The Trip That Almost Wasn't - The Food Report - September 2017 **COMPLETE**

[mexico07]

Love this day 😂😜😂 all looks and #ounds amazing, we went to cal8 grill for my birthday last sept and I had a few lovely cocktails there and then headed to trader sams but I only managed the hippopotami which was amazing but you’ve made me feel a bit of a wimp now😂😂😂 so I’m taking it as a challenge and have just told hubbie we need to try them all this visit ! See what youve started now 😂😂😂

[DisneyDreamer81]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Wow, what a day. No wonder it's taken so long to write it up, you must've been in an alcohol stupor for days and days it sounds perfect. I love that you had a mission to try all the cocktails. Please can I come on holiday with you next time! Yummy!

I hope you enjoyed the rest of the holiday, after you recovered from your day of excess...how did you feel the day after? Can't wait for the next update.

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Haha, yes it was a bit of a mammoth write up!

To be honest, we both felt fine the next day, which was very surprising! I think the sheer volume of food that we put away, plus the fact that we stopped drinking at about 8.30pm meant that we slept it off!

Originally Posted by mexico07

Love this day 😂😜😂 all looks and #ounds amazing, we went to cal8 grill for my birthday last sept and I had a few lovely cocktails there and then headed to trader sams but I only managed the hippopotami which was amazing but you’ve made me feel a bit of a wimp now😂😂😂 so I’m taking it as a challenge and have just told hubbie we need to try them all this visit ! See what youve started now 😂😂😂

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Aaah you must try the others! The Krakatoa is my personal favourite, it was delicious! I take full blame for any hangovers and reductions in bank balance

[Kat11]

I had the Polynesian pearl when we last went but I was gutted when I couldn't fit it in our suitcase to bring it home🙁

Kat

[Jaspercat10]

Wow what an amazing read some of those cocktails look fantastic really loving the report thank you

[clarithy]

What a fantastic day. Can’t wait to try trader sams next year. Looking forward to more

[DisneyDreamer81]

Originally Posted by Kat11

I had the Polynesian pearl when we last went but I was gutted when I couldn't fit it in our suitcase to bring it home🙁

Kat

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We took an extra bag with us as we knew we wanted to bring back lots of souvenir mugs and glasses! We managed to fill it

Originally Posted by Jaspercat10

Wow what an amazing read some of those cocktails look fantastic really loving the report thank you

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Thankyou so much! We loved pretty much every cocktail we had while we were there (and we had a LOT)

Originally Posted by clarithy

What a fantastic day. Can’t wait to try trader sams next year. Looking forward to more

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It was amazing! Trader Sam's is so much fun! Next day should be up shortly but it's a bit of a mammoth one!

[DisneyDreamer81]

Day 6 - 18th September 2017

Today was an extremely exciting day. It was time to... DRINK AROUND THE WORLD! Apologies in advance for the fact that this post is extremely long but, when you spend 12 hours in Epcot, there's a lot to report

For breakfast we had our leftover sweet treats from California Grill. I can confirm that they were all absolutely delicious and they made a perfect early morning snack

It was then time to don our very special Team Coates t-shirts, lovingly designed by my very talented husband, and head to Epcot!

We began in the Festival Center and had a Ghirardelli square each. Got to love those freebies! We then headed over to Club Cool and I told Ainge to try the Beverly. Most disappointingly he liked it I also like it but he normally hates bitter things so I was really hoping for a disgusted reaction. Boooo.

Once we'd had our fill of fizzy drinks, we headed off to our first booth... Mexico! We opted for the Rib Eye Taco (Marinated Rib Eye, Roasted Chipotle Sauce and Grilled Scallions on a Corn Tortilla), which would have been $6.75 if paying oop. I'll put the prices of everything in brackets but we paid using snack/QS credits for all food (bar one, to be revealed :angry and via magical Magic Band (so not like spending actual money therefore so dangerous) for all alcoholic beverages.

