PrincessJasmine's vegetarian reviews (and my family's non-vegetarian perspective)

[Moonpie]

Rodeo Rick sounds hilarious! I wonder why the WCC wasn't very crowded. Is it not very popular? I mean, the food sounds good, so it should be more crowded.

Thanks for the review!

 

[punkin712]

Just FYI, McDonald's no longer has beef fat in their French fries. And watch out for lard in potato chips and in some canned refried beans!
Cheers!
Heather W

No more beef fat, but the "natural flavoring" in McDonald's fries and hash browns still comes from beef. Same with Chik-Fil-A.

Burger King french fries are vegetarian-friendly and are fried in a "french fries only" fryer.

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

I am learning something from this thread every day!! With a family that is not vegetarian, I really am not aware of things like the fact that there is beef fat in french fries. I used to eat McDonald's fries. I'll stick with Burger King from now on. Thanks for the info!

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Alright, Olivia's:

My parents are Disney Vacation Club members and we have stayed at Old Key West a couple of times so my parents decided they wanted to go walk around the resort. Okay, so we walked around but then it was time for dinner! We didn't have an ADR, but we just walked up to Olivia's and were seated immediately. The restaurant was empty. We should have taken this as a sign.

I swear this was the coldest restaurant I have ever been in. I am generally a cold person, but this was ridiculous. Anyway, I started with a caprese salad. The tomatoes in this salad were awful, absolutely green, and crunchy...not what I'm looking for in a tomato! I sent the salad back and asked if they had any riper tomatoes since a caprese salad is basically all tomatoes! A LONG time later the server came back with another icky salad. Oh well.

For dinner my only option was pasta. I could have had a kid's grilled cheese again, but I went with the pasta. I did not at all feel like having pasta, but when it's the only option, what are you going to do? I am a college student so pasta is somewhat the extent of my cooking ability and I didn't think you could mess up pasta. Wrong. I can't exactly say why, but this pasta was just horrible. The sauce (just a marinara) just tasted strange and the pasta was like mush. The dish was cold as well.

My dad had the fish and hated it, my sister had soup and salad which she said was decent, and my mom had some kind of chicken which she barely touched.

As soon as dinner was over it was time to get out of there, no dessert for us!! We made up for the bad food with Mickey bars all around!

Obviously we will not be returning to Olivia's. The food, service, and atmosphere left much to be desired. Also, can we please ban together and BEG the restaurants at Disney to offer vegetarian options other than pasta!!!!

 

[Tiki Room Fan]

The folks I work with came back with a ton of Mcdonald's a couple weeks ago for lunch and the box McDonald's gave them to carry it back to the office in was a french fries box. A big brown box that all the bags of frozen fries get delivered in. It has the ingredients list on it and it says BEEF FAT. I cut it off the box and saved it. I'll scan it and post it if anyone doesn't believe it! The beef fat is the reason their fries are always extremely greasy!!!

PrincessJasmine...thanks for the warning on Olivia's!!!

I can tell I'm gonna be totally sick of pasta next month, too. I don't want to eat pasta every night either!

 

[Moonpie]

I swear this was the coldest restaurant I have ever been in. I am generally a cold person, but this was ridiculous. Anyway, I started with a caprese salad. The tomatoes in this salad were awful, absolutely green, and crunchy...not what I'm looking for in a tomato! I sent the salad back and asked if they had any riper tomatoes since a caprese salad is basically all tomatoes! A LONG time later the server came back with another icky salad. Oh well.

Are you sure those tomatoes weren't heirloom tomatoes? The kind that's supposed to be green and multicolored? If not, then I think I would have returned the dish and asked for something else...either that or just eat nothing in protest. In fact, I've walked out of restaurants before when the service, or food was bad. I've even walked out when I saw not enough veggie options on the menu.
And Yes we should write to Disney and request more veggie options. People from all over the world with different beliefs, and dietary needs visit the parks every day, and they deserve to feel welcome in all the restaurants.

Okay, rant over. Have a great evening! And thanks for the review!

