Summary of HPOE37

1. Introduction (0:11): Stef and Ariel set the stage for a delicious discussion on Disney food, touching on its cultural and social impact.
2. Disney’s Food and Wine Festival (2:03): They dive into the Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure, expressing surprise over the lack of avocado-themed dishes despite the event’s theme.
3. Favorite Festival Foods (6:04): The hosts share their top picks and experiences from the festival, including standout dishes.
4. Merchandise and Marketing (43:46): Discussion shifts to Disney’s strategic merchandising of food-themed products, highlighting the new “Disney Eats” monthly release strategy.
5. Educational and Therapeutic Use of Food (32:13): They explore how food can be integrated into educational settings and therapy to foster learning, healing, and a deeper understanding of cultural identity.
6. Closing Thoughts (45:49): The episode wraps up with details on an upcoming panel discussion at WonderCon and an invitation for listeners to share their favorite Disney foods and food fandoms.

00:11 – 00:17
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Happiest Pod On Earth. I’m Stef. I’m an educator who uses passions and fandoms to help my

00:17 – 00:20
students grow and learn about themselves and the world around them.

00:20 – 00:27
And I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist who uses clients’ passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental illness.

00:27 – 00:31
Here at Happiest Pod, we dissect Disney mediums with a critical lens.

00:31 – 00:37
Why? Because we’re more than just Stefanie, and we expect more from the mediums we consume. Speaking of consuming, what are

00:37 – 00:38
we discussing today, Steph?

00:38 – 00:46
What a perfect word to describe what we are talking about today. We are talking about food, specifically Disney food, obviously.

00:46 – 00:52
But I feel like this is a long time coming. We have not touched upon this. Despite the fact that we’ve done multiple panels

00:52 – 01:02
at Comic Con about food and its impact culturally, socially, mentally, physically, I mean, everything. Food is life. Right?

01:02 – 01:03
That’s the saying. Yes.

01:03 – 01:10
And then we did a presentation at Geek Therapy’s tags on using food in the classroom and using food in the therapy and talking

01:10 – 01:18
about ways to address individuals who might have various forms of eating disorders or individuals who want to embrace the

01:18 – 01:19
culture of their food, but they don’t know how.

01:19 – 01:27
Mhmm. Food itself has many different dimensions. I mean, people love it. They make livings around it. We love to consume it.

01:27 – 01:35
It brings people together. I mean, as you said, I talked about how food in the classroom and food when it comes to translating

01:35 – 01:41
what it means for kids is so important as they grow and develop, and their relationship with food too. So I think it is fitting

01:41 – 01:47
as we are coming into the spring season now here in California, and specifically

01:54 – 02:03
in in as, like, something to drive people to get to the parks, which has definitely worked on me. Yes. Okay. So starting with

02:03 – 02:10
the park specifically, right now we are during the middle or just starting food and wine festival, which I don’t think we’ve

02:10 – 02:12
talked about on the show before. Correct?

02:12 – 02:19
No. We haven’t. We’ve done many different events that are very similar to Food and Wine, but correct me if I’m wrong, everyone

02:19 – 02:26
out there, and, you know, my to my cohost as well. I feel like food and wine festival was kind of like the genesis of people

02:26 – 02:33
coming to the park specifically to have specialty foods, specialty wine and beverage, especially since California Adventure

02:33 – 02:40
in itself. I think going with the theme of California and how we are, what, the largest in the United States of America, and

02:40 – 02:46
that we have such a large culinary scene. We have many celebrity chefs who live out here and make a living out here. They

02:46 – 02:52
really wanted to capitalize that with the California theme. So, you know, you see there’s a winery in the middle of the park.

02:52 – 03:00
You can drink alcohol in the park. There’s specialty restaurants like the Trattoria, which is Italian inspired. You have different

03:00 – 03:05
areas of the park where you can get different sorts of regional foods that you wouldn’t otherwise find at Disneyland.

03:05 – 03:14
And this year’s theme is it’s avocado time, avocado shaped like clock. Interestingly, though, there are not many avocado items

03:14 – 03:21
or that that’s not the main ingredient in most of the dishes, at least what we saw on the menu and what we tried. I don’t

03:21 – 03:27
remember, like, avocado being so featured, and yet that is the theme and that is the merchandise. Which yeah.

03:27 – 03:32
I think this is the first time they had a hard theme for Food and Wine Festival. Normally, it’s just, here, come try regional

03:32 – 03:37
foods. It’s happening. And for all of you who don’t know about the Food food and wine festival, basically, every single year,

03:37 – 03:44
they line the main veranda, the main street of California Adventure Park. They line them up with these little booths that

03:44 – 03:50
you can purchase small kind of tapas like items, very small. You can share them if you want. But, yeah, the food and wine

03:50 – 03:57
festival gets you certain dishes that you can use the little tabs to redeem. It does exclude alcohol, and it does exclude

03:58 – 04:04
some other dishes that you would have to go to the restaurant to get. So it’s not just the little booths that have themed

04:04 – 04:11
items, but also the restaurants that already serve things like in San Fransokyo or the plaza in the back, the garden plaza,

04:11 – 04:16
I think, but not necessarily with the little sip and saver pests. A lot of rules.

04:16 – 04:33
Yeah. Which I think is a a little the marketing, is I feel like this year, it’s expanded even more in more tiny booths. I

04:33 – 04:39
think last year, I don’t remember as many booths. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but I just feel like it it’s grown in the

04:39 – 04:46
amount of options. It’s that you don’t have to go up to the booth to order your, like, each individual item. You can just

04:46 – 04:52
find 1 booth, order them all there, take your tickets, and go retrieve them, which is such a time saver. Because when I first

04:52 – 04:57
did food and wine fast with you, I remember waiting in each line to try and get our food.

04:57 – 05:03
Yeah. Like, you would basically be hungry by the time you got to the next thing. And you would keep just getting hungry and

05:03 – 05:10
then being satiated and then hungry again. But that comes with a disclaimer too because as I learned during lunar new year,

05:10 – 05:18
you can only get certain things pre ordered. And some things are excluded from that, which I unfortunately had not the best

05:18 – 05:23
interaction with a cast member when it came to that. I think because it was so busy, this was during lunar new year, and I

05:23 – 05:30
did not know the rules. And the little booklet that they give you kind of explains it, but I think they did a better job explaining

05:30 – 05:35
it this time for food and wine festival. But, yeah, you have to look for the little there’s like an icon that says where you

05:35 – 05:42
can pre order things. And if that item doesn’t have an icon, you’re most likely gonna have to stand in line. But I think it

05:42 – 05:51
is a, a step forward in trying to save people money and time. Because not only are you foregoing writing things and foregoing

05:52 – 05:59
other experiences to do this, but you are also, you know, if you have a park hopper, this is like the majority of your time

05:59 – 06:04
just trying to figure out what you’re gonna eat and where you’re gonna eat it at. Mhmm.

