Snack -noun. a small portion of food or drink.

We have spent a few weeks talking about the history of certain attractions and the amount of time that Imagineers spend thinking about the theme of a resort. Something that was equally important when the designers were thinking about the parks and resorts; food. Without food, the guests would not be able to spend entire days in the parks.

Throughout Disney there are numerous sit down restaurants and counter service dining locations, but they also offer snacks and sweets at numerous carts around the parks. These snacks are what help get people through the day.

The first of these treats and by far the most popular has to be these guys. The Mickey Ice Cream Bar can be found at almost every location in property. There is a vanilla ice cream center covered in a delicious, crunchy chocolate shell. Unfortunately I can't place a date as to when these guys showed up in the parks, but let's say they have been a staple here since at least 1986. Nobody escapes a park without munching on one of these at some point in the day.     

Stepping away from ice cream for a brief moment we find the turkey leg. Equally as popular as the Mickey Bar, the turkey leg offers a moment for guests to step back to their caveman roots. In passing I mentioned that not all the food we would be having would be healthy, so here is something to wrap your mind around. One of these legs weighs about 1.5 pounds, 1,092 calories, a days worth of fat and two worth of sodium. Not bad for being from a 50 pound turkey. I have only indulged in a turkey leg once in my life and that was enough of an experience to last me quite some time. 

If you have been to a theme park before then you certainly will recognize this stick of glorious sugarness. Churros have as much of a cult following as those little teenage girls that fell in love with vampires this past summer. They are equally as accesible as the Mickey Bar, if not more being offered at carts in every land or eatery. Unfortunately we can't owe the creation of the Churro to Disney. These have been popular in Spain and other countries for years.

No trip to Adventureland is complete until you stop at Aloha Isle to get a Dole Whip. Right now you may be thinking... "Great. Vanilla soft serve... WOOHOO... who cares." This soft serve is made with Dole pineapple juice. Unlike our previous gut busting treasure troves, the Dole Whip is available in only a few places. Here in Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and Hawaii. Though there are a few other places that have tried to imitate the treat. There is a possibility that while I was living in Florida, trips were made specifically for this cup of magic. These are as popular in the Disney community as meeting with Mickey Mouse, or raising a toast to Disney's window on Main Street. Of course if pineapple is not your flavor you can still get vanilla, chocolate, or the swirl. But really... who wants that when you can get the pineapple version.

This is only the beginning of what Walt Disney World has to offer when it comes to delectible dinning. There is popcorn, cookies, roasted nuts, cotton candy, fudge, chocolate covered krispy treats and the list goes on from that. You could eat your way through the parks for the entire day, and still miss some of the snacks that are offered. They even have hot chocolate complete with the sand missles that explode when you mix it! 

That's just the snacking! If you are lucky enough to make it through the day without filling up on this stuff, you still have dinner to contend with, and that is a story for another day.

 
THIS WEEK IN DISNEY HISTORY:

1828 - Writer Jules Verne is born in Nantes, France. 

1932- Composer John Williams is born in Floral Park, New York. 

1951 - Current CEO Robert Iger is born in Oceanside, New York.

1952 - Alice in Wonderland is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

1969 - An announcement is made stating that a 3 year contract with Allen Contracting Co. was signed for the first building phase of Walt Disney World.

1986 - Magic Journeys a 3D film showed in Epcot closes only to reopen in 1987 at Magic kingdom.

1988 - Expo Robotics (located in CommuniCore west) debuts at EPCOT's Future World.

1993 - Lumiere's Kitchen opens in Fantasyland at Magic kingdom. 

1996 - Epcot's Test Track preview center opens. The attraction opens in 1999, 2 years after its planned date. 

1996- The Disney Institute opens offering guests over 60 educational programs to attend while on vacation.

2006 - The Disney Company reacquires Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. 

2010 - 10th anniversary show for Samantha Brown will air with her celebrating at Walt Disney World. (Feb. 10) 

DAYS UNTIL OUR WDW VACATION: 79