The Food and Wine Festival

Food and Wine.

Yes, please!

Except for it was really all about the food for me. I'll save the wine for another time.

Because I WILL be going back. And I WILL be going back with an empty stomach. And a well planned out strategy. And hopefully a Kevin.

Because he would truly love the experience.

In case you haven't heard me talking about it.... I was fortunate enough to go to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot in October. Now we all know how much I love food. And especially how much I love all different kinds of food. In small portions. Appetizer style.

It makes my skirt fly up.

This festival was truly made for me.

Last year, I was in Epcot during the festival .... but was too overwhelmed to even try anything. I just visited my favorite place. Mexico. The outside place. Not the inside... because my experience on the inside was documented in detail in March and I choose not to go through that again.

Anyway... Food is precious to me. And takes a lot of planning and thought. And I can't just walk up to any ole place and choose what to eat. I just can't.

So, this year I studied the map of food. Yes, the MAP OF FOOD. Because you can go online and see the 25 kiosks. What country they are from. What food they are serving. And where they are located in Epcot.

I dipped the map in gold. And slept with it under my pillow every night.

And dreamed of the incredible food that I would eat.

( And how much money I could get from the pawn shop for a gold map)

And wondered why I didn't go to cooking school. Because I REALLY want to be a chef. Or a cook. Or something where I could cook all day. Like a stay at home wife.

Anyway... I had it all planned out. I was overwhelmed. But decided that I would eat at Greece. Because I loved just about everything on their menu.

And the lady that rang me up said "WOW! you just ordered just about every thing off of our menu. Are you sure you don't want baklava?"

I yelled... "No speak English". And grabbed my food and ran.

It makes me uncomfortable for people to comment on how much food I order/eat. I knew that I would have to wear a disguise if I was going to go back.

Luckily I had packed one in my bag.

So, from Greece I had the spanakopita, greek salad, and chicken souvlaki. HELLO! Nothing gets better than that.

At least that is what I thought. I mean it was out of this world delicious.

But then I had been bit by the bug. The bug of eating. And I had the whole world in front of me to try. Literally.

So, my Dad got us each a Fisherman's pie from Ireland.



WAS THIS REALLY NECESSARY TO PUT IN MY BELLY!!!

Because it was truly out of this world. Um..... like out of this UNIVERSE! Lobster and scallops in a pot pie. Topped with potatoes. Did Santa Claus think this up... because it was like a surprise on Christmas morning.

I high fived my Dad. Belly bumped him. And rubbed whiskers with him. Because it was just that good.

And then I swore to get the recipe. Which I did. And it is a little out of my league. It involved crushing a lobster shell and boiling it for a broth.

And that is just the beginning.

I've decided that we will have to save the Fisherman's Pie for an Epcot treat.

At this point we are getting pretty full. But it is almost 9pm. And the Food and Wine Festival is only an October event. And this is our last chance to eat these scrumptious bites of food.

So, we put on our running shoes and headed to the next place we could find.

Which was... South Africa.



Hello South Africa!! I will never visit you. But I sure do love your food. My Dad got the Mealie soup. Spicy, shrimpy, and incredible. And I got the seared beef tenderloin.

I made a stranger punch me in the face. To make sure that I wasn't dreaming.

And then our time was up. It was over. The park was closed. And I had to leave the rest of the world behind.

Until next year!! Because I will be back. And I will be armed with my fork. And teeth. And tongue.

( That sounds a little gross... )

But the Festival is truly an experience. Especially if you are a foodie. And you appreciate different flavors.

And just in case you are thinking about visiting this wonderful festival. There is more than just food and wine. There are guest chefs. Like the Paula Deen boys. And incredible 80's music concerts. Like Billy Ocean, John Waite, and Corey Hart.

Except for most of you probably don't know who those singers are. Because you are young. That's ok though. That means there is more of them for me.

If I can break away from the food long enough to listen to them sing.