Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant/Dining Help Thread

[v_gan]

Wow. That's just ridiculous. They won't even give out information for people with allergies? I'm going to send an e-mail soon, letting them know how far behind they are in the dining department compared to Disney. That's just not acceptable to be that vague when it comes to allergies. Especially when people are wanting to spend money in your establishment.

 

[Vegcentric]

Wow. That's just ridiculous. They won't even give out information for people with allergies? I'm going to send an e-mail soon, letting them know how far behind they are in the dining department compared to Disney. That's just not acceptable to be that vague when it comes to allergies. Especially when people are wanting to spend money in your establishment.

That's a good idea. I'll be sending an e-mail as well. Let us know what they say to you!

 

[MelanieC]

Ok - My cell phone just rang and it was Universal Orlando. He was very nice, and he did say the topping (not the drink) had a very small amount of dairy in it, but that in accordance with the FDA it's gluten free because the amount is so small.

He did say they won't sell the drink without the topping and that they are very strict with this because of the rights of the "Harry Potter and JK Rowlings" and how the drink is supposed to be authentic.

 

[Vegcentric]

Ok - My cell phone just rang and it was Universal Orlando. He was very nice, and he did say the topping (not the drink) had a very small amount of dairy in it, but that in accordance with the FDA it's gluten free because the amount is so small.

He did say they won't sell the drink without the topping and that they are very strict with this because of the rights of the "Harry Potter and JK Rowlings" and how the drink is supposed to be authentic.

Well that's disappointing. I guess being authentic trumps having your drink available for everyone. I would have loved having some butterbeer while I was in the Harry Potter park, but I guess not now!

 

[MelanieC]

Well that's disappointing. I guess being authentic trumps having your drink available for everyone. I would have loved having some butterbeer while I was in the Harry Potter park, but I guess not now!

I agree- I guess we are stuck drinking pumpkin juice. That is definately vegan

 

[v_gan]

Ok - My cell phone just rang and it was Universal Orlando. He was very nice, and he did say the topping (not the drink) had a very small amount of dairy in it, but that in accordance with the FDA it's gluten free because the amount is so small.

He did say they won't sell the drink without the topping and that they are very strict with this because of the rights of the "Harry Potter and JK Rowlings" and how the drink is supposed to be authentic.

If it's as thick as it looks in pictures, maybe you could scoop it off? If it's just the topping that has the dairy in it, I may have to do that just so I can get a taste of what's underneath.

 

[MelanieC]

That's a good idea. I'm also not 100% convinced it's not something that is a cross contamination and just for "CYA" they are saying it has dairy. I mean, if it's not enough to list as an ingredient as you wouldn't have to with any ingredient you list then it must be something that may or may not be in the product like the items they list as was produced in a facility that produces dairy. When they send an item to a lab to get analysis on a product, it might not have dairy in the ingredients. But.........if it was made in a facility that shared equipment for something that did have dairy in it.......the item might come back with minute traces of dairy which may be where they got the "negligable amounts".

I still think it stinks they can't be more honest, I'm glad Disney isn't like that. Disney seems like they truly care about allergies and open and honest with the allergy books.

I may decide to have a sip just to taste it and would only drink the drink and not the topping. I wouldn't not buy something in the store that said "could" contain if it wasn't included in the ingredient list. It sounds like it's along those lines and we just have to use our best judgement. I don't think that the drink is really contributing to the suffering of cows if it's such a minute amount that they are only saying it could contain dairy for people with allergies and are allowed to call it a non-dairy drink.

Would have been great if they could have figured out how to use a minute amount of soy, almond milk, etc, lol. Sigh.......it is so hard to realize why some ingredients are in our food supply at all. For instance those bread conditioners kill me. Who needs to have duck feather or other bizzare ingredients. It's just not necessary. Who thinks this stuff up. Can you imagine sitting in a board room, let's add something made from duck feathers......????

 

[v_gan]

I'm also not 100% convinced it's not something that is a cross contamination and just for "CYA" they are saying it has dairy.

For instance those bread conditioners kill me. Who needs to have duck feather or other bizzare ingredients. It's just not necessary. Who thinks this stuff up. Can you imagine sitting in a board room, let's add something made from duck feathers......????

I agree.. If it really is just the topping like they're saying, that's not going to keep me from trying what's underneath at least once. It really is stupid that they're being so unclear about that whole thing. It was nice that you got a phone call back, though.

And what's this about bread conditioners and duck feathers?! I've never heard of anything like that.

