Modern Art-Inspired Eats

The Epcot International Festival of the Arts is in full swing and, as is the case with all the Epcot festivals, there is a fair amount of food to partake in. With the International Festival of the Arts being one of the shortest festivals on the calendar, many of us don’t get to visit the fledgling festival. That doesn’t mean that we won’t be able to sample some of the dishes in a home version. For instance, earlier this month D23 released a recipe for the beautiful Pop’t Art dessert. We were so inspired that we decided to try our own hand at baking up a batch of these beauties.

First things first, the recipe is for the 2017 version, not the 2018 version. Based upon menus, the only difference seems to be in the filling as 2017 menu lists hazelnut spread and 2018 describes the dessert as having a strawberry filling. Feel free to substitute the filling as you see fit. Also, this is not a clean process, which makes it great for having children help with, so have enough place to make a mess and to have some fun when making these up!

POP’T ART

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (sifted)

1 1/2 Cups Powder Sugar

1 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Sugar

6 Tbsps. Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

3 to 4 Tbsps. Milk

2 Tsps. Vanilla Extract

1/8 Tsps. Salt

1 Egg White

Food Coloring

Directions:

Cream the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy.

Add egg white and beat for 1 minute.

Slowly add sifted flour and salt and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms.

Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Roll dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Cut into six, 3x5-inch rectangles.

Place cookies on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool for 30 minutes.

Spread 1 tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread on each cookie, leaving a boarder of about 1/8-inch around the edges of each cookie.

Dip each cookie, chocolate-hazelnut side down, into the glaze (directions below) to cover the chocolate.

Set on a wire rack to dry.

Once dry, use a fork to drizzle colored glaze on top of cookies.

Let dry on wire rack.

Glaze Directions:

Whisk powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla extract in a pie plate until smooth.

Add additional milk if the glaze is too thick.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of glaze in a small bowl.

With remaining glaze, mix with desired colors of food coloring to make decorative color.

The glaze is good, but I would recommend making the glaze and decorative colors at separate times as the decorative portion will start to dry and harden during the glazing process. I would also make extra as we ended up scraping the bottom of the bowls to decorate. You’ll notice that some of the chocolate-hazelnut spread starts to drip into glaze, so the faster you can move at this point the better! Last, but certainly not least, use a variety of tools to decorate. We started with forks, but moved our way on to toothpicks, skewers, and a pastry brush.

I’ll be the first to admit our final works looked less like a masterpiece and more like finger-painting preschool art time, but it doesn’t change that the Pop’t Art treats are delicious. This is a very simple recipe to follow, making it perfect for a family activity or a talking point for a party. The sugar cookie itself is great and we’ll likely use it as our new go to sugar cookie recipe. Oh, and if you’re looking for small easels to display your masterpieces of culinary art, Michaels and Amazon have several miniature varieties for you to grab.

Painted Cutout

Knowing where to look for story elements in and around Walt Disney World is sometimes just as important as being able to recognize what you’re looking at. Then there are times where you can find a treasure trove so overwhelming you get baffled by the wealth of information you’re presented with. Backlot Express at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a mixture of both of these things. To some it looks like a collection of junk from a variety of production elements, to others it is an encyclopedia of Disney storytelling. Today let’s look at a few of my favorite pieces that lay in the groundwork for attractions and film alike.

Starting first with one of my favorite spots to go scrounging for stories, a bulletin board, this one can be found in the seating area off to the left of the ordering counter. Placed along the top edge of the bulletin board, there are several pieces of concept art for the action sequences of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Featured amongst them are close-ups of two truck stunts and Indy’s escape from the final explosion, along with a wide shot that includes the audience. Even better, if you examine the truck artwork, you can see the mechanical arms and pistons that would cause trucks to tip over or flip as needed for a stunt, even though only one of those stunts would make it into the show.

On the other side of the restaurant, sits an unassuming art rack, similar to the poster flip racks you would see in most big box stores. Unlike those poster racks, however, this unit isn’t filled with the latest movie and model posters. This art rack is filled with photographs of construction and landscapes scouted for specific scenes. Included amongst the many pages are pictures of courtyards from the television series Zorro, various locations from Swiss Family Robinson, and even a painted cutout from the Davy Crockett episodes of Disneyland.