06:04 – 06:11
So in the Food and Wine Fest, maybe, like, in the past now, what comes up to your mind as, like, the top eats that you’ve

06:11 – 06:14
had or maybe, like, the different kiosks or booths that you prefer to

06:16 – 06:22
stop at? So I think they have organized it, like, consistently over the years. I always know there’s a spicy booth, which

06:22 – 06:29
I avoid at all costs. I know that there is one that’s dedicated to like a beer flight and a wine flight, which back then I’d

06:29 – 06:36
be like, let’s get it all. But now I’m like, okay, I’m gonna choose between the 2. But there’s also one that always has, like,

06:36 – 06:43
the most savory dishes. I think before they’ve had, like, Filipino pork belly over garlic rice. That’s one of my favorites.

06:43 – 06:50
Only because I was so surprised that they were doing cultural foods in addition to just, you know, California cuisine, which

06:50 – 06:57
I can never define myself being from California. They always California cuisine. Okay. But that’s one of my favorites. I know

06:57 – 07:04
they’ve also had a, I’ve also had, like, a burrito. I think it’s also pork belly. Clearly eat a lot of pork. My favorite dishes

07:04 – 07:10
are the ones that you get the most bang for your buck, which comes with, you know, like, a good protein and, like, a good

07:10 – 07:12
side. How about you?

07:13 – 07:18
I always like anything with the mac and cheese. I’ve so far, I’ve never not enjoyed a mac and cheese. Well, that’s what we

07:18 – 07:25
tried in this most recent Food and Wine Fest. And then, usually, the desserts are good, but there’s always, like, a cream

07:25 – 07:32
type dessert. There’s always a, I would say, like, a cookie type dessert. I remember, like, the macaroons being, like, the

07:32 – 07:38
things that I enjoy the most, and they’re huge. They’re always huge Mickey shaped macaroons. However, I think we tried a dessert

07:38 – 07:46
this year that was just sub par. So when we go back for dapper day, we’re gonna have to reclaim the dessert section, go through

07:46 – 07:51
it. I think there was like a passion fruit one that someone said that they liked, so we might try that, I think, this year.

07:51 – 07:58
Yeah. Definitely. And if you would like to know what that was, if you are going to Food and Wine Festival, we did try the

07:58 – 08:07
lemon olive oil cake. It was lemony. It wasn’t very olive oily. It was kinda dry, to be honest. And it pales in comparisons

08:07 – 08:09
to all the other Disney desserts that we’ve had. And I think that’s

08:10 – 08:15
Can you explain, like, what an olive oil cake is? Because I don’t know if some people might know what that is. They might

08:15 – 08:17
think olive oil only with cooking.

08:17 – 08:23
Right. Yeah. So olive oil cake is something specifically in Italian cooking because they use olive oil so much in their baking

08:23 – 08:30
and cooking that they add olive oil to a traditional cake mix to make it more moist. So if you imagine, like, the most moist

08:30 – 08:36
cake you’ve ever had. Even the like, if it’s like a birthday cake or even, you know, like a small layered cake. Imagine that,

08:36 – 08:44
but more savory because it has the olive oil in it. So I’ve had olive oil cake in Italian re delectable, and every bite is

08:44 – 08:52
just it’s full. It’s like very rich. And normally, I see it in chocolate cakes. I’ve never really had an olive oil cake that

08:52 – 08:58
wasn’t chocolate. I’ve seen them, but I’ve haven’t had them personally. But it brings out so many more notes of the chocolate

08:58 – 09:03
because chocolate is so multidimensional. But, yeah, I thought that I was gonna get the same experience with this lemon olive

09:03 – 09:11
oil cake, and I was thirsty after the first bite. I’m like, what is going on? It was cute, though. It was cute.

09:11 – 09:18
It was very photogenic, very worthy. And I think that was I think, like, back to other food and wine fests that we’ve had

09:18 – 09:24
or other events at the park that had food featured in them, there’s always, like, a hit or a miss. Right? And I remember the

09:24 – 09:28
last food and wine fest, a bread thing that had hot dogs in it was not it.

09:28 – 09:32
I was thinking I wanna say it was the Chinese sausage one, but I’m not sure.

09:32 – 09:39
Yes. Yes. That was it. That was it. It was okay. Yeah. I just I remember not liking that. And then it’s new in the park now,

09:39 – 09:46
but we tried it at Disney Channel night. It was the Mickey shaped pretzel pepperoni thing. I don’t know if the pepperoni pretzel.

09:46 – 10:02
It’s cute. It’s not it didn’t taste, like, amazing or wonderful. I I I you’re supposed for me. But on Disney Channel night,

10:02 – 10:07
we definitely tried unreal, really good item. That was a surprise that we didn’t even expect.

10:07 – 10:14
Delicious things I’ve ever had in my history of going to Disneyland. So much so that I am determined now to make it myself.

10:14 – 10:19
So I know we’re gonna talk about Disney Channel night on another episode, but I do have to mention this because it was just

10:19 – 10:21
it blew us all away.

10:21 – 10:21
Yes.

10:21 – 10:28
So everything that night had a nineties theme to it. So like Ariel said, the pepperoni pizza kind of like eating pizza bagels

10:28 – 10:31
after school. Yeah. That’s what I likened it to. Yeah.

10:31 – 10:37
And they had a cosmic brownie, you know, adult cosmic brownie, which does not mean there’s cannabis in

10:38 – 10:45
it. It’s not what made it a little. I think it is, because okay. So that’s really funny that you mentioned that. Because Cosmic

10:45 – 10:51
Brownie is a little Debbie Brownie and but because it was Disney Channel night and everything’s basically like late nineties

10:51 – 10:58
early 2 the y two k thing. So no. It did not have fun stuff in it and I don’t think Disney’s ever gonna do that for us. But

10:58 – 11:04
No. They had that. They had a version of TV dinners. Things that you would basically watch if you were watching Disney Channel

11:04 – 11:08
after school. Yeah. Things you would eat. They yeah. Things you would eat. And then they would theme some of them after some

11:08 – 11:16
of the movies. And because not every movie was represented, either with like a backdrop or with, you know, an, like an experience,

11:17 – 11:24
they made some of the food themes. So what we had was the Johnny Tsunami hot dog. And basically, what it was, was it was Hawaiian

11:24 – 11:32
rolls as the bread. It was Portuguese sausage, which is very popular and very common to find in Hawaii. And it also had chopped

11:32 – 11:40
up macaroni salad, which is a very Hawaiian thing, and chopped up pineapples. And I’m gonna refrain from any but it was so

11:40 – 11:43
delicious. I think we all looked at each other like, what? What?