And the Mexico verdict? Ainge loved it. I really didn't. I just couldn't get on board with the very distinctive taste of the tortilla. I ordered myself a Spicy Apple Margarita ($10.75) to get rid of the taste and... hated that too! Not a great start to F&W, but it gets a LOT better...

Next up was Thailand and we used a QS credit to get Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Stir-fried Vegetables ($4.75), Seared Shrimp and Scallop Cake with Cold Noodle Salad ($5.00) and a Red Hot Spicy Thai Curry Beef with Steamed Rice ($5.50). We loved all of these but the surprise winner for me was the shrimp and scallop cake.

Next up was the Craft Beers booth, where Ainge got the Western Florida Flight for $9.00. I had a bit of each and the JDub’s Passion Wheat was my favourite. Ainge enjoyed all three

Onwards to China where I got a Tipsy Ducks in Love from The Joy of Tea ($8.95). Oh my word this was AMAZING! I'm so so sad I didn't get another one at some point during our trip. Ainge headed for the China F&W booth and got a BaiJoe Punch (Chinese Bai Jui Spirit, Lychee, Coconut and Pineapple Juice - $10.50). I had a bit and can confirm it was delicious, although pretty potent!

Next up were India and the Refreshment Cool Post. From India we got the Korma Chicken with Cucumber Tomato Salad, Almonds, Cashews and Warm Naan Bread ($5.25). Ainge loves a Korma and, while this was very nice it was definitely NOT a Korma. Tasty enough though! From the Refreshment Cool Post Ainge got a Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky & Frozen Coke ($11.00) and, predictably, loved it. That boy loves a whiskey (with an "e" because he's Irish )!

From there we headed round to Africa, where I got the wine flight ($6.50). Two of them were nice enough but the Jam Jar Shiraz was amazing. I so wish we'd bought a bottle from the Festival Center to bring home with us

While in the area, we also got a Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Pomegranate Beer ($4.00) from Brewer's Collection. This was nice but nowhere near as nice as the grapefruit one that they have in Germany. I think Ainge got a Radeberger Zwickel Pilsner ($4.25) from Germany at this point but I don't have a photo and the memories are a little bit hazy

Onwards to Spain where we ordered the Charcuterie in a Cone with a selection of imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses, Olives and a Herb Vinaigrette ($6.50). Although they'd clearly run out of cones so ours was Charcuterie in a Plastic Glass. It was still very tasty though!

Next up was Italy, where I ordered a Frozen Margarita with Limoncello and Tequila ($10.00). This was delicious! Not particularly strong but lovely and refreshing on a very humid day. Ainge picked up a Frozen Spiked Tea with Orlando Orange Vodka ($11.00) and this was exactly the opposite of my margarita - ridiculously strong! It was also tiny.

Japan was next on the agenda and we got a Pom Pineapple Sake Cocktail ($7.50). Of all the colours I was expecting this drink to be, purple was not one! It was really nice though and I could have definitely drunk a couple more We then headed to Morocco and ordered a Casa Pale Lager ($4.00) for Ainge and a Mimosa Royale (Sparkling Wine and Orange Juice topped with Orange Liqueur – $8.00) for me. The beer was nice enough but nothing special and, to be honest, so was the mimosa. It was nice and tangy with the orange liqueur in it though.

Now you may have noticed that the food has been fairly sparse in comparison to the drinks. To be honest, it was so humid that we didn't feel all that hungry but, given the amount of drinks we'd imbibed so far, we decreed that we must have something to eat from Belgium. Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes ($5.00) was our choice and, if you use a magnifying glass, you may be able to spot the mash Very tasty but very tiny!

Onwards to Brazil and a Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaça ($11.00) for me. Delicious!

France was next and I excitedly instructed Ainge to get me a La Passion Martini Slush (Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice – $10.75). I get demanding when boozy. When he returned I was DISMAYED to see that the drink had come in a tumbler, and not the usual martini glass. "How can I possibly Instagram the life out of this?", I sobbed Still, it was pretty delicious so I made my peace with the inferior glass fairly quickly. Ainge got himself a St-Germain Sparkling Kir (Sparkling Wine and St-Germain Elderflower liqueur – $8.50) and it was also delicious. To satisfy my curiosity, I also got an Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley ($5.75). Ainge refused to have even a tiny bite but I actually quite enjoyed it!

