The 2014 Zonta International Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida USA - The home of Mrs. Banks at Walt Disney World. Marriott World Center, June 27 - July 1, 2014. Aussie Zontians will be at Walt Disney World June 20 - June 26.
After posting a non-TR post and scoring only 1 hit for the day, that was evidence enough that you sick people come here only for the food porn.
As I am now an attention hound (think more pudgy bulldog than whippet) I shall quickly resort to playing my ace card - Platnium Plan dining - in a desperate attempt to woo you all back.
After checking in at Disney's Polynesian Resort at 7am, it was still breakfast time and I went upstairs to the Kona Cafe. And I am thankful I made the booking for there - look at the crowd of people waiting to get into the other breakfast restaurant 'Ohana.
7:45 am! Look at them all - swarming like ants, waiting for a table. Why is it so?
The breakfast at Kona Cafe is an a la carte cafe menu that contains vast amounts of sugary, sticky, fruity, gooey, ribsticking pleasure. You try and choose one dish off this menu.
I can hear the almost universal cry: Tonga Toast!
of course, as this was my first visit, I had TT.
I have no idea if any component of this recipe has anything to do with Tonga
Ok - so I eschewed the side of either ham, sausage or the bacon thingy that shall not be named and they let me substitute with a fruit cup. Also the meal came with a jug of strawberry soup ( and I also got some maple syrup) to pour over.
I really enjoyed this. Esp. with the fresh strawberry sauceyness. It was fruity and sweet and moist all at the same time. My improvements would be to add vanilla extract to the french toast batter in which it is soaked. I love vanilla and really wanted to add that flavour dimension to this dish. And probably like everyone - would increase the banana: bread ratio.
In usual Mrs Banks style, that's a pot Twinings English Breakfast tea in the background. After 4 tea-less days it was highly desirable.
I recommend this restaurant for anyone who is NOT on a gluten free/sugar free diet (they will accommodate all dietary needs - but honestly this place shines in its sugary glow), wanting dishes away from the standard buffet fare, and something more adult and innovative ( and way less crowded and noisy than 'Ohana).
You can find several reviews and lots of photos of the cafe and other dishes at one of my favourite blogs: The Disney Food Blog
Extreme yumminess factor
Extreme stodginess potential - but picking one dish off a menu limited the all out pig out
This week Abigail E Disney, (grandaughter of Roy O. Disney - brother of Walt) came to Australia and showcased her work as a philanthropist, filmmaker and Co-President of the Daphne Foundation.
Abigail has used her position and her profession of filmaking to advance social conditions, and highlighted is her multi-award winning documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about the role of women in securing peace during the war in Liberia. This documentary includes Leymah Gbowee who is winner of a joint 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for "... non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".
Whilst this trip had a rather large gastronomic focus, there was the odd ocassion when I was reliant on whatever was thrust in my general direction.
So for your reading pleasure here are a couple of survival events - and let me promise you these less than satisfying events were, fortunately, extraordinarily limited. Be amazed at my ability to save myself for more extravagent offerings.
Click through the jump to discover the least of the food like substances I experienced.
As previously mentioned, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure were so light on crowds that I managed to do each park in only five hours each - which is rather extraordinary in comparison to say, Epcot, which takes 2 days.
E.C.U. that wait time of 90 minutes! The reason why you are never out of a Disney park by lunchtime.(photo source: http://sheila0gh.wordpress.com)
I am not a "free fall drop" person so there was no way I was getting on the big roller coasters such as Dragon Challenge, The Hulk or even Dudley DoRight's Rip Saw Falls. But I do love interactivity and simulators. So I loved Men in Black (a moving carriage dark ride where you shoot the aliens - much like Disney's Buzz Lightyear - a moving carriage dark ride where you shoot the aliens).
I laughed all the way through The Simpsons Ride - this is a small simulator ride set to a cartoon film. It had all the wacky wild motion and scenery of the TV show. This is definitely a winner of a ride. I found this POV video on You Tube. When watching remember one is sitting in a simulator which gives the feeling of all the twists, turns and falls.
My favourite bits: "Honey, a theme park will never let you die whilst you have a dime in your pocket" and the Pirates of the Caribbean parody.
Universal also has the Jaws ride. People my age would remember Jaws. I wonder what the kids of today make of it?! So there is a little pretend Amity village and we all boarded little boats for a tour. Suddenly over the radio - there's a giant shark terrorising tourists! Go around the corner and DISASTER! Now we are being chased by a giant rubber white pointer shark with sharp gnashy teeth and splashing water everywhere. And this thing is persistent. No matter how many times the boat driver trys to scare it off with his fake shotgun, it keeps coming, again and again and again.