There is a lot to see and explore all throughout Backlot Express, in fact there’s something to take note of everywhere that you look. Somethings may be harder to distinguish, like the model of the hoverlift from Horizons or logo for Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’s Toon Patrol, but others just take time to actually find and pay attention to. Whether it is theme park design or preproduction for television and movies, some of the greatest adventures in the Disney catalog are just waiting to be rediscovered on the walls, shelves, and boards all throughout Backlot Express.

Silent Saturday - Grizzly Peak (February 2015)

Your Taste Buds, I’ll Appease

Ramen is a dish that brings to mind days for many of us when we didn’t have much in the way of money where we filled pots with boiling water, dried noodles, and salty seasoning packets or prepackaged cups in office or dorm microwaves. We may have fond memories of the food, but that’s typically tied to sentiments of “remember when…,” rather than how delicious it was. Regrettably, this is not what real ramen is like, giving the dish a bad rap for most of us. If this describes your interactions with ramen, Morimoto Asia has a prescription for you to help change your mind.

In fact, Morimoto Asia actually has three versions of ramen for you to sample. One of which features duck and two other versions that are perfect for the pork crazy amongst us. It’s one of these pork centric ramen dishes that we’re going to dive into today. The Tonkotsu Ramen begins with a base of rich pork broth and egg noodles. Added to these ingredients are roasted pork, wood ear mushrooms, green onion, sesame seeds, and pickled ginger. Before we start talking flavors, let’s be very clear, it takes a day and a half to prepare this dish. The Tonkotsu Ramen isn’t your college ramen, and it is worth every minute of the preparation time for this bowl.

The smells and colors coming from the ramen when it was set before me were so intoxicating that I almost forgot to take a picture of it in order to get it into my mouth quicker. Even then, I only took one photo which is highly unlike me. But you can look for yourself, the wonderful browned edge of the pork, the vibrant greens and pinks of the onion and the ginger, and the opaqueness of the broth which lets you know this is not some thin, clear, flavorless broth. As for the smells, I wish this photo came in smell-o-vision, I really do, but you’ll just have to take my word on that.

What you really want to know is how did it taste, right? The broth is just as rich as it looks with a complex, yet simple flavor stemming from the slow cooking process. The mushrooms are thinly sliced, with a snap to their texture instead of the usual rubber consistency from mushrooms in a soup. A quick aside, many Asian recipes call for wood ear mushrooms out of the belief that they are good for breathing and circulation. The roasted pork is buttery and wafer thin, and you’re going to wish you had several more pieces of it. The pickled ginger and green onions break up the heavier flavors with some intense flavors of their own. Overall, between its flavors, smells, and colors, it is a remarkably well-balanced dish.

Every bite is a taste explosion and the Tonkotsu Ramen is definitely something I will not forget and will seek out again. Walking around Morimoto Asia you can feel the relaxed elegance of the place, with sumptuous furnishings, sparkling lights, and artistry in every detail. That feeling is reflected in the mastery and balance presented in the Tonkotsu Ramen. It is approachable, but not what you are expecting, and it’s a wonderful journey from the first steaming spoonful to the bottom of the bowl.

Memory Maker

Many people scrimp and save in order to be able to afford a vacation to Walt Disney World. Often times, these trips may be something that they dream about for many years and, in turn, these vacations become once in a lifetime experiences. This is why I tend to overlook grumpy parents or jostling groups of guests pushing by me, because I know I’ve been given more than my fair share of opportunities to be able to visit Walt Disney World, to the point that I can slow down, notice details, and impart them to others. More and more, however, I’ve begun to find myself soaking up each experience with more of that sense of urgency, as if it might be my last opportunity to enjoy it.

This is due in part, I believe, with the fact that I am not as young as I once was and recognize now that what I have in a trip to Walt Disney World is something special that shouldn’t be taken for granted. In my youth it was all about having fun and finding the biggest thrills, or hanging out with friends and taking silly photos. Although it is worth noting that the silly photos part has never ventured too far away from my core though. I understand that one illness or life change could greatly impact my ability to partake in all that the Vacation Kingdom has to offer. Call it seasoning or becoming wiser with the passage of time, but I do think that plays a role in how I view my time there.