11:43 – 11:49
We were shocked. And it was not something that we were thinking of getting originally because all the top items were at the

11:49 – 11:55
Hungry Hungry Bear, restaurant, and everyone was ordering on the app. That was pretty much the only way you were gonna get

11:55 – 12:02
your food. And so I wanted to try and find something, and I saw that the refreshments cafe had the Johnny tsunami sandwich,

12:02 – 12:09
and I was like, that sounds cool. So it wasn’t even on our list and it of, like, high items to get. It on the when I was looking

12:09 – 12:14
at the map that we were given, it wasn’t pictured. There were, like, food items they were highlighting. It wasn’t one that

12:14 – 12:19
they were highlighting. But I was just like, okay. This will be for us to all have something different when we sit down and

12:19 – 12:23
eat. And I’m so glad we got it because it was the best thing.

12:23 – 12:30
It was the best thing. And, I mean, we were just hungry at this point because we had been lighting up for all sorts of, like,

12:30 – 12:36
photo ops and nonsense. It was already, like, getting into the night, and we were there watching Perry the Platypus just,

12:36 – 12:41
like, rile up this crowd, and we’re just like we need to eat. And we’re all just on our apps, the 4 of us, and we’re just

12:41 – 12:48
like what can we order like right now? And then so Ariel split up and went over to the refreshment corner. We got stuff from the Tomorrowland Terrace.

12:48 – 12:49
Galactic Grill?

12:49 – 12:54
And Galactic Grill. Yep. Yep. Yep. And, yeah, like, when we all put all of our food together, that was literally, like, I

12:54 – 12:57
could have fought somebody for that. Yes.

12:57 – 13:00
Yes. That’s so good. Totally. Be a staple.

13:00 – 13:07
Absolutely. And Johnny Tsunami is one of my favorite Disney Channel movies of all time and underrated, obviously, but they

13:07 – 13:11
really redeemed it at Disney Channel night with this hot dog. It was so good.

13:11 – 13:18
Well, and speaking of, like, the park foods, what I mean, there are popular snacks that people go to get regularly. So when

13:18 – 13:22
you go to Disneyland, what do you immediately think I have to eat?

13:22 – 13:30
I mean, I have to have a corn dog. And now I know that you and I get corn dogs at different places. We do. We do. So, Ariel,

13:30 – 13:33
where do you get your corn dogs? Because I know you’re a corn dog fan.

13:33 – 13:41
Oh, I get it at the stage door. Yes. Yes. Yes. I get it at the stage door, and I don’t sit in I used to sit inside and watch

13:41 – 13:47
the show. Now I’m just, like, at their mobile pickup area, and I’m grabbing it and going. I and I honestly thought that was

13:47 – 13:50
the only place that you could get a corn dog and then I talked to you.

13:50 – 13:56
So I get mine from the little red cart before it was called the little red cart. It was just literally the corn dog cart because

13:56 – 14:03
they have the best breading and it’s always fresh, but there’s always a line. Now there used to not be a line back when I

14:03 – 14:10
would get it as a kid. But, yeah, it’s literally they only have corn dogs. And I also get the fried chicken right behind it.

14:10 – 14:17
Because that fried chicken is so good, and it’s like the best meal for, like, when you’re probably more than halfway through

14:17 – 14:25
your day at the park, and you just need the most hearty thing. And you get 2 pieces of fried chicken with a side of veggies,

14:25 – 14:32
mashed potatoes. And it is so good for families because you can share. And in the morning, I think is a buffet, but later

14:32 – 14:39
on you can walk up cafeteria style. And those are like my two favorite things to eat at the park for like the morning and

14:39 – 14:46
the afternoon time. But the clam chowder is also one of my staples. I have to get clam chowder if I can hack it. Even if it’s

14:46 – 14:53
a hot day. I’ll wait until, like, midnight to right before they close to get clam chowder over at the Royal Street Veranda

14:53 – 14:55
right next to Pirates of the Caribbean.

14:56 – 15:04
Okay. I’m less meal oriented and more, like, snack oriented, so I always get a mint julep and beignets. And I’ll try the seasonal

15:04 – 15:12
ones, but I really always just like a regular beignet and a mint julep. And always pop corn. Sometimes sometimes I’m buying

15:12 – 15:18
the popcorn buckets. Right? And that’s an extension of, like, food fandom is buying, like, themed popcorn buckets, but I’m

15:18 – 15:25
pretty much always eating a popcorn. Used to always eat a churro. Now I really like more of the salty flavor. And if I get

15:25 – 15:27
a churro, it’s because someone’s splitting with me. Mhmm.

15:27 – 15:36
Yeah. I have a good friend. He is the churro connoisseur. Every time he goes to Disneyland, I think we had to it was either

15:36 – 15:42
a challenge that that he was gonna eat, like, all the churros, but I think it was at the time where they were raising churro

15:42 – 15:45
prices. Because once upon a time, churros used to only be 3.75.

15:46 – 15:47
And now it’s what?

15:47 – 15:55
Up to $7 now, I think. Is that right? Mhmm. Mhmm. That is wild to me. And I think because now they have themed churros. Right?

15:55 – 16:02
Well and I I think with the corn dog and the churros, something that you have shared with me is that your sister-in-law talks

16:02 – 16:08
about sustainability at the parks. And so if you are somebody who doesn’t want to have, like, high waste, that would those

16:08 – 16:14
would be good items to get because the corn dog is just on a stick and the churro is just in a little flimsy paper. Right?

16:14 – 16:21
Yeah. Definitely. And they’re portable, so you’re really, like, consuming these things as you’re waiting in line for a ride

16:21 – 16:28
or if you’re waiting for the parade, or, you know, some sort of attraction that requires you just standing around, it’s very

16:28 – 16:35
convenient. So I think Stefanie with managing expectations, as we’ve talked about before, you really wanna put that in the

16:35 – 16:41
forefront of your mind before you figure out your food route. I would just reserve days to just eat and not do anything else.

16:41 – 16:48
I would just have Disney food days, where, like, we would go over to Trader Sam’s over at the Disneyland Hotel, and we would

16:48 – 16:57
get a reservation there. And Trader Sam’s is a really cool tiki bar that’s interactive and you can get not just, you know,

16:57 – 17:05
very good alcoholic drinks, but they do have a lot of Polynesian food that you can get only there and not at the park. So

17:05 – 17:10
I would go over there, and then we would just go up and down main street and just try food. But I know if you are just going

17:10 – 17:16
for like a 3 day trip or maybe just a one day trip, it’s really hard to do all of that stuff. You really have to be mindful

17:16 – 17:18
of where you’re going.