So did I tell you that late October/early November in a fairly quiet time in the parks? School was in so it was mostly families with four year old kids. In fact, there was at least half a dozen four year olds in my boat. And at the first shark attack the first 4 yr old went off with an ear piercing squeal, and it was like dogs and car alarms - the rest of the boat joined the chorus. This wasn't just crying - this kid (who was sitting directly in front of me) was SCREAMING - that high pitched squeal that bursts your ear drums. In fact, all the people sitting in front of the kid had their fingers in their ears. Now I know why they banned photography and filming.
And the boat driver? He didn't miss a beat - he kept on with his disaster routine - kiddies screaming over him, parents and adults bemused and laughing - who could keep track of what was happening to that danged shark? It kept bursting up out of the water and kids kept screaming their heads off. At the final scene, the shark is lying dead, mangled, bleeding, with huge shotgun holes in its head and that scared the bejesus out of them all more than anything previous.
So no pictures of that then.
Loved the Amazing Adventures of Spider Man. This is a 3D simulator which actually moves along a track - similar technology to HP Forbidden Journey. Among the most technologically advanced rides, worked smoothly, gave a fantastic ride experience, very engaging experience, and I came off, a bit shaken and excited! It's the kind of experience that keeps me going back.
My least pleasurable experience? Poseidon's Fury. Never before has the external set promised so much and then the experience delivered so little. And worst of all - I had to stand up throughout this whole debarcle!. The acting was the hammiest, cheesiest, lamest attempt at comedy cum drama I've ever seen. The whole set and story was was this weak attempt at Fire vs Water, that bore no resemblence to the actual stories of Poseidon. The wonderous special effects? A few water canon and gas flame bursts. And I had to stand up all the way through this debarcle. Have a look at this entrance set up:
Look at how detailed the entrance is
See that tiny tiny cleaner? This show the scale of the thing:
Poseidon's Fury?? more like Poseidon's Fluffy
Now go to the top of this post and look at the Toy Story Mania wait time, now look back at this picture at the queue waiting to get in. This should have given me a clue. No wonder photography was banned in this thing. Honestly, I couldn't be bothered taking pictures of it - my feet were tired from all the standing.
Anyway - the remainder of my day was spent at the Mall at Millenia - doing lots of shopping in the Lindt shop (hooley fadooley Batman - I haven't seen a range like that before. I did get a lot of halloween Lindor balls which had wrappers that looked like orange carved pumpkins and with cute cartoon ghosts)
Bwah ha ha ha - I shall scare you to death with my chocolatey goodness!
... and basically avoiding the designer label shops on the top floor.
Later in the day, the Mall was full of kids Trick or Treating the shops. I had imagined that T&T was a residential neighbourhood, house to house kind of thing. But apparently the new deal is to do it in shopping malls as it is considered safer for the kiddies and they are probably less likely to be offered fruit instead of candy.
Saturday night I went to dinner with an old (yes I am old enough to say "old") high school friend who emigrated to Florida many years ago and lives with her family about 90mins south of Orlando. I met her entire family and we went to Emeril's main restaurant in Universal City Walk. No photos unfortunately - it would have been a bit strange in front of her whole family - but frankly I thought the restaurant was a bit average. I had grilled salmon, with herbed roasted root veges and a sweet, sticky, black pepper sauce. The servings were HUGE - so many points on the Mr Creasote scale, but average on the Spoonfuls scale of happiness. (I really have to come up with some graphics). Go to the link and check out the menu - and think about the descriptions - it is really not so complex.
In my childhood I rarely had dress ups and I don't really remember attending any costume parties. As Australia doesn't celebrate Halloween, we've not had the annual "dress-up" tradition.
Feel sad for me. I missed out on this. (Photo source: Kaboose crafts - where this costume's difficulty rating is "very easy" - Oh really?)
So it took it me quite a while to come to realisation that going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party was a dress-up event. Suddenly two weeks out the penny dropped.
Fortunately, Zontians are a talented lot and a small amount of begging secured me a clever woman who was the proud owner of a sewing machine. Penny dropped everything and the night before I flew out there was a knock on my front door and there was her lovely husband holding one completed halloween costume.
So how did I spend the night?
Check after the jump - and see all the other costumes too!
Mickey celebrated 83 on November 18, so enjoy some historic photos of the little mouse from whom a giant multi-national conglomerate was born.
Walt voiced Mickey until 1947
early Mickey from the Disney Family Museum
Permanent Happy Birthday Mickey land at Disneyland - well - until they tore it down.
Earforce One over Disneyland (yes it's really called that)
Who are these strange bobble-headed creatures from another world?
Rather nasty brain injury there, Donald. The Chaps - before Disney got all aware about possibly offending veterans and war historians
Mickey never sold out to crass commercialism. He was part of it from the very start.
"hello?? 1984?? can you please send me a better costume and a more plush hotel room?" (taken at the Contemporary Resort on it's opening in October 1971)