Secondly, and perhaps the most important, is the fact that Walt Disney World is in a constant state of refurbishment and expansion these days. While nothing typically closes without some sort of notice, the lead time given to shuttering attractions, such as Universe of Energy and The Great Movie Ride last year, is not typically long enough for most people to get a trip set-up to visit these experiences one last time. While I highly doubt things like Space Mountain or the Jungle Cruise will be closing anytime soon, I would have been willing to put The Great Movie Ride in the same category last year, which makes me wonder if any attraction is ever really safe.

To Walt’s point that nothing is ever really finished, I think that’s fair, I think we should look to each attraction as a limited time opportunity. They should be viewed as something to be treasured in the moment that we have it, because even if it doesn’t vanish entirely, it could always be changed. The fleeting nature of attractions, and the constant speed with which technological advancements are achieved, make them experiences to capture our memories of because we never know when or where the next refurbishment might come.

My last thought is perhaps the most important, and that is who we are with when we visit and make memories. I’ve said it before, but a meal at Walt Disney World is so much less about the food itself than it is about the company I share it with, and that goes for any attraction, parade, show, resort, or any activity within the parks and surrounding areas. I have fond memories that I cherish of friends and their children, children whom are now teenagers. An idea I struggle to wrap my head around constantly. I can remember touring a specific park or area with a near and dear friend who isn’t as close to me as they used to be, not for lack of want, but just out of time and effort. There are memories of my family members that I can never recapture. Even my wife, who has been by my side for almost every visit over the past fifteen years, isn’t the same person she was on those first visits. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just what time does to all of us.

My point is, if I have a point, that Walt Disney World changes just as we change, and that is the only constant in this world. We may have one visit a year, a week, or in a lifetime, but that doesn’t make each trip any less unique. When you’re visiting or vacationing, let the attractions and experiences offered to you seep into your heart and mind, you never know if you’ll have the opportunity to take part in these offerings again. More importantly, take time to really capture the moment of who you are there with. These are moments you are going to cherish one day, so the more you absorb those flashes when they’re happening, more the more real and vital your memories will feel to you later. Above all, just make sure you’re enjoying what you have when you have it.

Urban Safari Camp

If you want to meet Mickey and Minnie in Disney’s Animal Kingdom the place to go is the Adventurers Outpost on the edge of Discovery Island. It is filled with photographs and items they’ve collected on their journeys around the globe. Once upon a time, however, the pair of safari ambassadors took another Adventure Outpost on the road to promote and engage potential guests around the activities of Walt Disney World’s fourth gate.

Typically, you would think that this type of mobile marketing campaign would take place prior to a park opening, but the Adventure Outpost wasn’t your typical marketing push. The Adventure Outpost actually took to the road in the eastern part of the country during spring and summer of 1999. It started in Miami on April 17th of that year before moving on to Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Boston, Hartford, Cleveland, and Detroit before closing out its tour in Atlanta in mid-July. Known as an “urban safari camp” each stop would last two days with six hours of operation dedicated to each day, but there was no admission cost for anyone wanting to attend.

What, exactly, did the Adventure Outpost have to offer?

I’m glad you asked! For starters there were no animals that actually took part in the mobile safari. Instead, visitors were greeted with a 20 minute show featuring elements from Festival of the Lion King on a caravan stage. From then on, there were three sections of the Adventure Outpost to partake in. One featured a dinosaur themed play area, including sand-covered fossils just waiting to be uncovered by pint-sized paleontologists. An interactive storytelling set-up featured previews of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s attractions and gave guests their own place in the story. Last, but certainly not least, was an area where Minnie and Mickey were available to photographs and autographs.

This would have been one of the earliest examples of Disney’s move to prove that it’s animal and nature centered park was, as they would say years later, Nahtazu. With no animals in the urban safari camp, the creatures, great and small, that could be studied at Disney’s Animal Kingdom were depicted in totem poles, balloons, the interactive tour elements, carvings, and cast stories. If this sounds similar to how animal-life is integrated into many of the park’s architectural and artistic features, that’s probably not a coincidence.

