Audrey and Lindsay's EPCOT Adventure - Snacking Around the World Showcase

As a graduation present, Jake sent me to the Disney World park of my choice for the day with my best friend Lindsay. Granted, I was down in Orlando doing some business anyway, so it's more practical than it sounds. EPCOT just so happened to be the winner this time because I haven't been there just for fun since 2007. (Every other visit was for filming on "Theme Parks with Audrey and Jake", which Lindsay has run camera for previously.)

Also, I'm kind of obsessed with the retro-educational vibe of the park. 1970's architecture, 1980's Michael Jackson (Captain Eo is back!) and a space program oriented thrill ride? Yes please. (Though I did miss the premiere of the Sam Axe Burn Notice movie for this trip...which is a really major loss. Nobody say anything about it until I've seen it...not a word.)

Lindsay had never been to EPCOT, so when I explained the "drink around the world" game some people play at EPCOT's World Showcase, Lindsay had another idea. Since we're not big drinkers, we chose to "snack around the world". As you can guess, hijinks ensued as we snacked through Norway, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

(For a photo editorial with more straightforward coverage of the festival instead, CLICK HERE.)

First up, Lindsay's first ever shot of espresso after a quick trip on the dark ride/Norwegian history lesson "The Maelstrom". In Norway's Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe I ordered one of my personal favorites, a plain shot of Nescafe espresso. I know what you're thinking, "Hey, that's not an authentic Norwegian coffee product!" Okay, you've got me there. But I've been to Europe and I can tell you, those Europeans love their Nescafe. So it counts.

Lindsay tried it and...

I think her reaction speaks for itself. She clearly loved it. Thank God I'm here to help her try new things! Next it was off to China for egg rolls. Not too shabby. A good egg roll can erase just about any bad life experience.

Next we were on to Germany, where the pleasant smell of pickled cabbage (sauerkraut of course) filled every charming bricked nook and cranny. We contemplated some of the finer German cuisine, but when beer and pretzels seemed too heavy for us to begin with, we settled on something much healthier. Apple Strudel. To split.

And then it was time for Italy. But we were too daring for pasta yet too square for a glass of wine.So we opted for the Italian ice...which was also called Japanese ice in the Japan pavilion. Go figure...

After Italy came the United States. While there was no shortage of re-composited Turkey legs, and I suspect hot dogs and mashed potatoes at the sit-down restaurant, we weren't feeling particularly inspired. So we passed on EPCOT's American Adventure. After all, we live the American Adventure every day.

"Hi, I'm in Delaware." Next we moved on to Japan, where we tried some cold bottled Oolong tea. 

I loved it! And Lindsay liked it just as much as the espresso!

Then it was off to exotic Morocco, where we completely ignored the beautiful pink and sandy stucco architecture and colorful woven rugs to try to get some pictures with Jasmine and Aladdin in the background. Oh yeah, and there was baklava...

Finally, a food that calls for the use of my Mike Myers-like teeth. All these years people have been making fun of my slight overbite, but just look at the way I can slice through that baklava! Who has the last laugh now?! I was born for this dessert. But we didn't have time to revel in my newfound life/dental purpose. It was off to France to face down our next challenge. After a brief misunderstanding while ordering, (The gentleman in front of us said he wanted the tart, to which I replied, "I beg your pardon sir, but I'm married".) we sat down to enjoy this delightful French pastry. (Should I be concerned that I accidentally made two Wayne's World references in one blog?)

Ain't she a beaut? Lindsay and I calmly and rationally split the tart. Here is a picture of Lindsay sharing with me...

In the United Kingdom, we stopped for a spot of hot tea. Just to make sure we had an extra British time with it, we drank our tea next to a novelty-sized ceramic tea cup. Get it? See how I'm pouring the tea into the fake tea cup? Ah...prop comedy...

And for our next to last international snack it was on to Canada. Were we tempted to drink some straight maple syrup? Well sure we were. But we're not animals after all...I only take my maple syrup with a stack of  pancakes. And since they were nowhere to be found, we had to settle for a Canadian candy bar called "Aero". It's a kind of fluffy bubbly chocolate made by an exotic Canadian candy company called "Nestle". 

Just think...all those bottles of syrup and nary a waffle in sight. Well we finished our food adventure with a proper meal at the San Angel Inn in the Mexico Pavilion. 

I ordered a margarita with my dinner. For some reason, Lindsay wouldn't try it...after our foodie adventure we did Captain Eo (A blog post all by itself.), Journey Into Imagination, Soarin', Test Track and Mission Space. 

We also took a trip on "Living with the Land", a riveting and educational boat ride about the future of hydroponics and earth-friendly farming.

As Worf might say, "That day was a good day to die," no wait...I don't want to die. It was a good day to snack. Has anyone famous said that? Mr. Hostess? Is that a real guy? Anyway, it was a great day. I took plenty of non-sarcastic pictures of the beautiful topiaries of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, which I will post over at "Theme Parks with Audrey and Jake" sometime this week. It was a really beautiful time to visit EPCOT and if you ever get the opportunity to see it, don't hesitate. 

By the way, you know what else happens in EPCOT at springtime? The ducklings hatch! For more pictures of cute baby ducklings, make sure to keep checking the website for Theme Parks with Audrey and Jake. (No matter how many times I use that name, I never get used to it...)