 

[MelanieC]

L-cysteine can come from plant or animal sources as well as human hair (How gross is that).

Check out this link:

http://www.albalagh.net/halal/col2.shtml

Here is another

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqingredients.htm#cystine

I know Einsteins uses L-cystein from Duck feathers and I believe so does Dunkin Donuts for their bagels.

There are plant based sources too.

 

[VeganCupcake]

I asked her if there was dairy and milk in the butterbeer. She wanted to know how severe the allergy there was. She said if there is a severe milk allergy, they recommend to not drink it. She said the FDA has approved it as a non-dairy drink, and that if there is less than a specific amount of milk product it doesn't have to go on a label. She said this could be the same for any ingredient. That if there is less than a specific amount of any ingredient in a product, no matter what it is it doesn't have to be listed.

Wow how super frustrating that must have been!
When I worked at Nutrition World, we got in a shipment of these new sugar free cookies. I saw on the side of the bag it said VEGAN, but I read the ingredients anyways, and low and behold egg whites were the last ingredient. So I called them and was all like what the actual heck man? and the woman said the same thing, if its less than... 1%-3% or whatever the FDA doesn't make them even list the ingredient. I said I the real problem I had was with them labeling a product vegan knowing that the product was not vegan. It just really makes you wonder about what you are actually eating sometimes. I can't think about it so much or I start to get paranoid, like people are trying to "get the vegan" haha. On the plus side- I heard from my bff the pumpkin juice is killer! Let us know about any vegan Harry Potter candies you may find!!! I'm so jealous of you!!!!

 

[MelanieC]

Wow how super frustrating that must have been!
When I worked at Nutrition World, we got in a shipment of these new sugar free cookies. I saw on the side of the bag it said VEGAN, but I read the ingredients anyways, and low and behold egg whites were the last ingredient. So I called them and was all like what the actual heck man? and the woman said the same thing, if its less than... 1%-3% or whatever the FDA doesn't make them even list the ingredient. I said I the real problem I had was with them labeling a product vegan knowing that the product was not vegan. It just really makes you wonder about what you are actually eating sometimes. I can't think about it so much or I start to get paranoid, like people are trying to "get the vegan" haha. On the plus side- I heard from my bff the pumpkin juice is killer! Let us know about any vegan Harry Potter candies you may find!!! I'm so jealous of you!!!

That is great to hear the pumpkin juice is killer. I may just try a "sip" of the butterbeer just for the experience, but get a pumpkin juice for me. It's cheaper anyway, lol.


I'll definately keep my eye out for vegan snacks there. I guess it depends on how crowded it is if I can really get in there to look at a lot of the ingredients. We are planning a full day at US and a full day at IOA and then split our day between the two parks on the last 3rd full day at IOA/US.

We have 5 days till we leave. I'm starting to get so excited I can hardly sleep, lol. Right now I'm trying to get up the energy to pack. I got really sick on Wednesday (flu like - totally lethargic and put me out for almost 4 days). I'm finally feeling pretty good today, I only got tired when I was out shopping. I didn't get half the stuff done I wanted to today.

 

[MelanieC]

Sorry for so many posts today, I should be packing...........but I can't get off the computer.

I found this the other day. I think it's good info, but I'm not sure how updated. It's from Kitty from the Bashful Vegan. I'm definately going to look for the chocolate banana pops at Ghiradelli and the coconut cashew crips. I have 18 snack credits to use in 9 days so I'm going to have a full report on all 18 vegan snacks I got including pics And of course all my meals too! Since I'm at POP for 2 weeks I'm also going to go down the first chance I get and talk to someone to see what kinds of things they can do for me while I'm there. I really want to try the vegan mickey waffles once I wonder if they would get some tofu for me and make a tofu sramble and vegan mickey mouse waffles as a breakfast option. I'm also going to tell them that the last 9 nights I'll be at the resort on the QSDP and see if they can get some tofutti in for me as a snack when I'm there.

http://allears.net/din/veg_snacks.htm

By Kitty Smith

As a vegetarian, I never had trouble finding tasty treats at Walt Disney World. Every corner offered cookies, cake or ice cream. However, when I made the switch to vegan, it wasn't quite so easy. It seemed like everyone around me had a Mickey ice cream bar or a funnel cake. I had given up meat, dairy and eggs, but I hadn't intended to give up treats!

