Hello! Thinking back to fun times had in the Disney parks is helping me during this time of quarantine, and I’m sure I’m not alone. I began the recap of my journey throughout opening day of the 2020 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival yesterday. Click here to catch up if you missed it. Ready? Let’s continue the adventure…
Our next stop as we made our way around World Showcase was at the merchandise location in the Outpost. Just a quick side note: the temporary merchandise kiosks were not able to accept debit or credit cards for a period of time on opening day. The same thing happened on opening day of Festival of the Arts, and I was glad back then that I had a little cash on me so that I could purchase the adorable Three Caballeros print postcard that Morgan pointed out to me. If you’re heading to Epcot for the first day of a festival, you might want come with a little cash if shopping’s on your to-do list.
The Outpost location was able to accept all forms of payment as they are a permanent merchandise location, but the temporary ones were not. Fiasco fell in love with the Orange Bird tropical shirt, and bought it on the spot. It’s hard to resist that little Orange Bird.
The festival topiaries are lovely this year, as they are every year. The flowers of Epcot have inspired a project that I’ll be covering at some point very soon. And no, I’m not making my own at-home topiary. Me with wire cutters is an accident waiting to happen.
Our next stop was at Bauernmarkt in the Germany pavilion. Nick chose the Toasted Pretzel Bread ($5.50) as the item that we’d review. I tried this pretzel bread last year, and while I enjoyed it, I was left wishing that it was warmer. This year’s iteration of the dish left me wishing the same thing.
Magnolia Terrace, located in the American Adventure, is the new Outdoor Kitchen at this year’s festival. We tried several of the southern classics offered at this location, but most noteworthy to me was the Pecan Praline ($4.25).
I didn’t enjoy the taste of this treat. I’ve tried two pecan pralines recently, and I think I’m just not a praline kind of gal. What I did enjoy about the praline is that it was packaged and branded specifically for Magnolia Terrace. A food booth at one of the festivals has gotten its own packaged, branded snack, and I just think that’s pretty cool. And, yes, as I mentioned on the Flower and Garden Festival Disney Dining Show, I called Corey Martin before going on camera to confirm the proper way to say the name of this treat. We can debate the pronunciation of “praline” all we want to, but in my book, a New Orleans native was the only one I could trust on this one. It’s praw-leen.
Next came what has now become a Flower and Garden Festival favorite for me: Frushi. I know that I’m terribly late to the game, but mannn, that Frushi ($6) is so good! It’s a light and refreshing snack, and something that I will purchase again and again. And anything incorporating sweet rice is now a winner in my book.
In tomorrow’s column, we’ll jump on the Disney Skyliner and head over to Hollywood Studios to meet up with Jackie Gailey for a first ride on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Nothing can stop us now! See you then.