According to Bob Lamb, the first vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, stated that the Adventure Outpost tour wasn’t about name recognition, but more about showcasing everything that the park had to offer and letting potential guests see what was happening beyond the turnstiles. Touring through miniature, in scope and size, versions of Africa, Asia, Safari Village, Camp Minnie-Mickey, and DinoLand U.S.A. seems like a great way to get guests excited about a potential visit, but nothing compares to the nature-driven park itself.

Silent Saturday - Candy Land (September 2016)

Tell It like It Is, or Was, or Whatever

There has been a long debate about IPs (Intellectual Properties) within the theme parks. Many see the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios as the places where characters and stories from various films belong, while Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom should stay bastions of unique storytelling. Then there are those who think that the more characters, the better. Then there’s a group of individuals who, like myself, don’t care about where IPs are, but feels they should fit within the confines of where they are located, enhance a story, and that the overall development of the parks should try to keep a balance between new narratives and well established stories. With that in mind, I thought today we should look at seven IPs that are either underutilized or absent from the parks of Walt Disney World and where and how they could be utilized in the future.

WALL-E – Once upon a time I had hoped for a revamping of Tomorrowland, with WALL-E being one of the cornerstones of Tomorrowland version 3.0. However, looking back at WALL-E’s environmental parable, I now think it would work even better as a reimagined Conservation Station in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Kids running around yelling, “Computer, define goats,” next to virtual rainforests, deserts, tundras, and grasslands, not to mention some robot meet and greets sure sounds like a bright future to me.

Mulan – Yes, Mulan and Mushu do make appearances in the China pavilion, but there’s so much more that could be done with this story of the woman who saved China. First and foremost, I’d love to see a dark ride that puts guests in the middle of the battle with Shan-Yu, maybe on a cluster of horse-type ride vehicles that move through the scenes before they are reset for the next group, even splitting up the group to move through larger scenes separately, leading through multiple battles leading to a fireworks display over the Imperial City. Something akin to blending Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland with Universal’s E.T. Adventure.

Robin Hood – When New Fantasyland was announced with a corner dedicated to fairies and then, to placate the boyish factor, it was changed to Storybook Circus, I always thought an opportunity was lost. Some section of that area would have been, and still could be, the woods beyond the castle boundaries, and the perfect place for Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. Some climbing structures, self-contained archery type tournament games (think Winnie-the-Pooh queue), and maybe even a dark ride put to the animated features soundtrack is just what this child of the 80’s would love to see.

Big Hero 6 – If Arendelle can find a place in Norway, the San Fransokyo could find a place in World Showcase, especially considering that the American Adventure and Japan pavilions happen to be right next to one another. Bring back the bullet train concept for Japan, give the Big Hero 6 team a new villain to face where the train we’re on is in jeopardy, and maybe even drop in Aunt Cass’ Lucky Cat Café for dining and we’re ready for our fistbump with Baymax.

Zorro – Frontierland, stunt show, maybe even a cameo from other legends of Disney’s Frontierland past (Davy Crockett and maybe even animal tricks from the beloved Old Yeller), done.

Mary Poppins – This year will see a renewed interest in the nanny who sets parents and children alike on the right path with song and magic. One concept for an early World Showcase attraction in the United Kingdom pavilion featured guests on carousel horses who would then venture off of the merry-go-round and into the world of Bert’s chalk drawings. I could foresee an attraction that does this very thing, but also incorporates some of the yet unseen magical elements from 2018’s installment in the Mary Poppins story.

The Princess and the Frog – If we were in Disneyland where New Orleans Square resides, this would be the easiest place for Tiana’s Café to be placed, but we’re sticking with Walt Disney World. While there is a hint of The Princess and the Frog around the Port Orleans complex, there is still more that could be done. In fact, Main Street, U.S.A. could use some diversity of menu and quality dining and the ornate décor of Tiana’s Café, coupled with the fact that the film takes place in the early fifth of the 20th century, could easily slip into the overall surroundings without too much fuss.

Honorable Mention: TRON – Sure, the TRON Lightcycle Power Run is coming in the near future to Tomorrowland, but there could always be a bit more of the Grid or even Flynn’s Arcade to round out the surrounding area.