After a little research, I began to realize that I just wasn't looking hard enough. Dairy-free and egg-free treats are not only available, but actually quite plentiful at Walt Disney World - you just need to know where to look. Hopefully, my ideas will save others from the "treat envy" I suffered on my first vegan trip to the World. (Please note: if you have allergies, please check with a Cast Member before trying anything. Also, I have not taken refined sugar into account - it is most likely present in most of the items mentioned here.)

If you're looking for a quick, filling snack, the soft pretzels available in all the parks are vegan. I've often made a small lunch from a pretzel and some fresh fruit. Also, except for the clearly indicated "McDonald's french fries", most Disney fries are vegan.
For a salty snack, I was surprised to discover that Disney popcorn is actually vegan, despite its buttery taste and appearance. (It's made with a combination of four vegetable oils.)

For something cold on a hot summer day, nothing beats a Kaki Gori from the Japan pavilion at Epcot. While much like a snow cone, this shaved ice treat somehow manages to keep its flavor until the bottom of the paper cone. (My favorite is definitely strawberry, though others swear by the honeydew. If you can't make up your mind, a "sampler" is available.) When Japan isn't so convenient, many of the ice cream carts also sell strawberry bars, orange bars, or the outrageous Itsakadoozie - a huge, multi-flavored popsicle.

If you're craving nuts, there are carts that sell roasted cashews, sweetened pecans, or my favorite: cinnamon-glazed almonds. Mmmmm!

When you're in the area, the Boardwalk Bakery offers cherry and apple turnovers. (When we stay at The Boardwalk Villas, I also frequently pick up their hard rolls or baguettes, to make sandwiches with in our room. They're definitely best fresh - so much better than plain old bread.)

On my last trip, I spent some time perusing the gift-shops around World Showcase at Epcot. While some labels were a mystery, most listed ingredients in English as well as the native language. I had quite a lot of fun discovering treats that I could take back to my hotel room, or bring home for later enjoyment.

Canada is the place to go if maple syrup is your thing: maple syrup, maple butter, maple sugar candies, and even maple cookies were found to be vegan. Norway had some thin coffee-flavored cookies that looked quite tasty, too.

However, if chocolate is your thing, then look no further than Germany. I hit the mother lode here; quite a variety of dairy-free dark chocolate bars were available. (Be sure to read the labels - not all bars are safe, but all the dark chocolate I found was okay.) Some of the items I found included: Feodora Superior Dark Chocolate bar, Hachez Cocoa D'arriba (orange-flavored dark chocolate), and Carl Brandt Mokka-Bohnen Zartbitter-Schokolade (chocolate coffee beans). My favorite? The Ritter Sport Marzipan Dark Chocolate. (I'm not a huge marzipan fan, but the chocolate was some of the best I've had. I'm hoping that maybe they'll get in some of the other Ritter Sport dark chocolate bars in the future.)

For a truly decadent treat, The Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop at Downtown Disney offers a rare find: a chocolate-covered frozen banana with semi-sweet (non-dairy) chocolate (with or without nuts). I didn't see this on the menu, but it was readily available when I asked. Be forewarned, though - this is much bigger and richer than the standard frozen bananas sold in the parks. Despite my most valiant effort, I could not finish one of these by myself.

There are also other types of candy available here and there. While the fresh "bag yourself" taffy seems to have eggs, most of the pre-packaged taffy seems to be safe. (Goofy's taffy is available at most of the candy stores or resort gift shops, or there's also salt-water taffy available at the candy shop and gift shop located on the Boardwalk.) Many lollipops and other hard candies also seem to be safe - but please read the labels first. One tasty treat I discovered at the Main Street Confectionary in the Magic Kingdom: Coconut Cashew Crisp. Your dentist may never forgive you, but I loved this stuff - sort of like peanut brittle but with cashews and coconut instead of peanuts.

I'm sure there are other treats that I have yet to discover, but this should be a good start to satisfy your sweet-tooth. Happy munching!

If you have other treats and snacks to suggest or have updates to any of our Vegetarian pages, please email Kitty at: wdwkitty@earthlink.net

 

[Vegcentric]

I just wanted to wish you a great and safe trip! Looking forward to any information you find out while you're there!

 

[Plasticletters]

I love Harry Potter and all, but "Butter Beer" sounds incredibly unappetizing to me. I understand wanting to have the "unique experience" of the new Harry Potter area of IOA and fully make it worth the trip, but reading through all these posts I couldn't get this gross image out of my head of liquidy movie popcorn butter with carbonation in it. I also understand advertising is advertising and a brand is nothing more than a brand, but would you want to drink something called "Butter Beer" had something with that name not been featured in a popular book series? I'm sorry if I seem like I'm raining on the parade, because I don't mean to try and spoil people's fun. I fully recognize part of the idea of going on vacation (ESPECIALLY to Disney or Universal) is to escape into a fantasy world where normal ideas and rules do not apply - I'm just saying for my own part, no matter what fantasy world I'm in, I wouldn't enjoy something called "Egg Soda" or "Meat Juice" - know what I'm saying?