17:18 – 17:24
And I think that portability you talked about is important because it also depends on the type of theme park attendee you

17:24 – 17:31
are. If you are not an annual pass holder and this is about the only time you’re gonna make it to the park or if you are flying

17:31 – 17:38
in, you may not want to do a reservation. It might be good if you wanna take a break, but if you’re trying to get on as many

17:38 – 17:44
rides as you can, you might want to bring your own snacks or get some of the snacks that you can walk around with, or split

17:44 – 17:50
up your party depending on how big it is and have some sit down and have some wait in line and do a switch.

17:50 – 17:56
Yeah. And I do like how you mentioned that because, yes, the food prices have changed drastically in the past couple years.

17:56 – 18:04
So if you are on a budget, which I have been, I remember going to Disneyland with just $20 to spend, grabbing snacks and,

18:04 – 18:12
you know, packing your own meal. That’s totally doable. I’ve seen many people on social media even bring their own rice to

18:12 – 18:19
a company with their food because some food just tastes better with rice and even condiments, their own tortillas, fried chick

18:19 – 18:25
yeah. All of that stuff. I think, you know, Disney is not a big stickler for bringing in snacks, obviously, because there

18:25 – 18:31
are lots of kids that go to the park and, you know, they would like specific snacks that you might not find. And also milk

18:31 – 18:37
and juice is very expensive at the park. So I always bring my own for my kids and, you know, little things for them to snack

18:37 – 18:43
on while they’re waiting for a ride or a parade or something. You know, really being mindful of how much you wanna spend at

18:43 – 18:51
the park, knowing that a churro is 6 to $7 now. If you’re getting a meal and you are spending at least $20 for yourself for

18:51 – 19:00
a meal. And if you are so lucky to get a dinner reservation at the Blue Bayou or, you know, somewhere really fancy like Carthay

19:00 – 19:07
Circle, you would need to factor that into your culinary day. Not to say that none of it is worth it because it’s all worth

19:07 – 19:12
it. But, you know, just just so that you know what you’re getting into is the biggest thing.

19:12 – 19:19
Yeah. I I think when it comes to specifically planning the parks and making sure that you have both the time, but also the

19:19 – 19:26
energy. One of the things that was is always surprising to me is how much I can eat when I’m at Disneyland compared to at

19:26 – 19:32
home. Because of all the walking I’m doing, I need to sort of make sure that I’m always putting something in my system to

19:32 – 19:38
be able to have the energy to do all of the park things. The thing is if you go on the app and you look at the reservations,

19:38 – 19:46
it will list vegetarian or vegan options. It will list allergy friendly options, but it’ll also list the, restaurants that

19:46 – 19:53
have cross contamination. So if your allergy is very severe, that’s another reason why people will also bring in their own

19:53 – 19:59
food to ensure safety, and why Disney isn’t going to say, like, no to other people bringing in their own snacks and food.

19:59 – 20:05
So you could pretty much bring your own. I know that Steph, you have brought, like, a cooler and put it into with ice in it

20:05 – 20:12
and put it into the lockers before, keep, like, licking drinks cold, and then had, like, a designated time to go and grab

20:12 – 20:13
the food and picnic.

20:13 – 20:20
Yeah. Way back when I was younger. Obviously, Disneyland was cheaper. But, you know, as, you know, my mom was very frugal,

20:20 – 20:26
she would pack us lunch and we would keep it in a locker. And right next to Disneyland entrance and the lockers is a picnic

20:26 – 20:33
area. And we would bring like, you know, any sorts of food. I remember one time we brought even El Pollo Loco to the parks.

20:33 – 20:38
And, we would take it out and then we would eat it for lunch so that we didn’t have to buy food there at the park and then

20:38 – 20:44
we would just reenter. I was no stranger to that other when I was younger. I still see people do it now, especially if they’re

20:44 – 20:50
going on like a school group or, you know, like a like a small organization where, like, the kids are going for, like, a certain

20:50 – 20:55
thing. Girl scouts, boy scouts, I’ve seen them all use that picnic area. And, you know, you don’t need to reserve it. It’s

20:55 – 21:00
just kinda like a park, like an actual park. And you you could just chill there and then eat and then just put your stuff

21:00 – 21:06
right back in the locker. And they won’t ask you for, you know, any sort of time limit or anything like that. They still have

21:06 – 21:08
it to this day, which is really cool.

21:08 – 21:14
Yeah. So we’ve talked about food in the park. It’s bringing your own and then special foods. We’ve talked about food events

21:14 – 21:21
in the park. And as we mentioned that food is more than, like, fandom wise, more than just the food. There’s also the food

21:21 – 21:29
that is themed and food that we wanna try that is in our favorite shows and movies. Mhmm. So I’m curious for you. In the parks,

21:29 – 21:35
when there are themed foods based off of stuff, like, what comes to your mind when you think of that? Because I think of,

21:35 – 21:38
like, going into the the the pizza place in

21:38 – 21:39
What is it called? It

21:39 – 21:46
called? Yeah. Pizza Planet. Yeah. I think of Pizza Planet when I think of, like, a food that was from a movie or show that

21:46 – 21:54
now I might have access to or the shawarma cart in Avengers. In Avengers campus over at California Adventure. Like, those

21:54 – 21:57
are are, like, places that now I’m getting to actually visit.

21:57 – 22:05
Mhmm. I immediately think of the blue bantha milk. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. Because, I mean, when they made

22:05 – 22:12
Galaxy’s Edge, it was so immersive and that was so different from everything. Because when I went to, you know, my idea of

22:12 – 22:17
going to Disneyland is going to different regions of the world. So if I were in New Orleans Square, I knew I was gonna get

22:17 – 22:23
like gumbo or jambalaya or something beignets that I don’t normally get here in LA. Or even if I went to like adventure land,

22:23 – 22:31
I’ll get like, you know, Dole whip because I don’t normally have Dole whip back home. So when blue bantha milk came up at

22:31 – 22:38
Galaxy’s Edge, I was like, this is like a Star Wars food that is now in my hand. Like, that’s wild. Like, it’s crazy to me.