 

[KAYELIZ]

Hi PrincessJasmine08,
First, let me say how much I've enjoyed reading your reviews!!! I know what you mean about pasta. I love it and it's an easy item for restaurants to put on the menu to satisfy those customers who don't eat meat but no one wants a steady diet of pasta. I've been reading a lot of the Disney menus and some of the side dishes that they serve with the meat dishes sound really interesting and vegetarian. Do you think that the chefs would be willing to make a vegetarian plate with these side dishes? Did your server ever offer you this option? I'll be there next week and some of the vegetarian options at the restaurants we're planning to go to don't sound very appealing to me. I'm just wondering if the servers and chefs seemed flexible on this. Thanks.

 

[tinkerrn]

OMG!!!! BEEF FAT in McDonalds fries!!!! How gross...my stomach is churning right now.

I also feel the same way about pasta...just kinda sick of it being the 'veggie' dish. I am not even a big fan of pasta. What restaurants offer something other than pasta....I am a big fan of cheese.

 

[hmp2z]

A big brown box that all the bags of frozen fries get delivered in. It has the ingredients list on it and it says BEEF FAT. I cut it off the box and saved it. I'll scan it and post it if anyone doesn't believe it! The beef fat is the reason their fries are always extremely greasy!!!

http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm

They actually stopped frying the fries in beef fat in the 90's, though they still add beef stock to the fries. Definitely not vegetarian, but not quite as bad for you as the former policy.

If you go to the McDonald's website, you can see a list of ingredients. They use beef to flavor, but the oil they fry in is 100% vegetable oil.

Cheers!
Heather W

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Does anyone else care to share any more items that you may think are vegetarian but then really aren't? Since I am still fairly new at this, I like learning from others. So far from this thread I have learned not to eat marshmallows, some jelly beans, and some french fries!! Thanks for the tips!

Anyway, I did write a letter to Disney about some concerns/issues from our last trip. I will let you all know if I get any comments or feedback about the lack of vegetarian options. I would recommend that everyone that has time write a letter/email. The more of us they hear from the more likely they are to make changes. Here's the addresses if you're interested:

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Alright, three dining reviews to go, here's my thoughts on Cape May Cafe...

Since we were staying at the Beach Club Villas one night we were sitting in the room playing cards and I decided to call Disney dining and see if I could get an ADR for breakfast the next morning. They had one slot available at 9:50, so I snagged it!

For this breakfast, it was just me and my sisters. My parents hate character meals so they didn't come. I on the other hand love character meals! We arrived right on time for our ADR and the line to check in was very long. We checked in and had to wait about 20 minutes for a table, the restaurant was PACKED! But it wasn't a bad packed like at Alfredo's, it was more of a good, fun, lively atmosphere.

Since this is a buffet I got to try many different things. First of all there is a yogurt bar with yogurt, granola, and fruit. This was very good. Then I had lots of fresh fruit from the buffet. The fruit that I can remember (there was probably more) was strawberries, canteloupe, watermelon, blueberries, and bananas. All of the fruit was perfectly ripe and very fresh. I also had a Mickey waffle. Right when I came by to get my waffle the chef was coming out refilling the waffle platter so it was hot and fresh..mmm!! Waffles are one of my favorites and when it's shaped like Mickey, it's even better! I also had some scrambled eggs and potatoes. The potatoes here are served with onions and peppers. I asked the waitress if there was any way I could get some potatoes without peppers and about 10 minutes later she came out with my own plate of plain potatoes! They were great! Once again, another example of Disney's willingness to work with dietary needs. For "dessert" I had a donut. It tasted like Krispy Kreme and was very good. Please don't tell me they fry donuts in beef fat...

The characters we saw were Minnie, Goofy, and Chip. There was no Dale, which seemed kind of strange, but no big deal. Each of the characters was very friendly, we had great character interaction. Goofy took my camera and started walking around the restaurant pretending to pose and take pictures of himself, we were all laughing!

We loved Cape May Cafe breakfast and will definitely return. The buffet offered plenty of vegetarian options and the character interaction makes the meal.