Again, this isn't meant to be critical, just some random musings. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for wanting to try "Butter Beer" or for fully researching it, nor do I excuse Universal for being so weird about what they will and will not reveal - I just can't help but think how hilarious it would be if someone called up Universal and asked "is there dairy products in Butter Beer?" and the Universal Rep said to them "it's called BUTTER beer. what do you think?".

One last time, just to make it completely clear (as anything resembling objectivity tends to get ignored on the internet) I'm not criticizing anyone, thinking they are a "bad vegan" or anything like that. The fact that you all even bothered to read this thread (vegan, vegetarian, or meat eating folk alike) makes you ok in my book, I'm just wondering if anybody was thinking what I was.

 

[Vegcentric]

I love Harry Potter and all, but "Butter Beer" sounds incredibly unappetizing to me. I understand wanting to have the "unique experience" of the new Harry Potter area of IOA and fully make it worth the trip, but reading through all these posts I couldn't get this gross image out of my head of liquidy movie popcorn butter with carbonation in it. I also understand advertising is advertising and a brand is nothing more than a brand, but would you want to drink something called "Butter Beer" had something with that name not been featured in a popular book series? I'm sorry if I seem like I'm raining on the parade, because I don't mean to try and spoil people's fun. I fully recognize part of the idea of going on vacation (ESPECIALLY to Disney or Universal) is to escape into a fantasy world where normal ideas and rules do not apply - I'm just saying for my own part, no matter what fantasy world I'm in, I wouldn't enjoy something called "Egg Soda" or "Meat Juice" - know what I'm saying?

Again, this isn't meant to be critical, just some random musings. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for wanting to try "Butter Beer" or for fully researching it, nor do I excuse Universal for being so weird about what they will and will not reveal - I just can't help but think how hilarious it would be if someone called up Universal and asked "is there dairy products in Butter Beer?" and the Universal Rep said to them "it's called BUTTER beer. what do you think?".

One last time, just to make it completely clear (as anything resembling objectivity tends to get ignored on the internet) I'm not criticizing anyone, thinking they are a "bad vegan" or anything like that. The fact that you all even bothered to read this thread (vegan, vegetarian, or meat eating folk alike) makes you ok in my book, I'm just wondering if anybody was thinking what I was.

I get what you're saying. Here's at least what I think about it, and I don't expect others to agree with me, but this is just my own opinion: I liked meat, and I liked eggs. The flavor of them, that is. Dairy I could take it or leave it, because I found milk to always be extremely gross, same goes for other dairy products, but I didn't stop eating the other two things because they didn't taste good. I ate a lot of McDonalds cheeseburgers.
The only dairy product that I really liked was butter - I loooved butter. Thank goodness for Earth Balance, because it's the only thing that tastes like actual butter to me, the butter that I can remember (not that crappy margarine stuff). So, yeah...I was kind of interested in having the butter beer though at first I was kind of thought it was obvious it would have had a chock load of dairy in it. I was actually really surprised it was mostly dairy-free, but it was a pleasant surprise because I thought I'd be actually able to indulge in it. I guess there are other people out there that think meat, eggs and dairy are disgusting, but I do sometimes miss a cheeseburger.
I'm an ethical vegan first, so it doesn't take too much willpower to shun those things from my diet(except for the eggs, those were a battle). But I know there are environmental and health vegans out there too. I think there are also omnivores out there that would also find butter beer to be completely disgusting, too. I guess it's just different strokes for different folks, and I can totally understand why you wouldn't want to drink it.
Also - though I ate a lot of cheeesbugers, I wouldn't want to drink "meat juice" or "Egg soda" either. Yuck!