22:38 – 22:45
And I was like, what is it even made of? Do I even care at this point? I don’t care. It’s golden. It tastes delicious. I Tastes

22:45 – 22:50
like a Jolly Rancher. Looks like. It tastes like a Jolly Rancher. And I love that it has, like, almond milk options. Like,

22:50 – 22:57
it’s nondairy. And it’s super refreshing because I remember it being so hot when Galaxy’s Edge opened that I was constantly

22:57 – 23:04
just, like, thirsty and sweaty. But, yeah, I think they did a really great job with not just the Bantha milk at Galaxy’s Edge,

23:04 – 23:11
but also the ronto wraps there, because it really takes you out out of you know, this is regular food that we find here, obviously,

23:11 – 23:17
because I can make it in a kitchen and the world that we live in. But I can think I’m eating something else, and I don’t attune

23:17 – 23:23
it to a specific culture. This is purely fantastical, and I thought that was really cool. Yes.

23:23 – 23:39
Yeah. I think fantastical for me would also spoon. It was hilarious. And, again, even though it was real food, it was the

23:39 – 23:43
thought that it might have been, like, expanded or shrunk down.

23:43 – 23:49
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have a little bone to pick with that tiny, tiny egg. Being so hungry in the morning, I’m like, I want

23:49 – 23:55
breakfast. And of course, you’re going for the novelty of it. Right? But like when I got this quarter size of an egg, I’m

23:55 – 24:01
pretty sure it’s a quail egg because there is no way that you got that from a chicken. I was like, what is this? What how

24:01 – 24:08
much did I pay for this? But then you see the gigantic pretzel and how it’s like hanging off of like a hook and it’s like

24:08 – 24:11
the size of my torso. And you’re like, alright. This is worth

24:11 – 24:12
it. Yeah.

24:12 – 24:13
Yeah. There’s a lot of pretzels.

24:13 – 24:17
And the ridiculously large chicken patty. That was my best.

24:17 – 24:22
I think yeah. It’s as big as your head. I’m pretty sure whatever chicken that came from was like the largest chicken in the

24:22 – 24:29
country. But, yeah, you’re right. PIMS test get I think they got really creative with that. And, I mean, the novelty of it,

24:29 – 24:36
it just it stuck because it was so cool. I know that there’s the Pizza Planet’s really good too, but I wish they had an arcade

24:36 – 24:43
in there because Pizza Planet in my mind was like a Chuck E. Cheese almost or, you know, an amusement center. So I think if

24:43 – 24:47
they had that, that would definitely, like, create the whole entire scenario for myself.

24:47 – 24:55
I still and maybe this is over in Paris Disney, but I wish that they had a Remy’s kitchen of some kind for, like, French cuisine

24:55 – 24:58
from rats at doing in in our park.

25:00 – 25:01
No. They do in Paris.

25:01 – 25:10
I think of Disney and food, that’s that Tiana and Remy are what come up in my mind as, like, the movies for Disney and food. Yes.

25:10 – 25:16
I have had the privilege to go to land Paris and yes, they do have a restaurant that you have to reserve for. It’s at the

25:16 – 25:24
end of the Ratatouille ride. But I haven’t been, but I will try to go this time when I go to Disney World. But now that they

25:24 – 25:30
have the ratatouille ride in the Paris part of Epcot, I know that they have food as well right next to it because they’ve

25:30 – 25:36
always had Parisian food there, and I’ve had it there. But I just don’t know if they do Tatooi or, like, something from the

25:36 – 25:43
movie. But I will find out, and I will report back to you. Yes. But, yes, Tiana’s Kitchen. Okay. I’m gonna get a little I’m

25:43 – 25:46
gonna get a little critical now because

25:46 – 25:49
Oh, well, we did say we examined with a critical lens.

25:49 – 25:58
Yes. I was so excited for Tiana’s kitchen. I mean, it just made sense to make that area in front of haunted mansion into her

25:58 – 26:05
place. And now that they’re doing Tiana’s Bayou ride, which is formally Splash Mountain, I was so excited for the food. However,

26:05 – 26:07
I took a trip to New Orleans earlier

26:08 – 26:08
at the

26:08 – 26:09
end of last year.

26:09 – 26:10
A bad move.

26:11 – 26:17
Bad move. But I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans, and it is a beautiful city. If you ever get to go, oh my gosh. It is

26:17 – 26:24
full of culture, full of life. The food is out of this world. Just everything that you imagine that you saw while you were

26:24 – 26:31
watching princess and the frog, that’s literally what it comes with with the music and the spices and just their use of seafood

26:31 – 26:40
and everything. It was so good. And then I tried Tiana’s kitchen. And man, I was like, this is not as good as what I wanted

26:40 – 26:47
it to be. I know that Disney tries its best to represent regional food and they’ve done that very successfully. In many ways,

26:47 – 26:54
we just mentioned the Polynesian Johnny tsunami dog, which hit it out of the park. But I think to pay homage to New Orleans,

26:54 – 27:00
which is such a huge culinary city, I think they definitely need to step it up a little bit. I get it. There’s demand out

27:00 – 27:07
there. It’s always busy. You can only churn out so many beignets and so much gumbo and so much shrimp and grits at once. But

27:07 – 27:13
Yeah. Because they’ve done such a good job at California Food and Wine Festival, I definitely think that they can do a little

27:13 – 27:21
bit more improvement because my shrimp and grits were okay. I ate it, but it was lacking seasoning. It was lacking depth.

27:21 – 27:27
It was, you you know, the portion was good. But I think the one thing that I the only thing that I liked was probably the

27:27 – 27:36
vegetable gumbo because kinda can’t go wrong with that. And I know, Ariel, you had this was the lemon icebox beignet, which

27:36 – 27:43
ended up being kinda sloppy and wet by the end of it because of all of the, you know, icing. But I know you had it. So Yes.

27:44 – 27:45
What was your opinion on it?

27:45 – 27:50
It tasted good, but you would have to eat it right away. I would say that’s something that you should order second, like,

27:50 – 27:57
go back and get it versus ordering it with your meal unless your meal is that dessert or you eat fast. A beignet is just as

27:57 – 28:03
good as warm as it can be. Like, that that’s pretty much it. And then when you have a liquid, like, if it’s stuffed with something

28:03 – 28:10
or has a cream of some kind, that’s going to detract from, like, the fried part of the beignet. I would say Tiana’s place

28:10 – 28:18
is where you want to go if you want to meet a princess and you cannot wait in line. So it’s a great for accommodations, especially

28:18 – 28:24
if you’re, like, a wheelchair user or if you are a walker user. That’s gonna be a place where you can sit down because Tiana

28:24 – 28:30
comes to your table, and she comes to every table. She will talk to you. She will take pictures with you. And if she asks

28:30 – 28:36
you about the food, she’ll joke with you. Like, that’s the immersive part of that environment. The food and I have seen, some

