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Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Epcot Experience: It's Not Like Massachusetts

I really like Epcot. I love the International Village with all its different types of food, street performances and shops. Plus there are some really great rides there. There is nothing like it in Massachusetts. Compared to the Magic Kingdom it's easy to get in and out (unless you get lost on your way to the parking lot), making it great to park hop. However, I remember going there when I was 7 and hating it. That seems to be a fairly common experience, so I don't think it's any coincidence that they chose to put the new Nemo ride there to make it more appealing to children. The first night that we were in Orlando, we decided to take advantage of the fact that our children had no idea what Disney World was, and to go to Epcot. Since they didn't have any other park to compare it to, they enjoyed it.

Since we didn't want to get bogged down with too many plans, we had only made a few reservations during our trip. We had made none for our first day. I had heard great things about the food in "Germany" so we decided to check it out. Lo and behold not only was there a German restaurant with an appealing name (Biergarten) and an appealing slogan ("Every Day is Oktoberfest"), but the wait for a table was less than five minutes, and it was air conditioned. Definitely a plus in the very humid weather. Biergarten was a buffet that was priced at slightly more than we had wanted to spend, but it turned out to be my favorite restaurant of the trip.

We were seated with another family, which the waitress said is traditional in Germany. This isn't something that usually happens in Massachusetts. The other family consisted of a dad, a grandpa, and two boys who looked like they were about 8 and 10. I was secretly pleased to be sharing a table with them, because both of my boys were hungry and cranky and I had already seen these boys horsing around with the ropes used to guide the line. I figured if my boys acted up, it wouldn't be as noticeable as if we were seated with a family with perfectly behaved kids.

Right as we were seated, a band started playing traditional German music. People were invited to dance on the dance floor below the stage. One of the musicians was announced as the fastest cowbell player in the world, and he attempted to prove that claim. This isn't something you get to hear every day in Massachusetts.

Anytime the band found out that it was someone's birthday or anniversary, they gave a toast in German invited everyone to raise their glasses and shout "Hoy, hoy, hoy!" (I'm sure I spelled that wrong.) This isn't something that is typically shouted in Massachusetts, but all the kids seemed to really like enjoy it. That said, if you or your kids don't like loud environments, this is not the restaurant for you. The restaurant was also somewhat dark.

Ambiance and music are nice things, but most people come to a restaurant for food and drink. I am pleased to report that both boys loved the food, and the Big Giraffe and I considered both the food and beer to be excellent. The buffet included every type of German meat that I'm familiar with, not that I'm an expert by any means. There were wursts and sausages and a carving station with other types of meat. Even the salads were sprinkled with chunks of meat. I swear at one point I ate something that tasted similar to a big chunk of deli bologna, but it was very tasty and a favorite of my younger son (YS). It's been a long time since I've been that impressed with a buffet. You don't typically get food like that in Massachusetts. Although the boys and the Big Giraffe also liked the desserts, I wasn't that impressed by them, so I decided to hold off until we went to "France".

As the meal was winding down, the boys in the other family started to act up. Honestly, if I hadn't been sitting right next to the older one, I wouldn't have even noticed, and even at the same table, I wasn't bothered by them. They weren't loud, and there was a lot going on in the restaurant. I am sure that no one outside of our table noticed, until...the dad suddenly attracted the attention of every patron of Biergarten by belting out to his older son "If you blow that spit ball at your brother I will pull down your pants and spank you right here in front of everyone in Germany!" I think we all sent the boy silent vibes not to shoot the spitball, and thankfully he didn't. That isn't something you typically hear in Massachusetts.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: There are differences between Epcot, Germany, and Massachusetts.

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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

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