Eating Like a Mouse

Disney World claims to be magical and I am now inclined to believe them. For seven days, I ate every meal in a Disney establishment and never got sick – and best of all – it wasn’t difficult or embarrassing, and I never got bored with the food.

Disney attempts to accommodate any dietary requirement you may have. Gluten and dairy intolerances were well understood by both chefs and servers alike. Chefs would generally come to the table and spend as much time as necessary ensuring I understood what food was safe, or could be made safe, for me to eat. They were eager to double-check ingredients and actually take responsibility for my experience. And in several instances, the chef actually prepared special dishes for me, making me feel rather pampered.

For “sit down” dining, Disney accepts reservations, which are made by phone. At that time you inform them of special dietary requirements. You are then given a phone number for advance contact to discuss your needs. My experience was that many establishments had voice-mail messages telling me to simply inform my waiter before ordering. Others would call back to discuss my options. Disney appears to be so in-tune with special dietary requirements, I believe I could have just walked in and gotten the same results. But you really need reservations during peak periods to ensure service.

Disney offers a wide variety of foods across their parks and we enjoyed a wide cross-section of their offerings. At the Coronado Springs Resort where we stayed, there were two restaurants. The Pepper Market offered a variety of foods in marketplace fashion. One chef there was aware of my concerns and saved me from ordering French fries from a shared fryer. He directed me to roasted chicken and grilled vegetables. On another occasion, the chef was able to tell me the contents of various deli style foods. We also ate a buffet breakfast at the Mayan Grill, which allowed me bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and the chef made me gluten-free pancakes.

At the Polynesian Resort restaurant ’Ohana character-breakfast, I enjoyed much of the same with the addition of waffles made from an Arrowhead Mills product. My meal came separately from my family’s meal and was the same except they received biscuits. The five Mickey Mouse shaped waffles were a real treat – Oh Boy!

We also enjoyed meals at restaurants in the various Disney parks. In EPCOT, we tried the Coral Reef adjacent the Living Seas attraction, where a chef came to my table to discuss intelligent substitutions for whatever menu item I preferred. This was automatic by virtue of my reservation. Our server informed me a chef was on his way before I even had to ask. This was luxurious and quite unexpected. I told the chef I wanted the tilapia fish, and he suggested substituting the crab cake accompaniment with roasted potatoes.

After viewing Reflections of China, a 360 degree film presentation at the China pavilion, we dined at the Nine Dragons restaurant. There I enjoyed shrimp with Chinese vegetables in white sauce with steamed rice. Our food took longer than other tables, so I assumed they were taking special care in its preparation. My meal was good, but I was a little disappointed with the meager selection. By then, Disney had raised my expectations so high I had expected they could have done something with a brown sauce.

The Italy pavilion restaurant L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante was very accommodating, offering gluten-free bread and gluten-free pasta. They were entirely confident they could feed me safely, and I had a wonderful experience, albeit somewhat expensive. The France pavilion restaurant Les Chefs du France was our most expensive meal of the week. I had really expected the most creativity from them, given my ideals of French cuisine and the high prices, but I was disappointed. I had expected the chef to take a keen interest and come up with some clever, cooked-to-order options. But, I was only offered substitutions, negotiated impersonally through the waiter. I learned high price is no guarantee at Disney.

Whilst passing the United Kingdom pavilion, I was overcome with the smell of fish and chips. Although I couldn’t eat the fish, I was delighted to learn the chips (fries) were cooked in a dedicated fryer. It was lovely to sit by the water and enjoy this treat.

In another kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, I had an odd experience at the Plaza Pavilion restaurant. When we arrived, before seating, I was handed a binder containing the ingredients lists of every product used in every menu item. This was overwhelming and, in the heat, somewhat annoying. I ended up with a salad.

We took in another character breakfast at the Crystal Palace, a truly beautiful place to eat, offering a grand buffet with Winnie the Pooh and his pals. The chef offered me waffles, but I came to know how Eeyore feels when the chef brought out pop-in-the-toaster Vans Waffles.

Another venue, Downtown Disney, sports a number of restaurants associated with, but not owned by, Disney. You can make reservations via the same phone number, and upon my arrival they were already aware of my special dietary needs. At Wolfgang Puck, I had Mahi-mahi with sautéed fennel and summer vegetables. They substituted the crab cake (a persistent accompaniment with fresh fish in Florida, it seems) with seasoned, mashed potatoes. We also ate at the House of Blues, where their chef very cleverly substituted marinara for a flour roux in my Jambalaya, making a really terrific dish. I’m going to try that myself, next time I cook it. I was lucky my server caught this hidden ingredient.

My most personal experience came at Boma Flavors of Africa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Chef Donna, whose husband is a celiac, walked the buffet with me more than once, showing me what I could and could not eat. She also prepared salmon and prime rib, which as served were off my menu. And she also made French fries just for me because they did not have a dedicated fryer. She topped off my meal with a nice bowl of dairy-free ice cream – a complete surprise. How often do we get dessert out?

Overall, my Disney experience was wonderful. I ate well, never got sick, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. It was expensive, but it always is for us. I felt more normal there than in restaurants at home; Disney is really set-up to accommodate us. I’d go back.

By Kelly Vogt

This article first appeared in Aretaeus the Derby City Celiac, the newsletter of the CSA/Greater Louisville Celiac Sprue Support Group, Summer 2005. Reprinted by permission.