We skipped on through Ireland (probably literally, I'd had a lot of booze by this point) and Ainge got himself a Guinness Blonde American Lager ($4.00), while I got a Kahlúa-tini Iced Coffee (coffee, chilled then topped with Kahlúa, Grey Goose Vodka and Half & Half — $9.49) from the Joffrey's stand nearby. No idea what Ainge thought of his beer but I'm guessing it was ok? Mine, however, was DELICIOUS.

Canada was next and, as neither of us like mushrooms, we bypassed the filet and got the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup served with a Pretzel Roll ($5.00) instead. This was nice but the stout cheese dip from Ireland was much nicer. We also got an Neige Premiere “Apple Ice Wine” ($6.00) to share, which came in a comically small glass. It was nice enough but I could basically have drunk it in one sip.

Next up was the Refreshment Port where Ainge committed a cardinal sin. He ordered something that wasn't a snack credit and we had to PAY for it The offending item was Fried Chicken Breast Nuggets with DOLE Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce ($9.49). They were lovely but we really didn't need a massive portion of nuggets and fries in our bloated states. We also got a Pineapple DOLE Whip Soft-Serve Ice Cream with Bacardi Coconut Rum ($9.25), which I loved and Ainge wasn't too fussed about.

Patagonia was up next where I got a red wine of some description? No idea why, no idea which one (I'm at work and the passport is at home), but there were only two to choose from so it was either a Pinot Noir or, most likely, a Malbec, both $6.00. We then hit up Hawaii and ordered a Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine ($6.00) and a Mai Tai featuring Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum ($9.00). Both decent enough but the wine wasn't pineapple-y (not a word) enough for my liking.

We nipped into Starbucks for a much needed iced water on our way to Light Lab. Once there (and still standing, miraculously), Ainge ordered a Space Flight ($9.00) from the bar in the atrium and then I got a Bleu Spectrum (Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with Boba Pearls – $9.00) in Light Lab itself. I love a novelty drink and this didn't disappoint! Just look at it!

We were flagging now and decided to head to one more booth before taking up our place for Illuminations. Our chosen booth was the Wine and Dine Studio, where we ordered the Artist Palette of Cheese and Wine ($11.25), which was the Trio of Artisan Cheese paired with Round Pond Estate Sauvignon Blanc, St. Francis Chardonnay and Recuerdo Malbec. Most of the wines weren't particularly to our taste but the cheeses were amazing and, most importantly, it was served in a novelty palette. Win win.

With approximately one million booths ticked off the list and numerous dishes and drinks consumed, we were seriously shattered, full and fairly tipsy. We watched Illuminations (amazing) and then waddled back to Yacht Club, where I cuddled up to my favourite snack of all time and headed off to the land of nod.

SUCH a fun day!

[Gev]

Wow! What a fab day'. Kudos to both of you for keeping up the pace with all the alcohol. I'm a bit of a lightweight where alcohol is concerned these days, bug quite a few of those drinks appealed to me. Xx

[Goldia]

Goodness me! I'm totally in awe of your achievements.

I asked if I could come on holiday with you last time I read your report as you'd managed cali grill followed by ALL the cocktails from trader Sam's...now I'm officially going to smuggle myself into your case and just follow around in your wake, I won't be any trouble, I'll be the slightly wobbly, slightly giggly middle aged woman. Wow! What a fab day of drinking and eating around the world.

So much to comment on...the flights look amazing, both wine and beer and I'm not really a beer drinker but they looked good...did you mention a dole whip with bacardi? That sounds amazing. Err, what else? The beautiful multi coloured drink at the end, oh and the Space flight, it's the names that do it for me I think, they make them all sound so cute. I'm not surprised you couldn't resist.

I'm wondering what you managed to get up to next, I can't wait to find out. Loving your report.

[Grapesoda]

I feel drunk reading this. Hic!