Honorable Mention 2: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Captain Nemo’s time in the Magic Kingdom may have very well come and gone, but there is still a lot left in this story that could be utilized to tell an excellent story, especially if you’ve ever seen Tokyo DisneySea’s Vulcania. What I’m proposing is using the fictional world of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to share the story of seas creatures in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. And no, we don’t need another submarine attraction, but a submarine walkthrough with unique aquatic creatures (i.e. not those already within The Seas at Epcot) and plant life seen throughout could be something special.

Yours Truly, Lillian Boyer

The name Lillian is a sacred name in Disney circles. From paddlewheels to locomotives, the name of Walt’s beloved wife has been given a place of honor across the Disney theme parks. However, Lillian Disney is not the only Lillian to be found throughout Walt Disney World. Another determined and grit-filled Lillian adorns the walls at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, Lillian Boyer.

Tucked away on an airplane window turned wall decoration, between other photographs and post cards, is a photo of the daredevil signed, “Yours Truly, Lillian Boyer.” It should be mentioned that the photograph of Lillian has her clinging to a to a strut on the underside of a biplane in midflight, clinging by a single hand I might add. It’s fairly clear to see why she and Jock would have gotten along.

Lillian Boyer was born in 1901and was known as, among other things, The Girl of Nerve and The Fair Devil of the Air. Beginning in 1921, Lillian began her career as an awe-inspiring aerialist that made her the talk of state fairs and air shows is 41 states. Billy Brock was the pilot in the cockpit for most of her career, but she was the main attraction. Many of the stunts she would perform were the original ideas of Billy, and others would follow suit to use some of the same maneuvers, but no other man or woman performed the stunts as often and with the same consistency that Lillian could. Changing from plane to another plane, or from a moving vehicle to an airplane, balancing on her head, and hanging from under the wing tip with one hand were just a few of the performance maneuvers that she would master. By far the most popular of her tricks, however, was hanging by her teeth.

According to Boyer, the cable was attached to a strut by Lillian as she made her way out onto the wing, but once she had her mouthpiece in and the cable had gone taut, there was no way she could open her mouth until Billy had lowered the ladder and she had grabbed ahold of it, allowing some slack in the cable. While certainly her most dangerous stunt, particularly if the cable were to breakaway, Lillian stated time and again that she was never frightened. Part of that was due to the meticulous nature of Billy’s preshow checks and maintenance to make sure everything was up to snuff.

One of the leading aerialists of the time, Lillian’s career was short-lived. In 1928, federal regulations prohibited low flying, rules that effectively exterminated the art of barnstorming. Her last performance was on September 9, 1928 in Bethany, MO. Amongst her accomplishments through the brief career, Lillian was able to perform in 352 shows throughout the US and Canada, complete 143 automobile to plane exchanges, and 37 parachute jumps, 12 of which were directly into Lake Erie.

It’s no wonder that Jock, an airman who seems to have regularly been on the same air show circuit as Lillian, would have become fast friends with her. She seems like just the type of daring and cool under pressure individual that he would have surrounded himself with. That or he was just as enamored with her as most of the public was at that time and he was able to collect an autograph from her. Either way, her photograph certainly has a distinction among the artifacts found throughout the Hangar Bar.

Silent Saturday - Swotu Wayä (August 2017)

Silent Saturday - Rapunzel's Tower (May 2013)

Miner's Hall

Let’s start our 2018 culinary adventures off with a must-do and a must-don’t or, to paraphrase the Genie, try none of column A, try all of column B. For this installment, we’re heading over to Frontierland and one of the perennial quick service eateries, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. We typically come here for the ambiance, the stories hanging from the walls, and the fixin’s bar. Today, however, we’re actually going to sit a spell with two entrees to let you know what we think.

First up is the Taco Burger. This burger is topped with seasoned ground beef, American cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and comes served on a brioche bun (which was whole grain bun when we sampled it) with a side of tortilla chips. I’m going to keep this simple, the tortilla chips are the best part of this dish as you can at least dip them in salsa. Due to the amount of liquid-filled components on this dish (lettuce, tomato, and ground beef), the bun immediately disintegrates into a soggy mush and your left trying to cut up your burger and scoop up the beef with a chip. Aside from the mess, the Taco Burger is very bland, and I don’t think adding anything from the fixin’s bar would even save this meal. Regardless of the bun change, this is not something I’ll be ordering again.

