PopCultureSpot.com Novelty & Gift Store Blog

Besides our PopCultureSpot.com Store News, we like to provide off-topic blogs. Our owner looks at going on a vacation gluten-free. Happy Holidays! We continue with our Gluten-Free at Walt Disney World topic.

Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, your options aren’t too large, however, it should be noted that there aren’t too many dining places to begin with there. Over in Dinoland, you’ll find Restaurantosaurus. The options here are limited to their hot dog, hamburger, and salad. Just request the Ener-G gluten-free buns for the items. The french fries are NOT safe. They do use McDonalds fries and as virtually all of McDonalds items, they add wheat to them. Did you know that McDonalds’ chicken isn’t even safe because they inject wheat into the chicken to make it appear bigger? Hm. The standard popcorn and ice cream bars are available at the Park as well.

We had the pleasure of going to the all-new Yak and Yeti restaurant during the first week of its opening. When being asked for the number in our party, I told the hostess that I had a food allergy and I was wondering if they had any gluten-free options. I was told that of course they did and to tell the server when they came to the table. So, we were seated and I told the server. She asked for our drink order and told us that the Chef would be out shortly. He came out from the kitchen and asked what allergy I had and said, “What would you like?”. I told him basically chicken and vegetables. He didn’t know whether their Soy Sauce was gluten-free (it isn’t), so he suggested chicken and vegetables in honey. It was EXCELLENT! I’d suggest it to anyone dining there. The portion size was quite ample and the plate was filled with a variety of cooked vegetables with the chicken. It was a very good meal and the pricing wasn’t too terrible. Disney doesn’t operate any of the restaurant at Animal Kingdom, as Yak and Yeti is operated by Levy Restaurants.

I’ve been told the the Rainforest Cafe offers gluten-free items, but we didn’t go over there this trip. The next post will cover Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom with gluten-free WDW menus to follow.

Join us on Myspace! We’re launching on Myspace and add us to your friend list to get special coupons and offers posted only on the PopCultureSpot.com’s Myspace. Click here to visit our page.

Besides our PopCultureSpot.com Store News, we like to provide off-topic blogs. Our owner looks at going on a vacation gluten-free. Happy Holidays!

So, it’s time to get to the good stuff, what’s to eat at Disney World without gluten? Plenty! Lets start at Epcot. The Liberty Inn at the American Pavilion at Epcot caters to all types of dietary needs. The Liberty Inn keeps several gluten-free items on hand all day. You can have a hamburger or hot dog there with their whole wheat bun substituted by a Ener-G brand bun. When contacting guest relations, they might tell you that the fries need to be baked in an oven at the Liberty Inn, but that is not the case. The french fries are gluten free and they use a separate fryer to ensure there is no cross contamination. Tip! Before ordering at any counter service location be certain to let the Cast Member know that you have a food allergy. They’ll then call up the on-duty manager to go over everything with you. If you don’t let them know and run through the order and then tell them about the gluten free needs, they’ll have to redo the entire order. The Liberty Inn might also have the Ok! Gluten Free Brownies available. An additional gluten-free item and my favorite item there was the greek salad with chicken. The dressing is awesome and the salad is very filling.

Many of the sit-down World Showcase eateries have options including the Mexican Pavilion dine in establishment. We’ll get to those later.

Snacks, well you can never go wrong with the Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn! It’s gluten-free and terrific. Other items in the carts include the Mickey Mouse ice cream bar and cotton candy.

Over in Future World, The Land has terrific options. I received an email when we were down in Orlando from a food specialist at Epcot and she offered up some options for items that could be available throughout the park, they just needed notice to ensure that the items were there the days that I was going to be at the park. She saw to it that rolls and a rice pasta were going to be available at The Seasons Food Pavilion inside The Land. We went down to The Seasons for dinner and I told the guy at one of the counters that I was told that there was special food available for my food issue and that I was supposed to tell a Cast Member. A few moments later, the on-duty Chef came out to talk to me. She was excellent! She went through the items that were at the various dining areas that I could eat and then offered up some special items. She prepared two Tapioca Rice Rolls in about two or three minutes. Instead of feeling out of place and lacking any food option but a salad, I felt great! I added another Greek Salad with Chicken and was so pleased with the options available. Since my diagnosis, I had avoided gluten free bread and rolls. I tried a loaf of the White Rice Bread by Ener-G and it was so horrible that I was convinced that all the bread products must be terrible. That night I quickly learned otherwise.

The rolls at The Seasons were, well, like real rolls! I added some butter and they were like the real deal. Thanks to seeing that bread items could actually taste great, when I returned home, I added in Whole Foods and Kinnikinnick breads into the mix of items that I have. I have to note that the chef let me know that they also had the gluten-free cookies and brownies available.

We’ll move on to the other parks in the next post.

Besides our PopCultureSpot.com Store News, we like to provide off-topic blogs. Our owner looks at going on a vacation gluten-free. Happy Holidays!

Gluten-Free at Walt Disney World (November 25-30, 2007)

When you must adhere to a gluten-free diet, eating becomes a much more thought out process. From the ingredients in chips to dressings, everything gets a full vetting. As a Celiac, you probably know quite well how it goes. After over three months of being diagnosed and having gone gluten-free, my wife, our twins, and I were off to Walt Disney World six days of fun. I intend to update this site over the next several weeks to bring you all the information that I received and to detail my full experience at Walt Disney World during our vacation. So, let me get started!Can I go Gluten-Free at Walt Disney World?The answer is absolutely! Days of chicken strips at The Electric Umbrella, cookies at the Main Street Bakery, and pasta at Wolfgang Puck at Downtown Disney are long gone. At least my wife and kids can enjoy the stuff!

For me, it’s amazing, because I’m someone who keep a very healthy diet and enjoyed having some of the junk food at Disney World, only to longer be able to, or so I thought! There are a variety of foods and places to eat at WDW. Here’s my first suggestion: Make a reservation. The sit-down joints offer the most diverse selection of options throughout the property. Call 407-WDISNEY and make your dining reservations. When making your reservation, be certain to let the cast member know that you have a food allergy (we won’t even get into whether what we have is an allergy, it’s just how they categorize it) and it’ll be noted with the reservation.

The cast member will then give you the direct phone number for the restaurant’s chef, so if you have specific request or question before your trip, they can help you out. It’s not necessary to call the restaurant directly, as they’ll already have the gluten-free noted in the system and food will be available. I’ve heard that the chefs enjoy having to make gluten-free food because it gives them something different to create for a meal. With the volume that Disney does each day, it must be fun to break up the assembly line that they have to deal with daily, and put their culinary talent to the test!Beyond the sit-down restaurants, there are several fast food places throughout the property that cater to gluten-free dining.

Tip! Send an email to Walt Disney World guest relations. Go to the Walt Disney World website and send an email through their general form. Let them know that you have were looking for gluten-free dining options and they’ll provide you with the latest options available at the property. Later on, I’ll get to the menus that are currently available. More will follow throughout the week.

Christmas is quickly approaching and we’d like to remind you to consult with our 2007 Holiday Shipping Chart to ensure holiday shipment delivery.

This week we have in new car air fresheners including The Clash and even more Simpsons Air Fresheners with Homer, Moe, and more!