Watching my Son Having a Blast!!!

I'd like to interrupt the Disney blogging to share with you a glimpse of something that you might have just glossed over... One of the most incredibly special things about this trip for me was watching our almost 8yo son eat REAL restaurant food for the first time in his life!!

In his 7 plus years, the most he has had from a dining establishment has been a fruit cup, baked potato, or fries from Wendy's, (both of which make me nervous every time!!) a fruit cup from Chick-fil-a, or a bag of McDonald's apple dippers (minus the dip, of course). I think it is incredibly sad that he BEGS to go to Wendy's to eat a plain baked potato, fries, fruit cup, and sprite. I call it the carb crazies and it is NOT a meal I let him eat. If we ever have an occasion to go out, which is indeed a rare event, we bring an entire meal along for Iz. Usually, this only happens when the grandparents are around. In fact, it isn't only the food that is a problem. Once, when my parents were visiting, he developed asthmatic symptoms after the wait staff passed our table with sizzling fajitas. Ski wasn't feeling well, so he sat outside with Iz while the rest of us ate.

The simple fact of the matter is that most people do NOT get food allergies. They do not get cross-contamination. We often hear "It's perfectly safe" only to find that there is a serious issue with the food. There are only a few trusted people who cook for our son. In fact, it is only THREE women outside of myself and my daughters...and of course, Ski. These women might not be perfect, but they ask LOTS of questions which shows me they understand the seriousness of the issues. So just imagine a restaurant. Even the THOUGHT of going to a restaurant for him to eat at is out of the question. When we travel, he lives on a few select Amy's or Ian's frozen meals and we find a gas station first and then food for the rest of us.

However, there is one place --- if you have life threatening food allergies --- where they care and take the business of cooking seriously. Disney Resorts KNOW food allergies!! Ask anyone. They all know. If you're going to Disney, make reservations, tell them about your allergies, speak to the chef, and they will give you safe food. And since they are so close to a Disney property, I was told that Rainforest in Downtown Disney was also rather allergy friendly.

Without a reservation, we went to Downtown Disney Rainforest Cafe and the Chef came out and man, did she know her stuff. I think it was a good thing we showed up at a "down" time for a late lunch/early dinner. She told me what she could do and we decided on a salad with chicken and a french dressing. She had a clean grill so she was able to grill it. Not only that, she found some dried cranberries and put them in a dish on the side because she had not talked to me about them. A woman who gets it!! She knew...if those cranberries were not ok, they can't "just pick it out" because the entire salad would be ruined. My sweet boy was grinning ear to ear. He had an entire meal made just for him by someone who understood!!! Not only that, but he had THREE sit down meals and an ice cream snack all safe!!

While I was tired and didn't really want to go to Chef Mickey's and would have preferred grabbing a quick dinner in the park, I had only researched snacks so I had no idea what the boy could have for dinner. I thought MAYBE the turkey legs, but I hadn't researched so we weren't going to attempt it. So, if I go back, I will definitely look into more "quick" food. I found out last minute that you can get an entire list of foods from Disney, but we weren't sure how long it would take for them to send it to us so we went without. Next time, I'll do the footwork ahead of time.

The chef at Chef Mickey's was amazing. He walked Iz and I through the buffet and told us what was safe. He made Iz his own chicken fingers and salmon and would have brought out turkey as well, but Iz didn't want it. Too many choices!!! When the Chef told me something was safe, I'd ask a question to be sure and he'd explain what they used to do certain things. It was REALLY interesting and I certainly wish that all restaurants worked the same way. He made Iz and amazing salad so I didn't have to use contaminated salad bar lettuce and veggies. And he got a frosted cupcake for dessert. We had asked for ice cream as well, but they forgot, but Iz didn't notice because he was so full. The waitress told me that our chef was the best chef at that dining area. She totally trusts him and told me what she does to take precautions as well. I think that the next table over was a bit jealous that we were having the chef come out to talk with us. Or maybe it was that I was a bit OVERLY excited about HOW MUCH there was for him to choose from. AMAZING!!!

When we got ice cream on Main Street, I was so impressed that they just ASSUMED that we had an allergy. So impressive. And they just said...."we'll have it up for you in a minute or two." They use clean scoops and a special scooping area in the back!

Over and over I just was so pleased to see Iz enjoy so much food!! It nearly brought me to tears to see so many choices and so many people who took the time to listen to our needs. It gave him the opportunity to be just like everyone else.

I know that there are all of these cliches about dreams coming true at Disney World, but I can't help but say that it was a dream come true to be able to have fun together as a family and then eat dinner without worry or concern and just watch my son have a blast eating great food. It brought tears to my eyes!!