Disney World - I Ate and Ate!

I'm back from Disney World. Lots of food was enjoyed down there mainly due to to the Christmas Party and the Food & Wine Festival.

The Pastrami egg rolls were a party exclusive and were released at 7pm. And there was a line waiting for them. Don't wait as I hear they will close when the fireworks start or when they run out. They tasted good but for $11, I don't think it is worth the price. Found near the entrance to Adventureland.

Arroz con Leche Holiday Wreath. Also a party exclusive. Found at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe. It's a molded rice pudding with coconut and citrus jelly in the middle. The texture threw me off as the coconut made me think I was eating undercooked rice. I was also eating this in the dark so maybe that didn't help matters. I would get it again.

There were various stations throughout the park that was giving out various cookies and drinks. Of course it took until the last station to find the egg nog. I didn't take all the cookies, however. I like cookies but I don't like them that much. I did ask for two drinks though because they give you basically a shot of whatever they have. Cookie chasers, I'd say.

Over at Casey's Corner there was this party exclusive: mini corn dogs topped with cheese, pot roast, crispy onions, and a horseradish like sauce. Came with fries. I thought that this was an excellent value and would definitely get it again. Unfortunately by the time I got this, I was already full on the above snacks.

ABC Commissary during my park day at Hollywood Studios. Chicken Sandwich and a Linzer cookie cake. Meh, standard. It was just to fuel me up as I don't eat breakfast.

Kakigori at Animal Kingdom. Watermelon, shaved ice, and sweetened condensed milk on top. On a hot day, this was a god send! And I wouldn't share.

Park day food at Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom. Chicken Caprise sandwich in a baguette and a side ceasar salad. The chicken was over cooked and dry which is a pity because it would have been a good sandwich.

Best food festival booth at Epcot for me was Australia. Shrimp and Lamb.

Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer with Sweet and Sour Vegetables and Coconut-Chili Sauce.

 Gyozas of the Galaxy was over rated. The line when I went was crazy long.

Buffalo-style Dumplings: Chicken Dumplings with Buffalo Sauce, Celery Root Puree, Blue Cheese Cream, Cumbled Blue Cheese, Shaved Carrot, and Micro Celery 

I basically only ate the dumplings themselves and the blue cheese. Didn't really care for it.

French Onion Soup-style Dumplings: Pork and Beef Soup Dumplings with Caramelized Onions, Sherry-Beef Broth, Onion and Gruyere Soubise, Parmesan Cracker and Micro Chives

This is was the best value. Soup and dumplings. It was also the better tasting of the two.

Lump Crab Cake with Cajun-spiced Vinegar Slaw and Remoulade

Seaside Pot Pie with Shrimp, Scallops, Crawfish Tails, and Lobster Bisque topped with Puff Pastry

This was very watery but I still enjoyed it by smashing down the puff pastry to soak up and thicken the liquid.

Berbere-spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potato Mealie Pap and Kachumbari Slaw

As far as I am aware, I've only had berbere spice in doro wat so I expected this to be more spicy and hot than it was. That said, it still was tasty and was a large portion size/value. Make sure you have a drink with this.

Gulf Coast-style Seafood Roll with Warm-water Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Obster Bisque, and Sherry-Creme Fraiche on a Toasted Brioche Bun.

Rip off. I'm, sure technically, there is lobster in there somewhere.

Peach Manto Boba: Crafted Calpico Peach Juice with Mango Popping Boba (non-alcoholic).

At first, I was a little mad when I picked this up as I was expecting a bigger serving. However, this was a thick and sweet drink that I enjoyed with little sips. It is also the only thing that I purchased again.

Creme Brulee Vanille, Confiture Myrtilles et Citron Vert: Vanilla Creme Brulee with Blueberry-Lime Compote.

Just delicious. Would buy again.

All these years passing by Canada, I thought about getting maple popcorn.This time went for it. Better version of kettle corn.

After a few hours of rope dropping Magic Kingdom, I went to Gaston's Tavern for a creme brulee croissant and a LeFou's Brew (frozen apple juice). The pastry was a good idea. The brew--not so much. It was in the 40s when I got there.

Truffle burger and truffle fries and Cosmic Rays. Too strong of a flavor. If I could apply the sauce myself and put on less, I'd be more happy but I probably would pass on this.