 

[Plasticletters]

I get what you're saying. Here's at least what I think about it, and I don't expect others to agree with me, but this is just my own opinion: I liked meat, and I liked eggs. The flavor of them, that is. Dairy I could take it or leave it, because I found milk to always be extremely gross, same goes for other dairy products, but I didn't stop eating the other two things because they didn't taste good. I ate a lot of McDonalds cheeseburgers.
The only dairy product that I really liked was butter - I loooved butter. Thank goodness for Earth Balance, because it's the only thing that tastes like actual butter to me, the butter that I can remember (not that crappy margarine stuff). So, yeah...I was kind of interested in having the butter beer though at first I was kind of thought it was obvious it would have had a chock load of dairy in it. I was actually really surprised it was mostly dairy-free, but it was a pleasant surprise because I thought I'd be actually able to indulge in it. I guess there are other people out there that think meat, eggs and dairy are disgusting, but I do sometimes miss a cheeseburger.
I'm an ethical vegan first, so it doesn't take too much willpower to shun those things from my diet(except for the eggs, those were a battle). But I know there are environmental and health vegans out there too. I think there are also omnivores out there that would also find butter beer to be completely disgusting, too. I guess it's just different strokes for different folks, and I can totally understand why you wouldn't want to drink it.
Also - though I ate a lot of cheeesbugers, I wouldn't want to drink "meat juice" or "Egg soda" either. Yuck!

That's a really interesting take on it. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Vegcentric]

No problem! Maybe someone else will chime in with a totally different outlook on it...I hope so, I'm pretty curious myself.

 

[Danislee]

My husband will be going to Ohana on our upcoming trip in September. I'm veggie, my husband is not, how exactly does that work? Will he get the standard menu? I apologize if this is a bit of a stupid question, we've just never been to Ohana.

 

[MelanieC]

My husband will be going to Ohana on our upcoming trip in September. I'm veggie, my husband is not, how exactly does that work? Will he get the standard menu? I apologize if this is a bit of a stupid question, we've just never been to Ohana.

Hi there!!

Ohana will definately do a veggie meal and a regular meal for the table. They are very accomodating. You will find that if Chef TJ is working the day you get there, your meal is usually really good as he is a wonderful chef and comes up with all sorts of things for you. The other chef's vary in their culinary veggie adventures.

 

[MelanieC]

I love Harry Potter and all, but "Butter Beer" sounds incredibly unappetizing to me. I understand wanting to have the "unique experience" of the new Harry Potter area of IOA and fully make it worth the trip, but reading through all these posts I couldn't get this gross image out of my head of liquidy movie popcorn butter with carbonation in it. I also understand advertising is advertising and a brand is nothing more than a brand, but would you want to drink something called "Butter Beer" had something with that name not been featured in a popular book series? I'm sorry if I seem like I'm raining on the parade, because I don't mean to try and spoil people's fun. I fully recognize part of the idea of going on vacation (ESPECIALLY to Disney or Universal) is to escape into a fantasy world where normal ideas and rules do not apply - I'm just saying for my own part, no matter what fantasy world I'm in, I wouldn't enjoy something called "Egg Soda" or "Meat Juice" - know what I'm saying?

Again, this isn't meant to be critical, just some random musings. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for wanting to try "Butter Beer" or for fully researching it, nor do I excuse Universal for being so weird about what they will and will not reveal - I just can't help but think how hilarious it would be if someone called up Universal and asked "is there dairy products in Butter Beer?" and the Universal Rep said to them "it's called BUTTER beer. what do you think?".

One last time, just to make it completely clear (as anything resembling objectivity tends to get ignored on the internet) I'm not criticizing anyone, thinking they are a "bad vegan" or anything like that. The fact that you all even bothered to read this thread (vegan, vegetarian, or meat eating folk alike) makes you ok in my book, I'm just wondering if anybody was thinking what I was.

Warning - This got long!

Don't worry, I didn't take this as a criticism at all. I'm super thankful for this thread because not only do I not know anyone in real life who is a vegan, let alone a vegetarian. Having a place like this to talk about issues, ideas (especially when they concern Disney and Orlando-obviously a love for all of us), is a godsend to me.

Here is my take on it. I'm a new vegan (baby vegan, lol) as well as I wasn't a vegetarian for that long. I made the switch to vegetarianism on November 10, 2009. I did it right before Thanksgiving, and once I made up my mind there was no saying I'll wait till after Thankgiving or wait till the new year. Nope, I just made the decision and did it cold turkey and never looked back. I guess I was a vegetarian in training for a long time, but I still ate meat and the times I thought about going vegetarian I would feel like I couldn't do it. In my heart I wanted to do it, and I knew someday I was.......but I wasn't in a place yet to feel comfortable to just do it. On November 9th I went to lunch with DH and we stopped at the bookstore. I had been wanting to buy The Kind Diet, and I bought it that day. I said to DH, I bet you think I woudln't become a vegetarian. He said.......No, I think you would. That night he made Chicken tortilla soup and when I ate it......it was just super disgusting (the chicken). From that meal on I haven't eaten meat.

