With all the fun, fantasy and adventure going on at Disney World, you sort of forget that the complex is one of the country's major food service organizations.
But consider these bits of trivia:- Disney World has 82 full-service restaurants, buffeterias and food courts, and 75 fast-food places.
- Disney chefs prepare 200,000 meals a day.
- More than 6,000 different food items are available.
- Each year, chefs use 2 million tons of chicken, 21/2 million tons of beef and a half-ton of fish - and 35 varieties of cheese.
- More than 51/2 million pounds of potatoes are used each year for french fries. That's enough fries to circle the world 21/2 times.
- It would take one person, eating two hamburgers at every meal, 2,505 years and 208 days to eat the number of burgers served at Walt Disney World each year.
All in all, that's a lot of food.
But it is more than that, too. "When we first opened the Magic Kingdom in 1971," said Larry Slocum, vice president of foods for Walt Disney World, "fast service was the key because guests wanted to hurry back to the attractions. But when Epcot Center came along, food became part of the show. And with the coming of Disney-MGM Studios, food is part of the entertainment."
At Epcot's World Showcase, for example, you can choose one of 11 ethnic restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world - everything from poached fresh salmon (Canada) to vegetables and couscous (Morocco), chicken grilled by a teppanyaki chef (Japan) and traditional koltbord (Norway). And at Future World, options include dining with a nice view of the coral reef at the Living Seas, or sampling the healthy fare at the Wonders of Life pavilion cafe where every item on the menu meets the American Heart Association recommendation that not more than 30 percent of the calories come from fat.
Over at MGM Studios, there's a quaint little cafe where "Mom" still makes a fuss if your dinner plate isn't cleaned. Not far away, at a Hollywood Boulevard restaurant, you can catch a glimpse of arch rivals Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. And in the middle of Hollywood Hills, there's a drive-in theater that serves up lunch as you sit in '50s-era automobiles and watch famous science-fiction and monster movie clips.
The Magic Kingdom offers more than fast food as well. You can dine in regal splendor in King Stefan's Banquet Hall inside Cinderella's Castle or find New England specialties at the Liberty Tree Tavern, just to name a couple of options.
"Our chefs are developing entrees that are high in nutritional value, taste great and, most of all, continue the Disney tradition of making dining a memorable experience," says Scott Lillie, regional manager of resort food and beverage.
The formula must be working - at least if you judge by the 70,000 requests for guests' favorite recipes that come to the resort each year. Peoplewant to take some of the Disney magic home with them.
So, by popular request, Disney chefs have assembled a new recipe collection of favorites, "Cooking With Mickey, Gourmet Mickey Cookbook Volume II." Volume I was published in 1986, and to the 70 most-requested recipes in that book, some 280 new recipes have been added to create the 350-recipe Volume II. The cookbook is available for $15.95 plus shipping and handling through Walt Disney World Merchandise Guest Service (407) 934-4718 or Disneyland Merchandise Guest Services (714) 999-4216. It is also available in stores within Disney resorts and theme parks.
There is another part of the Disney World food story that deserves attention, and that is the experimental work going on at The Land pavilion at Epcot.
The six-acre complex features experimental garden areas and a biotechnology lab that is a joint effort between Disney World, Kraft, the University of Florida and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
Here scientists are looking for answers to such questions as: Are there better ways to grow important crops? What is the overlooked potential of unfamiliar plants? How will space explorers grow food on the moon?
Projects under way include a method for genetic transfer in peanut tissue that will lead to peanut oil that is lower in saturated fats; development of a system to improve the efficiency of irrigation where recirculation of the nutrient solution saves about 850 gallons of water per day in the aeroponic area; a study of integrated pest management that uses predatory or parasitic insects to control population levels of the insects that damage plants.
The Controlled Ecological Life Support System is a cooperative effort with the Kennedy Space Center that is researching ways to produce food, oxygen and water and to recycle waste products to support a manned space station.
