The winter weather in Southern California is known for being
unpredictable. One day can be in the 80s; the next can be in the 50s and rainy.
It is to those days in the latter category that we dedicate this column.
There is nothing better on days like that than some comfort food that sticks
to your ribs. Disneyland is full of places to buy hot dogs, pizza, and piping
hot coffee. But for the kid in all of us, nothing can top the taste of peanut
butter. Over the years—since the opening of Disney’s California Adventure
(DCA)—the amount of peanut butter—in various stages of
butterdom—has increased dramatically and can now be found throughout the
entire resort.
OK, so it might be a bit silly for an adult to come to Disneyland and
order—of all things—an “ordinary” peanut butter and jelly
sandwich instead of a Monte Cristo from the Blue Bayou, chew on these facts
from the Peanut Butter Lovers Web site (peanutbutterlovers.com):
Peanuts are not actually nuts at all! They are legumes, like beans, peas and
lentils.
Americans eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year. That’s about 700
million pounds, or enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!
Peanuts may be a favorite food, but we’ve found many uses for their shells too!
You might find peanut shells in kitty litter, wallboard, fireplace logs, paper,
animal feed and sometimes as fuel for power plants!
Two peanut farmers have been elected President of the United States: Thomas
Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
So, let’s start with the most basic of peanut butter forms: the peanut butter
and jelly sandwich. If you come to Disneyland seeking this lunch item, be
warned—it can only be found on the kids menu. However… since
Disneyland is for “kids of all ages—the young and the
young-at-heart”—you can order a PB&J without being carded.
Sadly, the variety in the sandwiches has changed recently. It used to be that if
you ventured over to Pizza Oom Mow Mow in Paradise Pier at DCA you could
order Peanut Butter Pizza: peanut butter, jelly and powdered sugar on toasted
pizza-like crust. A similar item was found at Whitewater Snacks at
Disney’s Grand Californian. Now both places serve a regular PB&J sandwich.
(However, Chef Richard at Whitewater offered to make me the “pizza”
even though it is no longer on the official menu. So you can go and take your
chances, no guarantees.) Luckily, you can still find the sticky pizza if you
head over to the buffet at Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland
hotel—but it can only be ordered as part of the buffet.
Now at Pizza Oom Mow Mow, along with Big Thunder Country Picnic in
Frontierland and Club Buzz in Tomorrowland, you can get the Munch, Inc.
meal: a regular PB&J “served in a cooked up comics box” with chips or
baby carrots, beverage and fun straw. At the Picnic (closed when it is raining)
you get a watermelon, “ants on a log” (cream cheese and raisins), and
an apple juice box. Whitewater now carries a crustless PB&J with apple juice
and a Mickey-shaped frosted sugar cookie (no lunch box, however) for $5.99
(prices subject to change). As of right now Big Thunder Country Picnic is
closed for the season. It might reopen for the summer.
If you are lucky enough to come to DCA on a day when the Bountiful Valley
Farmer’s Market is open, you can get the awesomely strange Peanut
Butter and Jelly Wrap. When the park first opened, this concoction was PB&J,
plus crisped rice and marshmallow fluff. Now you can also get it with gummy
worms. Approximately $6.
Here’s my favorite: In the spirit of the Napa Valley artist movement, you are
invited to “paint your own” sandwich at Wine Country Trattoria
at the Golden Vine Winery. You are given small slices of Mickey-head-shaped
bread (they will bring more if you need), a cupful of peanut butter and a
cupful of jelly—along with Mickey-shaped corn chips (If you are over 21
you might want to pair it with one of the sweet Mondavi wines – it really
brings out the flavor in the jelly. I have ordered this combo several times and
the wait staff just smiles.) for $5.99. Prices vary for wine glass—which
they can transfer to a plastic cup if you wish to take it with you.
If your sweet tooth is just aching for something else, you are in
luck—there is candy aplenty to be found at the resort (but no dessert
until after lunch). These treats can be purchased at Greetings Over California
in DCA, Marceline’s in Downtown Disney, the Candy Palace on Main
Street, Pooh Corner in Critter Country and Westward Ho in
Frontierland (although availability of each item might vary).
Chocolate Peanut Butter or Tiger Butter Fudge (for the vanilla lover): 1 for $3;
2 for $6; 3 for $9; 6 for $12
Peanut Butter Cookie: $2.50
Tiger Peanut Butter Covered Chocolate: $0.94
Mickey Peanut Butter Patty (with Mickey-shaped candy on top): $3.95
Mickey Peanut Butter Cup (milk or white with Mickey-shaped candy on top): $3.95
Mickey-Filled Peanut Cr?me (Mickey-shaped chocolate with peanut butter drizzle)
$0.94
Sugar-Free Mickey Peanut Butter Cup: $3.50
Mickey Peanut Brittle (1 pound): $5.99
Chip and Dale Peanut Butter (16 ounces) $3.50
If you prefer to drink your peanut butter, walk down to Jamba Juice at Downtown
Disney and order up a Peanut Butter Moo’d (nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt, Jamba
Chocolate Moo’d base, soymilk, frozen bananas, ice, peanut butter) for $4.95,
or for a smaller 16-ounce version for $4.15.
Regardless of how you like your peanut butter (even with pickle lily like my
grandfather), you are almost sure to find it among the resort’s more than 60
restaurants and food stands. Bon Appetit—and don’t forget the milk.
If you found peanut butter at the resort and it hasn’t been mentioned here, we
want to know about it. E-mail Shoshana ) and we’ll print your finds in an
upcoming MousePlanet mailbag.