Flipping the coin over, we find the Fajita Platter. This spread that is the platter comes with three flour tortillas, spicy Barbacoa beef, seasoned chicken, yellow rice, beans, and grilled onions and peppers to build each fajita as you see fit. Additionally, the fixin’s bar has several other items on it that could amp up an already full assortment of trimmings. Barbacoa is a style of cooking meat over a fire and is where we get the term, and style of cooking known as, barbeque.

The beef is fork tender and falls apart, the spicy sauce also adds an ambiguous heat to the meat, but it doesn’t detract from the overall dish. The chicken is grilled and lightly seasoned, making it perfect for those who can’t handle spicy food. While the fajitas come with both, a request for only one or the other meat options in a larger portion is not a problem for the fine folks at Pecos Bill. The yellow rice didn’t have as much saffron flavor as I was hoping for, but it also wasn’t overcooked which is a tremendous win. The black beans, peppers, and onions were likewise not overcooked and only added to the dish. Between these accompaniments and the options on the fixin’s bar, you can make three very different fajitas and still find you have food left over with no stomach space with which to store it!

Before we mosey out of Frontierland, may we suggest taking a quick trip across the walkway to the popcorn cart. The maple popcorn found here is slightly sticky and sweet, but not so much so that you’re going to find the entire box of popcorn stuck together or your lips puckering. It has a lighter flavor than a traditional caramel corn, but is just sweet enough to hit that perfect sweet and salty zone. You may not need it after a meal at the Tall Tale Inn & Café, but you’ll be glad you have it later. Although, the warmer it is, the better.

The next time you find yourself hankering for some vittles in Frontierland and bellying up to a table at Pecos Bill’s place, just remember, ‘yes’ to the Fajitas Platter and ‘no’ to the Taco Burger. One is well worth your time; the other isn’t fit to fill a feedbag. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a box, or souvenir bucket, filled with maple popcorn for that sweet tooth the Magic Kingdom seems to bring out in all of us.

Art in Eastern Africa

Between the treats, cookbooks, and kitchen necessities, have you ever stopped to really examine what comprises Zuri’s Sweets Shop? The shop, tucked away in a corner of Harambe near the market dining stalls in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, caters to those looking for a unique desert, something in the shape of Disney’s famous mouse, or new spices or dishware to outfit their home kitchens with. It is a catch all of those wanting to cook and those wanting something to eat, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a story of the store’s inhabitants. In fact, a single corner can tell you how proud they are of their livelihood, their community, and their heritage.

Nestled in a corner behind the counter guests can find a set of shelves that are replete with handicrafts, photos, and a small collection of books. Though tough to make out, on the upper shelf, behind a handcrafted doll and a framed photo, there is a wire bicycle. These bicycles can be found throughout the Harambe Market addition to the area and are reminiscent of the wire baskets that can be found between Jiko and Boma in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Made from discarded materials, the ideal that nothing should go to waste and that everything can fill a need is one not lost on the people of Africa, nor to the keen eyed traveler.

There are four photographs present in this area. Three taped to the wall and one that is hiding the bicycle. The fact that this photo is framed tells us that this is an important person in the lives of those at Zuri’s Sweets Shop. Whether it is a family member, a significant other, or the owner themselves, we cannot say for certain, but the prominent placement and care with which the photo is presented tells us a lot about who is photographed. Stepping away from our story elements for just a moment, it is clear the four photographs come from an Imagineering research trip to see the lives and times of residents of eastern Africa. Each photo features someone at work or in a place that was important to them.

On the lower shelf we have a canister filled with envelopes for the post and colored pencils. From the small print below the taped photographs, not to forget the aforementioned wire bicycle and hand sewn doll, we can tell that art is important our host. Are the colored pencils for labeling the already attractive sweets offered in the case, for sketching the world around them, or for correspondence, perhaps all of the above? Spilling out of this canister are beads and another small sculpture. This time the medium is either cardboard or tin, and it forms a dragonfly. It is situated behind the beads and may be tough to make out.

