

Glad everyone's feeling better and able to get back on track! I'm enjoying your report so far!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Now I'm kicking myself that we didn't go to Flame Tree! And also that I'm not having Barbecue right this second. Mmmm.

I found it really amusing just how deceiving the Enjoy Life packaging was. It made it seem like those cookies were going to be of normal size, when they were really the size of half dollars!! Bite sized, for sure. But then again, I have a big mouth...does that shock you?