The summer prior to this, I had done a lot of research on vegan and raw diets. I don't believe in eating a totally raw diet or even a mostly raw, but I love incorporating lots of fresh foods and raw recipes are really intriguing to me. At that time, I struggled with not eating meat.......I really didn't think I could become a vegan, but it intrigued me. Once I became a vegetarian and I also read The Kind Diet. I loved how she introduced the idea to the mainstream of "flirting" as a vegan. So flirting is what I did. I began to experiment with things like earth balance, almond milk, hemp and other milks, dairy free ice creams, etc. Cheese seemed like I could NEVER EVER give it up, but I learned to use hummus in quasadillas and find other alternatives like that. I didn't put any pressure on myself, I was just "flirting". Around the end of April, I started seeing how many days I could go eating vegan. Each day got easier. Then on May 2nd, my family went to Panera. I wanted to try the vegan options.........but my internal voice won and I had dairy. Afterwards I thought.......WHY????? It wasn't even that good. So the next day, I picked back up and went to see how many days I could not eat vegan. That was the last day I ate something that wasn't vegan.

For me, this journey hasn't been easy. It's been a self discovery and I'm always happy when I think about what I'm doing. I mean......how can you not be happy when your saving the lives of innocent animals. But.....I haven't been this way long. For the most part, the things I gave up disgust me and I'm really particular about making sure someone doesn't cross contaminate when they are making my food (because that really disgusts me). But........meat being grilled still smells good (because I've been around it all my life), and for instance when we were camping I did miss it because of the smells. Not that I would have given in, even for a second.......because I wouldn't have - but it still smelt good. For me, this has been a period of learning to love new foods and finding out how animal products are so not necessary to enjoy foods or life. It's been easy, but then again it's been hard. For instance.......going to a Christening on July 4th, we had been camping all weekend so I couldn't bring anything. We were in an area without good choices of places to eat and the only thing at the catered event I could eat was lettuce. The potatoes, carrots and bread all had butter on them. Every dish had meat and/or dairy except the lettuce. So I sat there and ate my big plate of lettuce. I did feel anxiety that DH's family would judge me and make fun of me. Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I did have a veggie sandwich from Sub-way on the drive from the campsite. Everyone went back to one of the brother's house and they cooked hamburgers and hot dogs. Luckily I did bring some hummus, crackers and peanut butter. That was enough to satisfy me until DH stopped and got me a pinto bean taco from taco bell on the way home.

Sorry - I'm not even sure where I'm going with this anymore but to say.......the words butter and beer don't repulse me right now. I struggle with the wanting to experience what everyone else is experiencing and work hard to find things I can have ahead of time so I'm not standing there feeling deprived. Part of this journey is learning that as a vegan you don't have to be deprived of foods. Just because I can't have this when I'm out doesn't mean I can never have it. I can make it, or there are lots of goodies that are vegan out there. I had the best coconut bar (sort of like a magic cookie bar) when we went on my daughter's college orientation. This vegetarian/vegan restaurant was the bomb!! Am I little sad that I don't get to enjoy all the gooey ooey sweets in WDW while we are there, especially since I will have to watch my family eat desserts since we have the QSDP and we will have 18 snack credits - of course. Will I mourn all the desserts at Boma, especially Zebra Domes which were my all time favorite - yep! But - I bet I gain less weight on vacation (it adds up eating junk like that for 2 weeks straight), and I'll probably try some amazing things I would have never eaten had I not become a vegan. Will I smile with each bite knowing I'm making a difference on an animals life - You bet

As for the butter beer. The jury is still out if I'll have a sip. The name doesn't disgust me...........but the foam on top sounds artificial and disgusting. You should see the way I am at home. I don't buy something unless the ingredient list is small and I know what's in it (and it's natural and most likely organic). I'm actually looking foward to the pumpkin juice though.


AND - OMG egg Soda and Meat Juice. That's enough to conjur up some seriously awful thoughts. I guess and hope eventually that the word butter will do that to me. I would imagine since I eat earth balance and still think of it as putting butter on my toast (heck after 41 years that's hard to change that thinking). I guess since I don't eat meat or eggs and there are no substitutes that is why the words sounds grosser. Ice Cream doesn't bother me and I now eat non dairy versions - but I still call it Ice Cream.

Ok.......whew! Sorry that got so long. I didn't mean to write a novel!
2 more sleeps!!! I'm so excited!!