Lastly, on the lower shelf, is a selection of books that tell you just about everything you need to know about the proprietor of Zuri’s Sweets Shop. The books, from left to right, are: A Taste of Kenyan Cooking, Alice Taabu’s Cookery Book, Kale ya Washairi wa Pemba: Kamange na Sarahani, Indigenous People in Africa. Contestations, Empowerment and Group Rights, Comprehensive Swahili-English Dictionary, Let’s Cook Kenya!, and Art in Eastern Africa. Of the seven books three are cookbooks; which makes sense considering the shop itself. The Swahili-English dictionary is a necessity as more and more tourists who don’t speak Swahili make their way to Harambe. We’ve already established how much pride our host takes in local art forms, so the text on Eastern Africa art is not surprising. To further that element of their personality, there is also a book of poetry from rival poets Kamange and Sarahani who come from the small island of Pemba, but whose work was appreciated through the Swahili-speaking world. The last book, Indigenous People in Africa, lives at a crossroad of indigenous rights, development, advocacy, conservation, and justice, an intersection definitely in play in the Harambe we visit.

Before we leave the books to their shelf, yes, I too would have included a comma between “cook” and “Kenya” in that title, but it is what it is. Also, in one form or another, all of these books are available on Amazon as of this writing. They may not all be cheap, but most are and they all are available.

A shelf or two tucked away in a corner can tell us a lot about a person. Who do they treasure, what do they want to be near to them throughout their day, what are the important things to them in their day to day lives. A job is a job, but if you enjoy what you do it finds its way into the heart of your life. We all need reminders of those we hold near and dear, we all have a passion that drives us forward, and sometimes we have a fire in us for our fellow citizens. All of this and more is present on the two small shelves behind the displays at Zuri’s Sweets Shop, and it turns out there is more to the shop’s inhabitant than just a wonderful confectionist.

Fantasy on Parade

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and resting between the holidays, giving plenty of thought towards the current state of Walt Disney World and where it will be going in 2018. The end of year is also a time for reflecting on where we’ve been in the past year, but more than that I’ve caught myself in moments looking all the way to my earliest connections to the resorts and parks that we call our happy places, our home, our vacation destination, and even our escape. Walt Disney World is a mashed up jumble of so many things that it is almost impossible to define, and we each look at it through a very different lens. With all of these random threads of thought trying to weave their way towards a centralized focal point, let’s look at the year ahead for Walt Disney World.

Construction has been an omnipresent part of the Walt Disney World experience for the past several years, and that’s a trend that isn’t looking to slow in 2018. While there will be many new places to explore in 2018, there will still be plenty of cranes, dirt mounds, and girders to be seen throughout the year as we look towards 2019 and beyond. The expansion of Main Street, U.S.A. and the France pavilion, TRON coming to Tomorrowland, a gondola transportation system, Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach additions, and the brand new land of Galaxy’s Edge are just a few of the experiences that won’t be ready in 2018, but that will be taking shape or have new details emerging during the year.

For what actually is coming to the resorts and entertainment areas of the Walt Disney World, we venture over to Caribbean Beach, where new dining and shopping options will be available to guests this year, although this is only a portion of the slated project for the resort. Meanwhile, Disney Springs will open the doors to the much anticipated The Edison, alongside Maria and Enzo’s Enzo’s Hideaway, and Pizza Pointe. Additional dining offerings coming to Disney Springs in 2018 include Wine Bar George, Terralina Crafted Italian, Jaleo, and a refurbishment of concept and cuisine for Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. There is a lot of anticipation around many of these venues, and each serves a very specialized audience that is sure to diversify Disney Spring’s offerings while continual enticing new guests in. In case you can’t tell, I myself am very excited for both The Edison and Enzo’s Hideaway, both of which speak to my industrial, forgotten, adventurer, mid-century sensabilities.

Switching gears towards the parks, we’ll start with Disney’s Animal Kingdom. While noting drastic has been announced around events for the park’s 20th anniversary in April, and 2017 was an out of this world year for the park (literally), one attraction is seeing a refurbishment. Flights of Wonder will be closed for the winter and early spring as it prepares a new storyline that will integrate the characters of Russell and Dug from Up into the show. I’ve always loved Flights of Wonder and how it shared the story of the birds in the care of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I also understand that it hasn’t always been a must do for guests. In fact, I’ve seen half-filled theaters as the norm that may only fill up if it is a particularly busy day in the park or guests who happen by after the show has already started. I’m not so much of a purist that I don’t understand the need for characters to inject some fresh blood into an attraction, and Up with an avian sidekick already, seems like a fair placement to give the attraction just that spark. I’ll miss the old show, but provided that the message stays the same and the educational value is still there, I’m interested in seeing the new iteration of the show.

