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

In May 2008, we visited Walt Disney World and on one evening had dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Boma. I can’t keep track of how many times we ate their when we lived in Orlando, but it was a substantial amount. This was the first time going since being Celiac and I heard many good things about one of the Chefs online.

My wife and I did a walk-up without a reservation and waited about 45 minutes to be seated. Unfortunately, Disney has this relatively new Disney Dining Plan where they have people make reservations months away from the date with many never showing up for their meal, and it becomes virtually impossible to get a seat at many of their sit-down restaurants. We went at 4:45 to ensure that we could snag a table. I informed the host that I had a food allergy and I was told that a Chef would be coming to the table after we were seated.

So, after the wait, we were seated and the Chef came out to tell me all about what I could and could not have. On duty at that time was the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Boma Chef Donna. Donna’s husband is a Celiac and has been so for more than 20 years. The mere fact that she knew firsthand about the issue made me feel very excited as I knew that there had been a conscience decision to have food that we could eat at Boma. So, I got up and we toured the the various food stations.

The turkey, beef, etc. had a seasoning on it, so Donna had a piece of Prime Rib cooked for me without whatever gluten product was on it. As we moved through the various stations, if I remember correctly, the ends are safe. I believe that each area had the items at the end of each side being gluten free. The selection was excellent from various fruit to cornbread that was gluten free. Additionally, all of their salad dressing is gluten free and they had a carrot soup that was gluten free. Over on the desert area, they had a flourless chocolate cake. Donna then told me that they had even more for desert. I’m not big into deserts, but as you know, you’ll take what you can get!

After I was done with the meal, Donna brought out a slice of cheesecake and a brownie. The brownie was a French Meadow brownie, which are excellent. You can get them throughout Walt Disney World, through their website, and many natural food stores. Locally we can get them at Return to Eden in Atlanta. The food was excellent along with the service.

Two things were very clear to me before we left. First of all, since this was the first time eating there since being officially gluten free and Celiac, it was amazing to not feel lousy after eating the meal. I ate what was substantially more than I used to eat there and I simply felt as though I ate enough, not overly full and sick. Secondly, it’s people like Chef Donna that make going on trips to Walt Disney World so special. It’s not easy having to be gluten free, your choices are limited, and let alone trying to explain it to people at many restaurants. At Disney World, you don’t have to question whether they understand what Celiac is all about and being gluten free, it’s what they have available to make your trip more enjoyable. It’s those little things that keep us returning year after year.

We’re now taking a break from dining reviews to providing the full list of places to eat and the gluten free items at Epcot’s sit-down dining options in World Showcase. Here they are:

Princess Storybook – Norway
Van’s Waffles
Turkey Sausage
Pancake Mix
Dinner Rolls
Hamburger Buns
Hot Dog Buns
Hot Dog
Itsakadoozie Popsicles
Pizza (Amy’s)
Rice Macaroni and Cheese (Amy’s)
Rice spaghetti
Quinoa – Wheat-free Pasta Elbows
Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Le Cellier – Canda
Rice Pasta
Dinner Rolls
Steak

Rose & Crown
Rice Pasta
Dinner Rolls

San Angel Inn
Grilled Chicken Breast*
Chicken Quesadilla*
Beef Tacos*
Carne Asada Tampiquena (Beef Tenderloin)*
Grilled Mahi-Mahi*
Served with Mexican Rice
Ensalada Mexicana (Salad)
Brownie
Sundae
Fruit Sorbet and Fresh Fruit

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

We’re now taking a break from dining reviews to providing the full list of places to eat and the gluten free items at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here they are:

ABC Commissary
Black Bean Salad
All-Beef Hamburger with the Ener-G Foods Bun
French Fries in a designated fryer
Stir Fry without the noodles, substitute Rice
Chocolate Mousse Dessert

Backlot Express
All-Beef Hamburger with the Ener-G Foods Bun
All-Beef Hot Dog with Ener-G Foods Bun

Dinosaur Gertie’s
Chocolate and Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream without the cone

Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner
Chocolate and Vanilla Milk Shakes

Outdoor Foods
Frozen Banana
Itzakadoozie
Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar
Minnie’s Strawberry Fruit Bar
Popcorn

Studio Catering Co. Flatbread Grill
Grilled Chicken Breast Quarter with Black Beans and White Rice
Greek Salad without the Bread
All-Beef Hot Dog without the Chili

Sunset Market Ranch
Anaheim Produce: Whole Fruits, Seasonal Berries, Carrots, Grapes, and Mixed Fruit
Rosie’s: Hamburger without the Bun
Tolucoa Legs: Smoked Turkey Leg, All-Beef Hot Dog without Chili

Toy Story Pizza Planet
Amy’s Brand Gluten Free Pizza
Greek Salad
Side Salad

Remember that at the Toy Story Pizza Planet, the pizza is baked next door at Mama Melrose’s and takes about 7-9 minutes to cook.

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

We’re now taking a break from dining reviews to providing the full list of places to eat and the gluten free items at the Magic Kingdom. Here they are:

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

Rotisserie Chicken
Hamburger with an EnerG Foods Hamburger Bun
Hot Dog with an EnerG Foods Hot Dog Bun
Fries done in an oven
Grilled chicken on an EnerG Foods Bun

El Pirata Y El Perico (Seasonal)

Chips
Salsa

Turkey Wagon/Lunching Pad

Smoked Turkey Drumstick - Crofton & Sons

Scuttle’s Landing

Assorted carbonated frozen beverages

Toon Town Farmer’s Market/Liberty Square Market

Fresh fruit and fruit cups

Potato Cart – Liberty Square

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

Gluten-free ice cream
Dairy-free ice cream

Outdoor food carts

Itzakadoozie Cool Creations
Minnie’s Strawberry Fruit Bar – Natural Fruit Corp.
Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar
Huey, Duey & Louie Orange Juice Bar – Natural Fruit
Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade – Coca Cola
Popcorn
Frozen Banana

Aloha Isle

Pineapple juice, Dole
Dole Whip Vanilla
Dole Whip Chocolate
Dole Whip Pineapple

Sunshine Tree

Orange Concentrate
Vanilla flavored ice cream
Chocolate flavored ice cream

Pinocchio Village Haus

Gluten-free Pizza (Amy’s)
Pecos Bills Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
Hamburger with EnerG Foods Bun

Main Street Bakery

Cut Fruit
*Delicious Fudgie Brownie - It’s OK
*Chocolate Chip Cookie – It’s OK
*Crispy Rice Treat – It’s OK
* Also lactose and peanut free

Auntie Gravities
Soft serve without the cone
Smoothies – Strawberry, Banana
Cappuccino, Mango-Passion,
Orange-Pineapple, Pina Colada

Enchanted Grove

Strawberry Swirl
Soft Serve Vanilla without cone

We’ll continue later with more!

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.

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.