Guilty Pleasure snacks or foods at Disney

I've been discussing food a lot lately. Actually, food found at Walt Disney World. Part of it was due to a fun gathering held at the Doorway to Dreams store at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL on Sunday, April 18. Doorway to Dreams is the non-Disney park location to purchase timeshare holdings for Disney Vacation Club. Some of the people on the DIS boards have had gatherings there over the past few years.

This time, we were all asked to name one item we would love to eat or drink at Walt Disney World. I picked the margarita flight from La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. I really would have wanted to add the shrimp ceviche to that, but we were limited to one item only.

Later, it occurred to me that there is one item that not many people know about. And it was all due to seeing my Canadian friend, Kevin, at WDW during the December meets. Kevin insisted that he found the best thing ever at the Rose and Crown Pub. By "best", he meant incredibly bad for one's health. It's called the English Bulldog.

For $6.99 plus tax, you order this from the limited pub menu at the bar. This is a sandwich that is served in a basket with fr...er...chips. The description is as follows:

Split Banger stuffed with Mashed Potatoes, Chopped Bacon, Irish Cheddar, and a Spiced Mustard Sauce

A "banger"is just British for sausage. It's there, hiding within the fluffy mashed potatoes. It looks absolutely revolting but tastes divine. Pair it with your beverage of choice, and it's a great easy meal. But keep the cardiologist on speed dial, just in case.

I wanted to share this guilty pleasure because I chatted online with Kevin about this sandwich a couple days ago. Then I heard the All About the Mouse podcast from 4/23/10 discuss favorite "sinful and decadent" treats around Walt Disney World. This would definitely fall in those categories! I felt a little guilty for eating that sandwich. That's why I call it a "guilty pleasure".

But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The sweet item that best describes a guilty pleasure for me would be the Carrot Cake Cookie from the Writer's Stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I ate the whole darn thing for breakfast at another December meet. I sat outside with a couple girls who indulged with me, while the rest of the group went to see Muppetvision. I wish I would have offered to split my cookie, as it seemed to be the size of my head.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it. Picture two giant saucers of carrot cake, with the cream cheese icing glopped into the middle, in the form of a cookie sandwich. That's the "cookie". Hard to believe I like this thing better than some chocolate items sold there. Go figure. I'll be getting another one of these sometime, but I would want to share it with a friend.

Miss me? I'm back. And I've got something to say!

Yes, it's been a few months since I've posted. I still want to post some food porn and comments about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, my birthday trip to Las Vegas, and meeting up with some of my Disney fan friends I've known it seems forever in December.

But before I do that, I want to show you what brought me back to blogging.

Irresponsible reporting on Examiner.com. More specifically, an "Orlando Insider" giving advice. A friend of mine on Facebook told me that the author deleted comments she posted to this article.

Orlando secrets: see Disney free! by Elana Nichols

Elana made reference to last year's birthday pass promotion, which she edited out after my friend commented that this promotion is currently over. After she fixed her article, Elana deleted my friend's comments. This led me to look at the article and see what she would do when I commented.

Before I post what she deleted, let me comment on her "secrets":

1. You can park at the theme parks two hours before closing...for free!

But before Elana mentions this "perk", she casually mentions buying an annual pass to make subsequent visits free. I almost posted a comment that standard annual passes allow you to park for free, anyway! After I re-read the article, I believe she's a Florida resident who must own a seasonal annual pass, only available to Florida residents. Seasonal passholders do not get free parking.

2. Weekday Select Pass - what a deal!

Yes, if you're a Florida resident. One of my comments mentioned that only Florida residents can take advantage of that deal. It does nothing for those of us in other parts of the country.

3. Go to a Holiday Inn 90-minute timeshare presentation to get a free Disney ticket!

This was something else I mentioned in my comments she deleted. I told Elana that I believe that timeshare presentations are a waste of valuable vacation time. I didn't elaborate that those 90-minute presentations aren't always 90-minutes. I've heard horror stories of people getting the hard-sell tactics, and they were feeling captive for a few hours before they were allowed to get their tickets.

4. Volunteer for the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion!

Gee, I wonder where Elana got that idea? Oh yeah. From me. I didn't tell her that she must be living in a cave not to have seen all those ads featuring the Muppets. If I had, I could understand why Elana would delete my posts. I was respectful. But I did ask why she didn't mention that promotion in her article. Now she has and conveniently deleted any evidence of me as her source.

I'm glad I didn't mention that standard or premium annual passholders get free parking. I'm also glad I didn't mention that people staying at Disney-owned resorts also get free parking. If I had, I bet Elana would have edited her article again, taking away the glaring omission in her annual passholder comments.

One last thing:

Love me or hate me, I will never delete your posts unless you threaten me or use profanity. Anything else will stay posted here. Because that's the way I roll.