Currently there is nothing slated to be coming to the Magic Kingdom in 2018, as new developments are plotted out further into the future to be ready for the park’s 50th anniversary in 2021, so I’m going to make a statement right here. A staple of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World experiences has always been the parades, in particular the nighttime parades that make their way between Frontierland and Main Street. The fact that the Magic Kingdom has been without a nighttime parade for more than a year now with no replacement in sight is simply appalling to me. I am hopeful that word of a new parade will come along at some point this year, but until then this remains an issue that is a true stick in my craw.

Epcot also doesn’t have anything new slated to open in 2018, again the plans for the ark are a bit further off, but the biggest news for the park is the expansion of the Festival of the Arts. This 2017 addition is the fourth festival for Epcot, especially with the holiday season being christened with the word festival this year as the International Festival of the Holidays, and gives the park a festival calendar that almost encompasses the entire calendar. Considering that the inspiration for EPCOT Center were the World’s Fairs, I don’t have a problem in the slightest with utilizing the park to focus on areas such as arts, holidays, horticulture, and culinary skills. The only drawback to these festivals is that the booths around the promenade do tend to take up quite a bit of railing space making it trickier and trickier to find a clear viewing spot for IllumiNations. I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the plans for Epcot, and I suspect a new show and better usage of space will be coming shortly. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy all the festivals of the park whenever I happen to be down that way.

Last, but certainly not least, is the new land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Toy Story Land is going to allow guests to enter Andy’s back yard and give them two new attractions, a new entrance to toy Story Midway Mania, expanded dining options, and a world of imaginative possibilities in terms of the look of the land. Setting Galaxy’s Edge aside for just moment, this is going to be a terrific addition to the park, and focuses on a Disney owned property that alleviates some of the pressures that come from utilizing outside IPs. If anything, with the success anything related to Toy Story has had in Walt Disney World, it is a wonder that it’s taken this long for a land to be developed in Florida.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has taken it on the chin for the past several years as it prepared for and began a huge shift from what it was to what it will be, some deservedly and some decidedly not. Nevertheless, complaints about the value and cost of a ticket versus the reduced offerings crept in and guests began deciding just how much time they really wanted to relegate to the work in progress. Glimpses of the park’s greatness have started to be seen here and therein 2017, and I suspect the perception of the park is about to start its swing back into the other direction in 2018.

This is a perfect place to start closing out our look at 2018 for Walt Disney World and talk about how we perceive the parks. Having spent some of the past week inside Walt Disney’s head, meaning I’ve done a lot of reading, listening to recording of him speak, and documentary viewing, I feel as if we’ve become very glib or possibly entitled to what we feel Walt Disney World is and what we are owed from it. Honestly, we can criticize how things are happening, how cranes and construction walls make our visits more difficult, how saccharine and removed from the real world the parks and resorts are, and we’d be wrong on every single count. If nothing changed, no one would come, and it wouldn’t be the place we know and love. And simply because the powers that be aren’t doing things the way you would want them to happen, doesn’t entitle them to change them for you. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but that doesn’t make them facts.

Walt Disney World, and the larger Disney, is a business. There are ways of changing how they do business, but you have to put yourself into the right position to affect change, not just beat against the gates with your megaphone. For Walt Disney World success is defined by attendance and room occupancy and merchandise sales, dollars and cents. For guests it is defined by story and entertainment and memories. There is sentimentality to the entire enterprise, and that is precisely what Walt was looking for, the crossroad or traffic circle where all of these paths intersect. Look no further than his thoughts on the it’s a small world clock, where he knew that there may be easier ways to find the time, but that they would not be as much fun.

And that’s the point of it all, isn’t it? We could spend our time someplace else, we could escape the real world for just a few moments on another experience, but there is a quality to the story and service, a memory of brighter times, and a trust that we have with the Disney name that brings us back time and again. So, while it may not be precisely what you think it should be, let’s put our faith and trust in the Walt Disney World pixie dust and see what we can do to make 2018 a bit brighter for everyone we see and meet there!