Cast Iron-seared River Troud with Vanilla-Butternut Squash Puree, Brussels Sprouts Salad, Candied Pecans, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Dried Cranberries, and Maple Dressing

Everything tasted great expect the brussel sprouts. Those were trash. I'm still not sure of the outer fried skin of the fish. I'm not convinced that I'm supposed to eat that.

Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Pumpkin Cheescake Mousse featuring PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese with Candied Pegans and Maple-Caramel Sauce.

I wish I had a food buddy with me to share this food with because I was getting full and I couldn't finish this. I probably would have wished for a different flavor than pumpkin, though.

Oskana Karaage: Crispy Fried Pollock with Spicy Mayonnaise and Sweet-and-Cream Yuzu Sauce

This was not crispy but it was delicious. It reminded me of the food cart fishballs back in the Philippines. It was also another round for the Peachy Mango Boba.

Niles Independence Day 2025

I played with the settings on my camera. Not perfect but damn, these are the best fireworks photos I've ever taken.

Decay

 

This was the tractor that I crashed into a pole barn. I was never asked drive a tractor ever again. I had to thin out all the blackberry bushes, however, as punishment. If you know what blackberry bushes are like, then you know how much that would suck.

I went out to the family farm in Benton Harbor. It had been a few years since I've been out there. Sadly the decay has accelerated as Grandma and Uncle Kenny have gotten older. The two large weeping willows that flanked the farm house are long gone. The nearby plots are now littered with farm equipment and rubbish. The land sits mostly fallow.

Grandma's memory is failing. I've noticed it a couple years ago but every time I see her, it's just that more noticeable. It breaks my heart.

I think this is the last summer.

Holland -- Well, not *that* Holland

This year I finally made a trip up to Holland, Michigan to attend the Tulip Festival. It was a beautiful day. A lot of the flowers seemed passed their prime but they still made for a beautiful site. I went into this kind of blind and I didn't realize how spread out this was. It was a bit of a hike to get around!

My Roof Was Spared

A strong line of thunderstorms came through late this afternoon while I was at work. I knew that it was a bad storm as I approached Niles. I could see branches down at the sides of the road. The traffic lights at Fort and 11th were out. While I driving down my block, I saw a tree down on powerlines. They didn’t make it to the ground, and I was able to drive under it to get home. 

Considering the other reports of outages throughout the area, I thought it would be a while before my power was restored. I went out for some Chinese takeaway since my stove is electric and non-functional. While I was eating at home, I heard multiple utility trucks go down my road. They were able to restore power in 30 minutes. I was impressed. I’m sure it’s still going to be a long night for them, though.

Third Post Office 's the Charm!

The Betty White stamps went on sale today. The Niles post office still had theirs in a vault and was waiting on someone to release them. I was told to come back later in the day. I reasoned that Galien doesn’t get much business and tried that post office. The elderly lady in front of me there asked about the Betty White stamps and took the only two sheets they had. Missed it by a hair! I then went to the Buchanan post office. They, too, only received two sheets but no one had made an inquiry about them yet. So, I was able to get a sheet. 

Kris and I were sent to live with our paternal grandparent when I was in 4th grade. The Golden Girls was one of Grandma’s favorite television shows. It was, secretly, also one of mine. I was in awe of Dorothy’s wit. I also loved Rose who was played by Betty White. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stand someone as ditzy as Rose was in real life. But her heart—I would treasure a friend with that kind of heart. 

As the years went by, I saw Betty White in a more adult light and found her to be a devilish delight. The real Betty was not what I expected based on the character of Rose in The Golden Girls. I was genuinely saddened when I learned of her death, just shy of her 100th birthday. She, like Angela Lansberry, were like grandmothers that you grew up with and hoped would never leave.

No Wait at the SOS? Am I dreaming?

I had a delightful yet unexpected experience as my local Secretary of State office. I was going there intending to use the self-service kiosk to renew my car registration and tags. The SOS office has always been crowded with people and ever since COVID, we’ve had to set up appointments if you wanted in-person service. When I walked in I was about to start my transaction at the kiosk when I was called up to the counter. The lady that worked there took my renewal slip, asked me a few questions, took my payment, and sent me on my way. I even saved a few dollars because I didn’t have to pay the service fee that the kiosk slaps on. Seriously, I was caught off guard because I had never imagine service being like that.