When I learned that my family was going to be spending three full days at Disneyland this year I actually started to panic thinking about my food options. I anxiously went online in search of sustenance that if not entirely raw, at least vegan and healthy. I was pleasantly surprised by the listing on
allears.net. You can check out the menus for all of the eateries at Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. If you're at Disneyworld in Florida,
they have a nice vegan/vegetarian listing of what's available at each park.
Click here for some tips on helping you find the food you need on your visit.
Luckily the day before we left I shot my instructional video and was left with loads of food. Kale, not tuna salad, brownies and chia pudding were my saviors on Day One and part of Day Two which I stored in the refrigerator at my hotel room. As we walked around Tomorrowland I made a fantastic discovery...
KALE! LOTS of it! Along side rosemary, lavender (we rubbed this under our noses to keep the crowds from stressing us out), oranges and grapefruits. How exciting. I was so tempted to steal a few leaves but afraid of being ejected from the park for eating the landscaping.
I was really pleased to find a few fruit stands in the park. Though not organic, better than some of the processed options being offered.
After perusing the menus on allears.com, temptation brought me to Cafe Orleans in the New Orleans Square next to Pirates of the Caribbean. They had a ratatouille that was simply divine. You have to mention that you want it vegan or else it will come with cheese on top and corn cakes that also contain cheese. Totally delish.
In the same area across the street is Royal Street Veranda that serves a vegan gumbo served in a bread bowl. There is a great review on
To Live and Eat in LA. I didn't go for the gumbo because bread is my kryptonite. The more I eat it, the more I want it, the more it weakens and rules me.
For Day Two and Three I ate apples for breakfast that I brought from home. For lunch we went to the
Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand California Hotel. They have a couple of lovely salads that you can make vegan and a tasty vegetable broth soup served with a cheese crouton that you can have sans cheese.
For dinner my family went to the
Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. Their menu is VERY meaty but the chef was able to prepare for me a large serving of vegetable jambalaya over spinach fettuccine. It was spicy and flavorful, but I mostly picked off all the vegetables and left the pasta. Next time I'll order it without pasta (rice is an option as well).
For anyone who is strictly raw I suggest bringing a cooler stocked with your own food or forage in the gardens when no one is looking. I didn't spend time at California Adventure this trip but will add on to this post if I discover anything exciting. For the average vegetarian there are plenty of options that will make your time at the happiest place on earth truly enjoyable.