28:36 – 28:44
cast members who are, who work in the kitchens, who are chefs or sous chefs or, cooks in the kitchen, and they have said that

28:44 – 28:51
they cannot make the buy spicy simply because they get so many complaints about it. So if you’re looking for, like, authentic

28:51 – 28:58
Creole New Orleans cuisine, don’t go to Disneyland. Like, that’s the fantasy. If you are looking for just something that will

28:59 – 29:04
satiate you, that tastes fine, it’s not bad, and you can meet a Disney princess without having to leave your seat, that’s

29:04 – 29:10
what you’re gonna wanna do with Tiana’s place. And and you talked about, like, the spicy cart over. I think the other thing

29:10 – 29:17
what, people have said online is because more people, if they have to choose to visit a park, will choose Disneyland only,

29:17 – 29:23
that they cater to a general audience. Whereas the California Adventure does have the opportunity to cater really towards

29:23 – 29:31
California natives and people in the West Coast, which means that their food gets to be more expansive. And when you have

29:31 – 29:37
when you have an event of some kind, like you said, it’s limited in how much they’re gonna make. Whereas a kitchen that is

29:37 – 29:43
going to stay has to keep churning out the same thing, and it has to taste the same every single time. So Absolutely. It’s

29:43 – 29:49
a worthwhile criticism. If you’ve never been to New Orleans, you’re not gonna know the difference. If you have been to New

29:49 – 29:51
Orleans, you’re gonna know the difference.

29:51 – 30:05
Right. You are definitely right. I think the experience of meeting Tiana there, unfortunately, started coming down and like

30:05 – 30:10
many normally when rain happens, many of the characters, many of those experiences just go away. And so we really wanted to

30:10 – 30:17
try it because last time when we were to try it, which is funny enough before I went to New Orleans, I missed the closing

30:17 – 30:23
of the restaurant because it was still new. And it closed at 8, and we had gotten over there at, like, 9. And I’m like, oh,

30:23 – 30:30
dang. It’s closed now. So, I mean, that would have definitely been a different experience. But at the same time, I think that

30:30 – 30:36
you’re right. Disneyland catering to a general audience is what they’re there for, because they are the ones this is the original.

30:36 – 30:42
There’s only so much that Disneyland can do, which is why they have specialty places like California Adventure or mainly even

30:42 – 30:50
EPCOT. I know that I’ve had such great regional food over at EPCOT at Disney World because they have chefs from that specific

30:50 – 30:56
country. They have people who work there from that specific country that are on, like, a Disney college program or, you know,

30:56 – 31:03
through Disney so that they can share their culture with the world. So there are different ways that Disney is trying to represent

31:03 – 31:11
different countries in very respectable ways. But I think Stefanie this would probably be a gateway into, let me see what

31:11 – 31:18
creole food is actually like. But I think that little voice in the back of my head knowing that Tiana was a chef and that

31:18 – 31:25
she was very proud of her food and the whole movie was her trying to achieve her dreams of making that restaurant. If I knew

31:25 – 31:28
Tiana, maybe she wouldn’t have approved some of these dishes.

31:29 – 31:35
Yes. Yeah. I think if we’re talking about bringing the movie to life, that was not it, and that’s that’s fair.

31:35 – 31:41
The outside is gorgeous, though. The outside is absolutely gorgeous, especially at night. It’s so pretty.

31:41 – 31:45
Yes. We can agree on that. And there’s room for improvement. Right? It’s still technically new.

31:45 – 31:45
Absolutely. Yes.

31:45 – 31:52
That’s I think that’s gonna be the saving graces. We’ll probably see the food evolve and get hopefully better. And I I do

31:52 – 31:58
think you also highlight, like, even though the foods at the parks are expensive, even if you go to, you know, Epcot in Walt

31:58 – 32:04
Disney World, like, you may not have the money to travel to another country. This may be the only time you get to experience

32:04 – 32:09
other cultures. So even if it isn’t quote unquote authentic, which really hard to be if you’re not if you don’t even have

32:09 – 32:11
access to the food that your region would

32:11 – 32:13
have. Absolutely.

32:13 – 32:19
For the most part, this is a great way to introduce, like, students, to introduce people to different cultures and different

32:19 – 32:26
cultural cuisines and talk about, you know, acceptance and diversity. I know that we’ve talked about this on the panel. Can

32:26 – 32:32
you share, like, your experience in the classroom and with students when it comes to diverse foods or trying to celebrate

32:32 – 32:35
different cultures and through their cuisine? Cuisine.

32:35 – 32:42
Yeah. Definitely. I know that whenever you introduce food that is not school lunch into your classroom And really, like for

32:42 – 32:50
the campus, it’s always a special occasion. I’m so lucky that I work for a school that highlights diversity, inclusion, and

32:50 – 32:58
just, embracing the different cultures that make up Los Angeles. And I did want to note that too, because California is such

32:58 – 33:05
a great place to its populations of cultures that have enclaves that have been here for decades, 100 of years, that, you know,

33:05 – 33:14
we can get authentic Oaxacan food just down the street. So I always tell my students that, you know, food is a part of not

33:14 – 33:21
just everyday life, but a part of your identity. So whenever we have cultural events, we normally have festivals that highlight

33:21 – 33:29
Asian American foods, traditionally black foods. We do a good job, I think, in making that effort. So, yeah, I think that

33:29 – 33:36
introducing students to that is really important. And any sort of way that I can do that, whether it be making guacamole in

33:36 – 33:42
the classroom or trying out different types of bread, incorporating that into, like, a history or social science lesson, because

33:42 – 33:48
food is just a part of history. And if we’re, you know, if we’re losing some of those history lessons, at least we get to

33:48 – 33:54
do it in the everyday things that we eat. So, yeah, I mean, I’m pretty thankful that I get to do that. I know not other schools,

33:54 – 34:00
some of them don’t get to do that. But, I mean, for you and your practice, do you ever get to talk about what food means to

34:00 – 34:04
them and the relationship that people have with food in regards to their mental health?

34:04 – 34:11
Yes. So, I know that a lot of my clients have experienced, like, grief and loss. And one of the ways that they will reconnect

34:11 – 34:18
with the individual that has passed is they will make favorite dishes that either were significant to that person or significant

34:18 – 34:25
to, like, the family and their tradition and passing down recipes. I have some clients who have some difficult experiences.

34:25 – 34:32
And so trying to reclaim, like, a positive relationship with the food is not only highlighting how it does connect to your

34:32 – 34:41
culture, but making it, like, fun, play based. Kitchen where my coffee area is, I have a funko of Deadpool as a barista. Like,

34:41 – 34:47
that’s how I’ve, like, made the kitchen fun and silly. And then I used to watch Gilmore Girls, so I have a funko of Suki.

