Eating, Drinking & Watching Around the World - Part Two
This is Part 2 of my Epcot-Themed dining adventure during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Check out Part 1, (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy & USA) here.
Japan Pavilion
There’s no denying the Japan pavilion has some of the best food & shops. Not a sushi fan? (Me either). There’s more in the Japan Pavilion than sushi. There’s a shaved ice stand, a dedicated spot for Sake, a quick service and a sit down restaurant serving up delicious meals. The shops in the Japan Pavilion offer interactive experiences that I could rave about forever but that’s not the point of this blog.
For this night we took it easy and I pulled out my favorite instant ramen. I know, I know. Is that cheating? I don’t think so. It’s so easy to spice up your instant ramen. First, I suggest looking for your closest Asian market and picking up some Ichiban or Shin Ramen (sometimes you can find this in the international section of Kroger or Publix). For this meal, I added some firm tofu, fresh green onions & some sesame seeds. Throw in a soft boiled egg, if that’s how you roll. Although Disney has some Studio Ghibli distribution rights, and Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Naruto & other anime fills the Japan Pavilion shop, we went with a viewing of Big Hero Six, which Joel had never seen. Big Hero Six takes place in a fictional town crossover of San Francisco and Tokyo. It’s a touching film about grieving, forgiveness, and doing the right thing.
This meal took place on a rainy day, and we got cozy and enjoyed our hot meal.
Arabian Nights in Morocco
While Aladdin didn’t take place in Morocco, him and Princess Jasmin are found at the Moroccan Pavilion in Epcot. Aside from the beautiful pavilion itself, there is some amazing food here, and the best Moroccan version of a Pina Colada. During the Food and Wine festival there is a Baklava recipe TO DIE FOR. Now, I’m not a baker, but I did my best.
I followed this simple allrecipes version and the flaky, sweet, delicious pastry was the perfect accompaniment to our showing of Aladdin. We went with the cartoon version and not the live-action. Although, the live action isn’t all that bad. I had most of the ingredients on hand, grabbing the dough and the nuts was all I had to do!
Chefs de France
The France Pavilion has everything. Gelato, traditional French cooking, Champagne, crepes. You name it, they have it.
For this meal we went with a Chefs de France classic - French Onion Soup.
What you need:
6 large red or yellow onions peeled and thinly sliced, about 10 cups of sliced onions total
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups of beef stock
1/2 cup of dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 slices French bread or baguette cut 1-inch thick
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere and a sprinkling of Parmesan
I had Beauty and the Beast playing in the background as I prepped my meal. After chopping the onions I tossed them all into a large point with the garlic, oil and butter and cooked them until they were caramelized over medium high heat. After that you add in the sweet vermouth or wine and beef stock and let it simmer for 30 minutes. While that’s happening, I tossed the bread in the oven to toast for 5-7 min at 450. Once I had my soup and toasted goods - I poured them into an oven safe container, topped with a slice of bread & plenty of cheese and through it in the oven to broil until the cheese was perfectly melted.
This meal was amazing + I had plenty left over. We watched Sleeping Beauty and went to bed with full tummies.
Fish & Chips - UK Pavilion
I have two favorites from the UK Pavilion and that is Fish & Chips and the Leaping Leprechaun - which, I didn’t recreate here, because we just stuck to Guinness. I don’t make fish… ever. I had to look up a recipe and well, I wasn’t too disappointed. I did find out, I’m not that good at deep frying things. Anyway, here’s the recipe I followed: AllRecipes
There are many choices for movies. Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh. We went with Robin Hood.
The last Pavilion on our journey…
OOOOOOO Canada
I was looking forward to this night the second I started planning it. Not only is Brother Bear one of the most slept on Disney movies, I was really looking forward to some whiskey and steak. There are tons of ways to make a steak in your apartment. This is how I make mine:
I buy a steak, this time it was a boneless ribeye, and I season it with salt, pepper and garlic. I heat a skillet to a medium high and put the steak down and hear that sweet sizzle. I throw in about 2 tbps of butter into the pan and let it melt with the steak. I cook it for 4/5 min on each side and it came out perfect. For sides, I whipped up some instant mashed potatoes (lol)
For our drink: Old Fashioned
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon water
2 ounces Whiskey
Garnish: orange peel
Add the sugar, bitters and water into a rocks glass, and stir until sugar is nearly dissolved. Fill the glass with large ice cubes - or your death star ice molds, add the bourbon, and gently stir to combine. Express the oil of an orange peel over the glass, then drop in.
Once you have everything together, press play on Brother Bear and get ready to cry.
This ends our journey around the world. It was fun & really delicious. I hope you try it yourself, and share with me the meals and drinks you came up with for your Disney movie marathon!
