Disney Quarantine Question
Adam: So I read a thing online that asked "if you had to be quarantined to just one country in EPCOT's World Showcase which one would it be?"
Danielle: Ooh, interesting...
Adam: Yeah, some idiot posted that they would pick "Ireland" that's not even one of the options!
Danielle: I assume they meant Great Britain...
Adam: Still! Who the hell would pick that?
The conversation got serious from there, not quite spreadsheets serious, but close.
If we are hypothesizing about weeks in quarantine, the country's ride, movie, or gallery would likely lose any appeal after a week and aesthetic considerations would be fairly neutral. That would leave any decision resting heavily on available food & drink options. (No surprise there)
Danielle: Well, as much as I love the steak at Le Cellier, one great restaurant is not going to cut it if we are talking about weeks. The UK is out, one restaurant and we only like about 5 things on the menu. Norway is out, and probably the Mexico pavilion too...
Adam: But they have a Tequila Cave...
Danielle: good point... and churros, and margaritas, and chips with guacamole... Ok, fine. Keep it on the list for now. China and Japan?
Adam: ...not enough options. Plus, no pastries.
Danielle: I really like sushi though
Adam: Enough to eat for every meal for 2+ weeks? Not to mention their snack options are things like squid chips...
Danielle: Point taken. So we're scratching Japan, China, Canada, Norway, and the UK?
Adam: Yes, and Morocco.
Danielle: Aww, but they have hummus and baklava.
Adam: Not enough. Mexico is barely staying on the list. How are you going to justify Morocco?
Danielle: Fair enough. So we are at Mexico, Germany, Italy, France and the American Adventure. I'd go with Morocco over American Adventure so I think that one has to get dropped too.
Adam: but in Morocco you'd be trying on all those fancy little dresses with the belly dancer coins on them...
Danielle: I might consider that as a tie breaker, but based on the food only, Morocco is probably not making it past round 1.
Adam: Round 1? HEY! You should make it like a March Madness bracket!
Danielle: On it. We've got 11 to work with though...
Adam: So either someone get a "buy week" or we drop one all together.
Danielle: I vote that Norway doesn't make the play-offs; we've only ever had Troll Horns and boozy cream puffs from there.
Adam: Agreed.
Danielle: We have to assign the other 10 rankings though...
Lengthy conversation and debate followed. Tough Decisions had to be made.
China was assigned a controversial 8th seed based on my love of bubble milk tea and Adam's affinity for potstickers. Plus, they've been having that fancy cotton candy. The UK squeaked past the American adventure because, despite reportedly superior quality, the new Regal Eagle Smokehouse's menu had less variety; even really good BBQ and funnel cakes would likely get old sooner than later.
We weighed the relative high points of various countries in assigning our ranks, for example:
Mexico: Tequila Cave, churros, fresh chips & guacamole, margarita
Morocco: hummus, baklava, olives, shwarma and other roasted meats, mint tea
Canada: Le Cellier - stands out and stands alone in terms of flavor and quality, but there are not any other options in that Pavillion to support it in terms of variety
Germany: Beer, sausage, pretzels, pretzel bread, fresh options on buffet, and so much caramel
Japan: sushi, shaved ice, and hibachi tables
United Kingdom: beer, scotch eggs, tea, Sunday Roasts, bangers & mash, chicken masala curry
These were our final rankings:
Italy (1), France (2), Germany (3), Canada (4), Japan (5), Morocco (6),
Mexico (7), China (8), United Kingdom (9), American Adventure (10).
We tested out a variety of bracket styles: single vs. double elimination, top seed gets a bye to second round, bottom four have to play each other first to get in, etc...
In the end though, the quality and variety of available options among Gelati, Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, Tutto Italia Ristorante, and Via Napoli earned top seed Italy the win every time.
Brackets aside, France really would have to be considered a tie, or at least exceptionally close second, simply due to the number of options Les Vins des Chefs de France, Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, L'Artisan des Glaces, Crepes des Chefs de France, Chefs de France, and Monsieur Paul.
Going back to the original question: "if you had to be quarantined to just one country in the World Showcase which one would it be?" You have our long form answer (although on proof reading this Adam's comment was "why are you so food-horny about France?").
Check out the EPCOT menus and let us know what you decide!