TS meals for my brother

[librarygeek]

Here's the background: my husband and I are planning a trip to Disney world with my parents. We weren't sure if my brother would want to come, but he does, so he'll most likely be joining us. Our trip isn't until 2013 so we have plenty of time to plan! However, my brother, at the age of 21, is one of the pickiest eaters I've ever met. He will basically eat bread products and enjoys cheese on them. He likes pizza, waffles, pancakes, bread, mozzarella sticks, french fries, anything like that. He doesn't eat much else though (no meat, doesn't eat vegetables, very few fruits, no pasta, rice, fish, nothing like that). He also loves sweets and desserts. And beer. Yeah, not really the healthiest eater.

So here's my question: what TS places serve food that he might like? (Basically, pizza or anything like it). I know Via Napoli is good for pizza. Does Tutto Italia have any? Other TS places? Places that have good beer so that he could just have a snack and beer at dinner and grab something for himself at a CS later? Typically when we go out somewhere he will order pizza if they have it, and if not he'll just get french fries and mozzarella sticks.

DH, my parents, and I want to try a lot of TS places. We've also discussed the possibility of the 4 of us eating dinner somewhere while my brother just grabs a CS meal and does some rides or something on his own. He seems okay with that as well.

 

[chartle]

You should check out the menus here.

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

My 21 year old son is the same way but will also eat pepperoni pizza, chicken fingers and plain burghers with cheese and raw onions, maybe even bacon.

At some places they also have flat breads just tell him its pizza.

 

[catne]

just an FYI: if he's a picky eater, he may not care for the pizza at Via Napoli. It tastes nothing like your typical American pizza, and it's "short on cheese" if you're used to the quantities that Pizza Hut or Godfather's would use. Would not recommend Via Napoli pizza to a "picky eater" though we love it, ourselves.

My recollection...very few restaurants have pizza on the menu, other than specifically like Via Napoli. Perhaps ESPN might (being basically a sports-bar menu) There are some that have flat-bread type appetizers on the menu...but again, if he's picky, flatbread is not the same as pizza. Would he eat it?

Many of the restaurants do not have french fries...some sort of mashed potatoes are usually on the menu (like garlic mashed) But they're not making them from scratch so they don't typically have fries unless there are burgers on the menu.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I'm guessing the buffets would be the best bet, but DO check out the menus.

Many but not all buffets have pizza. Almost all have mac&cheese, bread, etc. HOWEVER, few if any have french fries! He drinks soft drinks right?

I don't recall if you can get a beer at the buffets. I know that soft drinks are included in the price. I'm not a beer drinkere so I never thought to ask.

You may want to do more of your TS at breakfast so that you can get waffles, pancakes, etc.

 

[si-am]

At 21, I wouldn't cater to him. He can suck it up or do the alternative (eat on his own, ride stuff) like you suggested. Throwing in a couple of "easy" meals would be nice but no need to skip where you really want to eat!

 

[librarygeek]

You should check out the menus here.

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

My 21 year old son is the same way but will also eat pepperoni pizza, chicken fingers and plain burghers with cheese and raw onions, maybe even bacon.

At some places they also have flat breads just tell him its pizza.

Thank you for the link!

just an FYI: if he's a picky eater, he may not care for the pizza at Via Napoli. It tastes nothing like your typical American pizza, and it's "short on cheese" if you're used to the quantities that Pizza Hut or Godfather's would use. Would not recommend Via Napoli pizza to a "picky eater" though we love it, ourselves.

My recollection...very few restaurants have pizza on the menu, other than specifically like Via Napoli. Perhaps ESPN might (being basically a sports-bar menu) There are some that have flat-bread type appetizers on the menu...but again, if he's picky, flatbread is not the same as pizza. Would he eat it?

Many of the restaurants do not have french fries...some sort of mashed potatoes are usually on the menu (like garlic mashed) But they're not making them from scratch so they don't typically have fries unless there are burgers on the menu.

Definitely good to know about the pizza at Via Napoli, as he probably would not like that. I never thought about the french fries either as usually with him we just go to a place like Applebee's, but you're right in that they probably don't have them a lot of places. They have bread baskets in a lot of places so he'll always have something to eat ESPN might be a good option too as he's a huge sports fan.

I'm guessing the buffets would be the best bet, but DO check out the menus.

Many but not all buffets have pizza. Almost all have mac&cheese, bread, etc. HOWEVER, few if any have french fries! He drinks soft drinks right?

I don't recall if you can get a beer at the buffets. I know that soft drinks are included in the price. I'm not a beer drinkere so I never thought to ask.

You may want to do more of your TS at breakfast so that you can get waffles, pancakes, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions! TS for breakfast will definitely be happening a few times as my dad is a huge breakfast lover. I know they will both be very happy at the breakfast buffets

At 21, I wouldn't cater to him. He can suck it up or do the alternative (eat on his own, ride stuff) like you suggested. Throwing in a couple of "easy" meals would be nice but no need to skip where you really want to eat!

Yeah, that's why I'm hoping the CS thing will work out. He can be a huge baby sometimes so I figured if there were a few TS meals we could include him in it would be good.

We also will have a kitchen where we are staying (timeshare off property), so we can always get some frozen pizzas or something for him to eat when we get back from the parks. As long as he finds a way to occupy his time while the rest of us are eating

 

[librarygeek]

Two more questions:

Will they allow him to order off the children's menu if there's something on that he would eat? And if he just orders a drink a few places and no food will that be okay? I realize that obviously you can't do that at the buffets and stuff. But he will seriously wolf down some bread and even though the rest of us will be ordering full meals I don't want them to get annoyed that he's only there for the free bread

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, you just made me really appreciate my picky little (30yo) brother!