In addition, The Land annually produces tons of fresh vegetables and fish that are used in Epcot restaurants.
Food - just something to eat? Not at Disney World.
RECIPES
Lemon Sherbet Punch
4 cups lemon sherbet
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 cups warm water
Ice cubes
Lemon slices Place sherbet in mixing bowl. Using electric mixer on low speed, add lemonade concentrate and water. Mix well (about 5 minutes). Refrigerate.
Serve in tall glasses with ice and garnish with lemon slices. Makes 8 servings.
Each serving contains 212 calories; 2 gm fat; 50 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol.
- From Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom
Jamaican Buns
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon rind (or 1 tablespoon lemon extract)
1 cup butter or shortening
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
2 egg whites, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon rind. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly in texture. Beat eggs with milk and add to flour mixture. Blend until just moistened. Do not over mix. Add raisins and coconut and mix again, just enough to incorporate.
Using an ice-cream scoop or tablespoon, portion dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each bun with beaten egg whites and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Buns should be golden brown and firm to touch. Makes about 36 rolls.
Each serving contains 135 calories; 25 gm fat; 62 mg sodium; 32 mg cholesterol.
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
Tony's Breakfast Potatoes
2 pounds small red new potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable seasoning Wash potatoes with skins on and cut into quarters. Larger potatoes should be cut into sixths. In a 4-quart saucepan, add water, salt and potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Potatoes should still be firm. Drain potatoes into a colander and allow to steam dry for five minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place potatoes back into saucepan with melted butter and vegetable seasoning. Toss gently until evenly coated. Transfer potatoes to a 13-by-9-inch pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until evenly browned and fork-tender.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains 345 calories; 6 gm fat; 1404 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol.
- Tony's Town Square Restaurant, Main Street, U.S.A.
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 packages (18 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chunks Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and cocoa powder. Stir in remaining ingredients and blend well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are set (5 to 8 minutes). Cool slightly and remove from pan.
When making large cookies, press down slightly on cookie dough to help cook more evenly. Bake slightly longer (8 to 10 minutes). Makes about 30 cookies, depending on size.
Each cookie contains 196 calories; 11 gm fat; 98 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol.
- Main Street Bake Shop, Main Street U.S.A.
Milky Way Cake
5 Milky Way candy bars
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cups pecans
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted Grease and flour an angel food or bundt cake pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt candy bars with 1/2 cup butter. Cream sugar with remaining 1/2 cup butter until light. Add candy and mix well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add alternately with flour to candy mixture, ending with flour. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into candy mixture with chopped pecans.
Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes. Cool and frost with melted semi-sweet chocolate. Makes 16 servings.
Each serving contains 528 calories; 26 gm fat; 270 mg sodium; 85 mg cholesterol.
- Disney's Beach Club Resort
Beef Barley Soup
1 cup carrots, diced small
1 cup celery, diced small
1 cup onion, diced small
2 tablespoons beef base (or 4 bouillon cubes)
2 tablespoons chicken base (or 4 bouillon cubes)
6 1/2 ounces pearl barley
3 quarts water
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper Saute all vegetables in butter until tender.
In a separate pan, cook ground beef. Drain any excess fat. Add drained ground beef to vegetables. Add bases, water and barley. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains 258 calories; 12 gm fat; 1599 mg sodium; 39 mg cholesterol.
- Disney Village Marketplace
Turkey Burgers
2 pounds turkey meat, ground
2 tablespoons vegetable seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
4-6 rolls, whole-wheat or deli
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Onion slices
Pickles slices
Cranberry chutney or sauce Season ground turkey with vegetable seasoning and mix well with beaten eggs. Form into 4-6 patties (depending on size desired) and grill or broil for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
When burgers are fully cooked, serve immediately on toasted rolls with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and cranberry. Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains 417 calories; 14 gm fat; 1089 mg sodium; 82 mg cholesterol.
- 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park