34:47 – 34:56
And I have, a toadstool as a chef. And so they’re over by my by my stove. They’re helping me cook. And so I do that with my

34:56 – 35:01
my clients. It’s, like, we talk about ways to, like, a little bit more exciting. We talk about, you know I don’t give nutritional

35:01 – 35:07
advice. It’s not within my scope, but we talk about how they can enjoy, like, the food that they’re eating. Maybe it’s, like,

35:07 – 35:14
put more colors on the plate. Maybe it’s I think the common phrasing nutritionalists use is have what you like, add what you

35:14 – 35:20
need. So we you know, I’ll have them talk to their nutritionalists and see, like, what could we say that we like and then

35:20 – 35:26
add what we need. And maybe some of the things we like is, like, I will change the peanut butter and jelly sandwich to the

35:26 – 35:35
shape of, like, a Mario star or, like, the the, castle at Disneyland so that I’m still eating enough protein with the peanut

35:35 – 35:40
butter, but I don’t want the crust. And it’s like, okay. You don’t have to have the crust. And I’ve noticed that that is the

35:40 – 36:06
best way to reincorporate food as not just nutritional you actually appreciate it and not just the fact that it is something

36:06 – 36:11
you put, like, in your body, and it’s just the something you check off the box of, like, how you stay alive. But instead,

36:11 – 36:17
like, you are looking forward to it. You’re savoring it. A lot of the work we do is also mindfulness based. I don’t know how

36:17 – 36:23
many times I’ve, like, had clients, like, stop and pause and, like, really smell their coffee, hold the warmth in their hand,

36:23 – 36:30
like, hold the flavor in their mouth, see if they can describe it. Those are the ways in which slowing down and accessing

36:30 – 36:36
more language makes it easier in the long run when it comes to healing and and working through trauma and talk therapy.

36:36 – 36:43
Yeah. I love that you mentioned slowing down and enjoying your food just to enjoy it, because not many people do that. I know

36:43 – 36:50
for me as a mom, I I stopped sitting down to eat. I I eat standing up all the time. And many other moms can relate because

36:50 – 36:55
you just the minute you sit down, somebody will ask you for something, somebody needs someone someone starts crying or somebody

36:55 – 37:02
gets hurt. So I it’s been a while since I’ve done that. And lucky for me, when I go to Disneyland, because it’s either I’m

37:02 – 37:09
with friends or with other people. I mean, when my husband’s there with me, I can enjoy my food. And it’s fun for me because

37:09 – 37:16
these are foods that make me happy. Whether, you know, it’s eating a themed food or eating something that’s very nostalgic

37:16 – 37:23
for myself, I can stop and enjoy it because that’s really what being at the theme park is about. Right? It’s just enjoying

37:23 – 37:28
yourself in anything that you do. No matter the stress that comes along with getting there, or ordering the food, or waiting

37:28 – 37:36
in line for food, you’re still enjoying something that has happiness and joy in it. And so that is all a part of the park

37:36 – 37:43
experience with, you know, the theme food and the types of food that they have at Disneyland. It’s there to make us generally just happy.

37:43 – 37:52
Yeah. And I I think even, like, expanding that, joy of food, like, we know that now there’s merchandising and lining just

37:52 – 38:01
for food. You talked about Right. The munchlings, and I bought a pizza backpack, headband like Mickey ears, and a shirt from

38:01 – 38:03
their Disney Eats collection. So let’s talk

38:03 – 38:10
let’s talk a little bit about the merchandising and the marketing that is now absolutely a thing at Disneyland. Because in

38:10 – 38:17
the past years, there were no influencers. There were no theme nights. There were it was just going to the park and enjoying

38:17 – 38:25
the park as a theme park. Now there’s an element of niche fandoms within the park. And obviously, food is one of those niches.

38:25 – 38:32
And I don’t know about you, but this whole munchlings, like, little plushies that are Disney characters mashed up with food

38:32 – 38:38
items. I feel like it came out of nowhere. Like absolute it’s like that meme that says no one, absolutely no one. Disney parks,

38:38 – 38:43
let’s come out with, you know, a blind of plushies that look like food. That’s kind of how it happened in my

38:43 – 38:49
Yes. Perception of it. And, like, that just shows you about, like, food and fandom taking over because I didn’t know that

38:49 – 38:57
I needed a Donald Duck cupcake plushie until they showed me that I could have a Donald Duck cupcake plushie. And then I’m like, yeah. Oh

38:57 – 39:03
my gosh. I saw all of the stitch related ones. There’s like a stitch Dole Whip. There’s a stitch macarot. I’m like still at

39:03 – 39:09
that point in denial that I need it. I’m like spongebob or like, I don’t need it. I don’t need it. I don’t need it. I don’t

39:09 – 39:14
need it. If I’m gonna get it, I’m gonna get the actual thing and I’m gonna consume it so that I can get something out of it.

39:14 – 39:22
But they are so cute. And yes, spirit jerseys, ears. Ariel, you just bought the most beautiful set. This is so cute. And I

39:22 – 39:27
think I remember when we were at the park, you were like, I’m getting it. There was just like no questions asked. Right?

39:27 – 39:36
No. No. Yeah. So Disney Eats is a merchandising line that Disney is releasing every month a new food themed item. And the,

39:37 – 39:45
February was pizza. And I saw it and I was like, yes. I cannot not live without this. I will buy it before the end of this

39:45 – 39:51
convention. And I did. I bought the ears. I bought the jersey. I bought the lounge fly backpack. You know? I’m walking away

39:51 – 39:58
with pure joy. Like, I looked up when it was international pizza day, so I could, like, wear this again. I really love pizza

39:58 – 40:04
as a food. And then just to see the hidden Mickey’s, like, pepperonis as hidden Mickey’s, was it was clever. They got me.

40:04 – 40:09
They really got me with the merchandising. I looked at some of the other foods. I may do s’mores. Like, they have that in

40:09 – 40:16
December as one of the food items. That may be one that I also like as well. And and it’s interesting. If you go on the website,

40:16 – 40:24
it’ll list the food items, and they are in, like, a tan, image. And then when they release the item, they actually replace

40:24 – 40:31
that image with the actual item. So we’ll we’ll start to I see. Yeah. They’re they’re doing drops. They’re doing drops of

40:31 – 40:38
their line. And it’s merchandising that involves kitchenware, it’s merchandising that involves clothing, sipper cups, like,

40:38 – 40:42
it’s the whole gamut of ways to, like, engage with the food as a product

40:42 – 40:43
and not just as a consumable, but, like, a product.

