Eating My Way Around the World at Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Now through November 13, 2011, you can enjoy food and spirits from around the world at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Come with an empty stomach, and an empty charge card, as you'll need both. But OH will you be happy you did!

My pilgrimage started with some Swedish Meatballs at the Scandinavia Kiosk. Three meatballs cost $3.50 and they're served with a tasty gravy and a dollop of Lingonberries. I could have wolfed them down in a bite or two, but decided to be ladylike and cut them in two so as not to look too ravenous. While picking up the order I spied with my little eye a cognac I'd never heard of... Xante. When in Rome... or Scandinavia. It was $5.75 for the small glass of amber-colored goodness. Delicious pear notes filled my mouth as I tried to just sip it. You're only supposed to SIP cognac. My friend and I took turns sipping. Confession: I think I was taking bigger sips than you, Miranda! Still love me?

Friendly staff serving up
tastes of the world

Without a plane, or magic carpet, we landed in China in a scant few minutes. Pot Stickers sounded good. Last year I think they offered 3 "pieces" but for this year's $3.50 you get two. They were nice tasting, but another one would have been more in line with the price.

Over in South Korea my friend and I indulged in two orders of BBQ Ribs. (No sharing Korean pork!) Holy moly was it delicious! My husband, who lived in Korea, will NOT eat kimchi ever again must NOT have tried this. It's officially "Boolgogi BBQ Pork with Steamed Rice and Kimchi Slaw." Maybe it's the "slaw" part that makes it so different, and so wonderful. Spicy mouthfuls of crunchy cabbage with the chewy meat... OK I'm getting hungry now. Even the rice was somehow extra special. Only $4.25. Worth it!

Singapore anyone? We checked out the Beef Rendang ($3.25) and Shrimp Cake Skewer (3.50). The Beef Rendang was, well, beefy tasting, but the Shrimp Cake (skewered with a sugar cane piece) was less than delightful. It's hard to do seafood cakes en mass, so I cut them some slack and decided that if I visit Singapore I'll be all over it....

My 4-year-old insisted upon us making tracks to Germany to watch the miniature train display. They added a really cute mini-Food and Wine setup. I could have stayed there watching him watch the trains for hours, but I got hungry and we lured him away with treats (which he doesn't get to eat much of at home).

The mini Food and Wine Festival display even has the cranberry bog, one of the
displays visitors can enjoy in addition to all the food and shows.

Greasy fast-food over-carbed Americans that we are had to enjoy a funnel cake. It was good. So good, in fact, that I'm embarrassed to tell you how fast our group devoured it. In the midst of the world's greatest cuisine, here we are eating fried dough with powdered sugar. We're so uncultured. (Excuse me while I wipe my mouth enjoying the memory.) I don't know how much it cost. I think I used the receipt as a napkin. Like I said, though, it's a "sometimes" treat. So that's not so bad, right?!

Ciao Italy! The best thing I ate by far was the Ravioli di Formaggia all Emiliana, a.k.a. a really big, super saucy, ooey gooey cheese ravioli. I could have eaten about 4 orders of it. Did my travel-mates like it? Don't know. It was mine, and I had a plastic fork with tines on it and everything. Don't mess with a woman and her pasta. Just don't.

We also shared an ice slushy there. Everyone seemed to like it as evidenced by the bright-colored tongues talking to me. I was too busy eating the ravioli. I think I remember asking how it was. Not sure. I had tomato sauce dripping down the side of my mouth.

After catching the hilarious ladies at the Italian "street festival," we made tracks for France  There we indulged in Escargo Persillade en Brioche ($4.95 for three) and a Parisian Cosmo Slush ($8.50). The escargo were as garlicky and buttery as you'd expect, but I'd have liked a little bigger snail in there. Maybe they were all fast that day, and we only got the little suckers. Still, yummy, yummy. I mean, très magnifique. The Cosmo (and you need to know I'm a Cosmo-making expert) did not "do it" for me. I'm a purist and want real cranberry juice, triple sec, and citrus vodka... period. It should be light pink, and one should "do ya." It did make the masses smile, and for the record I did drink it.


The adults in our group would have liked to continue gobbling up the world-wide fare, but our smaller group member instead wanted to check out agricultural insights at The Land and visit the fish at Nemo and Friends. (I really, really wanted to go back and catch Mexico. Shrimp tacos and a tequila tasting... Sigh. Maybe next time.)


The Epcot Food and Wine Festival is another one of those amazing things about living in "theme park central." I do enjoy going to countries around the world (and have about a dozen under my belt), but how cool is it to get a glimpse of it while barely getting out of your house (or hotel room, as the case may be)? 

With the world in turmoil over countless disputes, it's fun to enjoy a meal together and raise a glass in hopes of world peace. There we dream of the world one day being like the festival... people from all over the world enjoying life together, breaking bread, savoring moments, and trying not to let minor inconveniences (like a couple of screaming children we saw) get us down. Salute.