 

[punkin712]

I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years (since the ripe old age of 14) and I'm still finding out about stuff that contains animal products! Here are some others that might surprise you:
--some brands of yogurt and yogurt smoothies (will say gelatin or kosher gelatin); the new smoothies at Dunkin Donuts contain yogurt that is made with gelatin
--some brands of sour cream contain gelatin; some products that contain sour cream made with gelatin (like Cheesecake Factory cheesecake)
--many types/brands of cheese contain animal-based rennet; however, there are several brands (like Cabot) that use vegetable-based rennet
--lots of prepared foods (packaged rice blends, spaghetti sauces, salad dressings, canned soups, pie dough, etc.) contain chicken or beef fat, bacon or anchovies
--miso soup is usually made with bonito (dried fish) flakes
--a few juice companies (like Tropicana and Apple and Eve) as well as some yogurts (Dannon) contain cochineal or carmine for food coloring - this product comes from crushed beetles
--some potato chips are cooked in lard
--Hormel Bacon Bits are made from bacon, but Betty Crocker's Bac-Os aren't
--some desserts (like mousses, creams, no bake cheesecakes and Starbucks caramel drizzle sauce) contain gelatin as a stabilizer; sorry - no AKL Zebra Domes for us!

PETA has lots of good information for vegans and vegetarians. In addition, many food and restaurant companies have started posting their ingredients online so it's easier to get the information. Once you start feeling comfortable with all the food products, then you can start researching other things like beauty and health items that contain animal products.

It can sometimes be frustrating, but hang in there! Vegetarians and vegans are growing in numbers and companies are starting to realize that they have to address our needs too.

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

...
--a few juice companies (like Tropicana and Apple and Eve) as well as some yogurts (Dannon) contain cochineal or carmine for food coloring - this product comes from crushed beetles ...

OMG!!!! I am totally grossed out!!! I just had Tropicana orange juice for breakfast, that is by far the grossest thing I have heard yet today!!!

 

[punkin712]

OMG!!!! I am totally grossed out!!! I just had Tropicana orange juice for breakfast, that is by far the grossest thing I have heard yet today!!!

Cochineal and carmine are used as red food coloring. I think Tropicana only uses it in their Ruby Red grapefruit juice - guess the grapefruits aren't that ruby red after all It's often just listed as "natural coloring" but the FDA has said that companies who use these beetles will have to start listing them by name in the ingredients list.

One other thing I forgot to mention is Vitamin D3. It's found in most milks and some fortified juices (including Tropicana orange juice). It can be synthesized, but sometimes it comes from lanolin (sheep's wool). I know...who puts sheep's wool in orange juice?!

That's one that could be considered vegetarian friendly, because lanolin isn't a slaughter by-product, so it really comes down to how you feel about the wool industry and their overall treatment of sheep.

 

[tinkerrn]

wow....I have learned sooo much here. I am grossed out about the cheese thing. I don't eat yogurt, so thats not a big deal. Which brand of sour cream is OK? Cabot cheese, where can you get it? I for one hope that some one tells me that krispy kremes ARE fried in beef fat. Maybe I can get back into my size 2 jeans again.
I am wondering how those who eat only organic food...survive at WDW?

 

[amarberry]

wow....I have learned sooo much here. I am grossed out about the cheese thing. I don't eat yogurt, so thats not a big deal. Which brand of sour cream is OK? Cabot cheese, where can you get it? I for one hope that some one tells me that krispy kremes ARE fried in beef fat. Maybe I can get back into my size 2 jeans again.
I am wondering how those who eat only organic food...survive at WDW?

Tillamook is another brand of cheese that is vegetarian. Also, most of the cheeses at Trader Joe's are vegetarian. Here's an online listing that someone told me about that goes through the different cheese brands: http://cheese.joyousliving.com/CheeseListBrand.aspx.

We do mostly organic at home, but obviously we can't do that when we are on vacation or go out to eat. We just do our best and I figure that mostly organic is much better than not organic at all.

 

[punkin712]

wow....I have learned sooo much here. I am grossed out about the cheese thing. I don't eat yogurt, so thats not a big deal. Which brand of sour cream is OK? Cabot cheese, where can you get it? I for one hope that some one tells me that krispy kremes ARE fried in beef fat. Maybe I can get back into my size 2 jeans again.
I am wondering how those who eat only organic food...survive at WDW?