40:43 – 40:46
It’s as if they thought, oh, consumable, but, like, a product.

40:46 – 40:54
It’s as if they thought, oh, these millennials that now have kitchens and have incomes, let me see what they like. And let

40:54 – 41:01
me just make this huge line about it so that every month in the year of 20 we get them in one way or another. Do they have

41:01 – 41:06
a preview of the type of food it’s gonna be, or is it just like a silhouette of an image or something?

41:06 – 41:15
Oh, it is a preview, but Okay. Even the preview is just a, like, a cartooned image of that food item. It isn’t of, like, the

41:15 – 41:22
merchandise. So if you go on our Instagram, you will see the most recent drop with the pizza ears. But if you swipe swipe

41:22 – 41:27
all the way to the end, you’ll see what it looked like before. We have the whole list for the whole month, so you can or or

41:27 – 41:30
for every month this year, so you can see what those drops will look like.

41:30 – 41:33
So when is coffee month? Because they have to do that. Right?

41:34 – 41:43
Oh, that is a good question. This January was just Disney Eats collection, so That was introducing the collection. February

41:43 – 41:50
was pizza. March is macaron. April is lollipop. May is ice cream. So some of these matching sort of what you would eat in

41:50 – 41:58
those those months. June is doughnuts. July is shaved ice. August is pineapple swirl. September is caramel apple. October

41:58 – 42:04
is churro. Umbers is gingerbread, and December is s’mores. So all foods, no drinks.

42:04 – 42:07
So they’re all they’re all desserts except for pizza.

42:07 – 42:10
Wait a minute. Except for pizza. Let’s pizza put them in the laundry detergent.

42:10 – 42:16
They’re all desserts except for pizza. Okay. So the theme is they’re going for handheld. They’re going for childlike items

42:17 – 42:23
that kids can also partake in, which is probably why they don’t have coffee. And I feel like I’ve seen I mean, before we’ve

42:23 – 42:29
seen Disney donut ears, and some of the munchlings have been s’mores and, you know, macarons and other things. So I think

42:29 – 42:34
they’re just now maybe expanding upon what the merchandising has worked for them in the past.

42:34 – 42:42
Yes. Yes. And all the imagery is Mickey shaped items with the exception of the pineapple swirl, unless there’s a hidden mickey

42:42 – 42:58
that I can’t see. But I think you’re hitting on like some of the way that food is being merchandised, Find a food you can

42:58 – 43:04
eat with your hands. A messy food like spaghetti or food that you’re used to eating in your hands like pizza or fries. Because

43:04 – 43:10
that’s that is one of the first ways we, like, explore our body is touching our mouth and putting things in our mouth. You

43:10 – 43:14
have an infant. I’m pretty sure she puts everything in her mouth. Right? All the things.

43:14 – 43:15
So Every of the things.

43:15 – 43:23
When we’re talking about, like, nostalgia marketing, having handheld foods, wonderful. Having it be sweet, go to treats, having

43:23 – 43:31
it sort of match the theme of the month. I think that Disney’s on brand with this marketing. And I think really shows why

43:31 – 43:39
our panel, when we first did our food panel, why it was accepted at Comic Con. That was the first panel that we had ever accepted

43:39 – 43:46
at Comic Con. It was and it’s because food is a niche culture of fandom in so many different ways.

43:46 – 43:53
Mhmm. And just as you’re listing all of those foods, you could essentially say there’s a fandom for every type of food that

43:53 – 43:59
you just listed. Mhmm. We have pizza lovers, macaron lovers. I was surprised they didn’t have cookies. Just like regular cookies?

43:59 – 44:00
No chocolate chip cookies?

44:00 – 44:06
Just gingerbread, but definitely Just gingerbread. I think the other thing is that these are also foods you can access in

44:06 – 44:13
the park. So they’re, like, doubling down on the fact that these are favorite foods that are to go Mhmm. That are park foods as well. Right?

44:13 – 44:19
Yeah. But yeah. Absolutely. People are fans of these food. I know that we didn’t really dive too deep into it, but there are

44:19 – 44:24
fans of the different types of cold brew in the parks. Because now that they’ve realized that cold brew is a thing that people

44:24 – 44:30
need at the parks, whether you’re a parent, whether you’re just, like, trying to get through the day. There’s different variations

44:30 – 44:36
of cold brew that you can get in the parks, just like how you can get different variations of churros. So when you have followings

44:36 – 44:42
of people who will, like, repost any sort of video that has to do with that food item, that is essentially creating a fandom

44:42 – 44:50
of that item. That Disney now is looking at that as, hey, you know, we not only have Disney fans, but we have Disney foodies.

44:50 – 44:56
We have food fans and for specific things. So it was very smart on their part to hone in on that.

44:56 – 45:04
Yeah. I think this will be our our part 1 in a series of food as a subtopic on our Disney fandom, podcast.

45:05 – 45:07
We have lots to say about it. So, you know.

45:07 – 45:17
Now if you are going to be at WonderCon this year, we will have our panel on March 31st. That’s a Sunday from 4 to 5 PM. It’ll

45:17 – 45:24
be in room 2. And I do understand this is also Easter, so if we don’t see you, that is totally fine. But if we do, you know,

45:24 – 45:33
say hi, ask a question. We will have a variety of people on our panel, an actor, a producer, a restaurant owner, chef, a sous

45:33 – 45:40
chef. So come and learn about food and fandom. It won’t just be Disney related. It will be the whole gamut of food and fandom

45:40 – 45:48
and the experience. And, you know, if you have any questions, please follow us and message, like, and follow at happiestpodgt

45:49 – 45:56
for Instagram and happiestpodgt for and, yeah. Like, let us know. What do you eat at the parks? What are your favorite foods?

45:56 – 46:04
Yes. And what foods are you fans of? Because as we are going to be diving into that topic at the panel, we always love hearing

46:04 – 46:11
stories of people and their relationship to their favorite foods. It’s always so great to hear because we’ve all had that

46:11 – 46:19
experience of loving food and getting joy from it that is unmatched when you eat something that brings you so much happiness

46:19 – 46:26
that you just have to stop everything and realize that. So we’re very excited, the panel. But if not, we will see you on the next episode.

46:26 – 46:27
Alright. Bye, everybody.

46:28 – 46:29
Bye.

• Tiana
• Princess and the Frog
• Remy
• Ratatouille
• Deadpool
• Suki
• Gilmore Girls
• Toadstool
• Funko Figures

• Disney Food Culture
• Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure
• Disney Merchandising and Marketing Strategies
• Using Food in Education and Therapy
• Disney Eats Collection
• Panel Discussion on Food and Fandom