I'm not catering to my brother at all. Disney is good about accommodating requests within reason and I expect that as an adult he'll be able to find something he likes on every menu. Disney's menus aren't exotic cuisine after all. But he's not quite as picky as yours - I expect my brother will be eating a lot of steak with the sauces on the side during our trip.

As far as where to find items your brother would like... Liberty Tree Tavern has a fried cheese appetizer (mozzarella sticks and cheddar bites) that is enough to make a light meal out of. California Grill and Jiko both have wonderful flatbreads, but if he's that picky he probably won't view them as a good substitute for pizza. Mama Melrose serves flatbreads but I've never eaten there so I can't offer a review. Also, Via Napoli might not be the best choice for pizza because it isn't typical American pizza, it is Italian style, light on the cheese and cooked over an open fire which makes the crust very different.

Personally if I were traveling with someone that picky I'd include him in any buffets and/or breakfasts I was planning but not necessarily in every dinner reservation. It sounds like his preferences are limited enough that at many restaurants there's nothing acceptable on the menu, so for those meals it would make more sense to split up so that everyone can have something they enjoy.

 

[no capes darling]

At 21, I wouldn't cater to him. He can suck it up or do the alternative (eat on his own, ride stuff) like you suggested. Throwing in a couple of "easy" meals would be nice but no need to skip where you really want to eat!

I agree with this. It would also apply to one 1/7 of his age in our family. In that case, they'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I agree with this. It would also apply to one 1/7 of his age in our family. In that case, they'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

I was picky growing up. Either that, or I really didn't belong in my family. LOL Unlike your brother...I do like meat.

Either way, I went years eating an ear of corn and cornbread for supper while the rest of the family had beans and taters, turnip greens, okra, squash, and tea. Thanksgiving was an improvement as I got a piece of ham, dressing, and corn.

Fast forward 25 years...I secretly get a little steamed when I see the Mac&Cheese on the table at Thanksgiving for my darling niece and nephews.

Believe it or not, your brother will probably broaden his habits over time, but don't expect him to ever be a real adventerous eater.

 

[librarygeek]

Wow, you just made me really appreciate my picky little (30yo) brother!

I'm not catering to my brother at all. Disney is good about accommodating requests within reason and I expect that as an adult he'll be able to find something he likes on every menu. Disney's menus aren't exotic cuisine after all. But he's not quite as picky as yours - I expect my brother will be eating a lot of steak with the sauces on the side during our trip.

As far as where to find items your brother would like... Liberty Tree Tavern has a fried cheese appetizer (mozzarella sticks and cheddar bites) that is enough to make a light meal out of. California Grill and Jiko both have wonderful flatbreads, but if he's that picky he probably won't view them as a good substitute for pizza. Mama Melrose serves flatbreads but I've never eaten there so I can't offer a review. Also, Via Napoli might not be the best choice for pizza because it isn't typical American pizza, it is Italian style, light on the cheese and cooked over an open fire which makes the crust very different.

Personally if I were traveling with someone that picky I'd include him in any buffets and/or breakfasts I was planning but not necessarily in every dinner reservation. It sounds like his preferences are limited enough that at many restaurants there's nothing acceptable on the menu, so for those meals it would make more sense to split up so that everyone can have something they enjoy.

Thanks for the insights! He might be okay with some of the flatbreads, I think if I find pictures of the food in reviews he'd be able to judge whether or not he'd eat it. Believe it or not, he's actually gotten a bit better in the past few years with what he eats! He used to not eat anything with cheese (except for pizza, go figure), so mozzarella sticks were a big improvement. Until he was about 12 he would only eat pizza from one specific place but now he's better and will eat most pizzas.

I was picky growing up. Either that, or I really didn't belong in my family. LOL Unlike your brother...I do like meat.

Either way, I went years eating an ear of corn and cornbread for supper while the rest of the family had beans and taters, turnip greens, okra, squash, and tea. Thanksgiving was an improvement as I got a piece of ham, dressing, and corn.

Fast forward 25 years...I secretly get a little steamed when I see the Mac&Cheese on the table at Thanksgiving for my darling niece and nephews.

Believe it or not, your brother will probably broaden his habits over time, but don't expect him to ever be a real adventerous eater.

It's funny, the doctors always told my mom that it was "just a phase" and he'd grow out of it and start eating normally. I'm sure that's true for most people, I know I was pretty picky as a kid (though I was never viewed as picky in my family because my brother was so much worse!). At the age of 21 you'd expect him to have gotten a bit better but there hasn't been much improvement.

This is slightly off topic but there are some scientific studies that have been done recently that actually recognize this as a type of eating disorder. http://www.livescience.com/10301-adult-picky-eaters-recognized-disorder.html I can only hope he gets a bit better about his eating habits, but we shall see! We still have about a year and a half left until our Disney trip after all

 

[rndmr2]

My nephew is like this (he is 14) and almost the only thing he eats is pizza. He will eat almost any kind of bread, but I think Pizza is one of the only things I have ever seen him eat besides rolls, bread, croissants, etc. My Brother and his family have been to the World mulitple times, they used to do the dining plan but no more, he says "I refuse to pay $45/day for him to eat pizza." Frequently the kids menu has pizza but they would sometimes do what you have said and after dinner they would stop at a CS place for him to get pizza.