Here's a website I use pretty frequently. Hopefully, you can find a few of these brands at your local grocery store.

http://cheese.joyousliving.com/

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I thought of something else. Alot of companies are starting to jump on the omega-3 bandwagon and adding it to products that wouldn't normally be questionable. However, some companies use omega-3 that is sourced from fish or fish oil rather than from flax seed or another vegetarian friendly source. For example, Wegman's bread with omega-3 uses fish-based omega-3 (not disclosed on the packaging) but Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta uses flax seed as their omega-3 source.

I'm sure I'll think of more things, but I'll try to save them up and put them all in one post I've gotten so much information from the internet that I'm starting to feel like a vegetarian detective! If you aren't sure, don't be afraid to contact the company and ask.

 

[hmp2z]

Anything that is marked Kosher Dairy or Kosher Pareve is safe (see qualification below). In order for a product to be dairy or pareve, it can't contain any meat products whatsoever. The ingredients are strictly supervised by Orthodox rabbis, so it's a very easy way to find products that are vegetarian only.

A qualification to this: fish is considered to be pareve, so some pareve products may contain fish. Pareve basically means it has neither meat nor dairy in it, so it's neutral. And if it's kosher, it won't have shellfish ingredients, either.

These labels are a very, very easy way to figure out immediately whether a product is vegetarian friendly or not.
Here is a listing of the different kosher signs:
http://www.jewishcooking.org/kosher-symbols.html

Cheers!
Heather W

 

[punkin712]

Anything that is marked Kosher Dairy or Kosher Pareve is safe (see qualification below). In order for a product to be dairy or pareve, it can't contain any meat products whatsoever. The ingredients are strictly supervised by Orthodox rabbis, so it's a very easy way to find products that are vegetarian only.

A qualification to this: fish is considered to be pareve, so some pareve products may contain fish. Pareve basically means it has neither meat nor dairy in it, so it's neutral. And if it's kosher, it won't have shellfish ingredients, either.

These labels are a very, very easy way to figure out immediately whether a product is vegetarian friendly or not.
Here is a listing of the different kosher signs:
http://www.jewishcooking.org/kosher-symbols.html

Cheers!
Heather W

The only symbol I didn't see was the kosher "K" which is found on Dannon yogurts that contain gelatin (sometimes listed as "kosher gelatin"). This is from Dannon's website:

"Gelatin: Some of our products contain gelatin to give them the desired consistency and texture. These varieties bear a "K" on the label indicating kosher certification by Rabbi Dr. David I. Sheinkopf."

So, I did some snooping around and found this on the Vegetarian Resource Group website www.vrg.org

"Kosher gelatin can be made with fish bones, and/or beef skins. Contrary to assumptions, it is also considered kosher to use it with dairy products. Kosher law is very complex and the bones and hides used in gelatin production are considered pareve. The general meaning of pareve refers to foods that are neither milk nor meat, and many people assume this means that the product is vegetarian. However, OU pareve certified ingredients can have animal products, such as fish, eggs, and gelatin, in them. "Kosher Gelatin Marshmallows: Glatt Kosher and 'OU-Pareve'," an article that appeared in Kashrus Magazine, explains the distinctions. A quote from the article is as follows: "...since the gelatin product is from hides or bones - not real flesh - and has undergone such significant changes, it is no longer considered 'fleishig' (meat) but 'pareve', and can be eaten with dairy products." "

The plot thickens...

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Here's a website I use pretty frequently. Hopefully, you can find a few of these brands at your local grocery store.

http://cheese.joyousliving.com/

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I thought of something else. Alot of companies are starting to jump on the omega-3 bandwagon and adding it to products that wouldn't normally be questionable. However, some companies use omega-3 that is sourced from fish or fish oil rather than from flax seed or another vegetarian friendly source. For example, Wegman's bread with omega-3 uses fish-based omega-3 (not disclosed on the packaging) but Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta uses flax seed as their omega-3 source.

I'm sure I'll think of more things, but I'll try to save them up and put them all in one post I've gotten so much information from the internet that I'm starting to feel like a vegetarian detective! If you aren't sure, don't be afraid to contact the company and ask.

No, you certainly didn't hijack the thread! I asked the question and I greatly apprecaiate your answers, this is definitely a learning process for me. Thanks!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Also, some heavy whipping creams contain gelatin (so that they whip more easily & don't "deflate").