A Chef TJ Dining Experience at Trails End

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I posted this review to share an experience we had, plain and simple. I did not anticipate creating a controversy. Sorry I posted it.

That's how I took it.

What a great experience. Period.

Controversy on the interwebz. I've never heard of such a thing. Your post wasn't controversial at all. It's people's reaction to it that is. Not posters here but the ones who think they should get the same treatment because it's "owed" to them.

Pardon my French but screw what others might think. You and Inc. had a wonderful meal and experience. And I'm glad you did and glad you shared it.

[keith_h 420]

I hope you read my entire post. The point is not whether someone is a vegan, vegetarian, or don't eat dairy products.

The point is Dave and Inc had a wonderful experience. They just happen to be vegans or vegetarians. And Disney provides these types of experiences all the time. And we should be happy for them. Not jealous or feel entitled to the same treatment. No I never had a chef at Disney make me a special meal nor do I expect I will next time I'm at TE.

Congrats Dave and Inc. What an awesome thing to experience.

 

Yes I read your full post but in it you state that there were surely many other things on the buffet they could have eaten and then gave an example of cheese pizza being acceptable to a vegan. That is not acceptable for a vegan but would be for some vegetarians. All I was doing was correcting the incorrect information.

[keith_h 420]

Just to add. I would think that Disney would have some clearly labeled items on the menus as being vegetarian or vegan. Many restaurants just go ahead and make their vegetarian entries vegan to cover the full spectrum of customers.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Let me point out one more time that INC and I did not seek out this meal. We were invited by the Chef to come dine with him when we saw him at the Hoop De Doo. For every other meal out during our vacation, I had taken the time previously to investigate menus at the various Disney restaurants to make decisions on where to eat. I chose restaurants that offered meatless entrees that appealed to me, so that we never even mentioned our dietary choices to the restaurant (the one exception being California Grill because I knew they had a modification they could make based upon my research). We appreciated the experience we received at Trails End. We didn't ask for it. I'd love to experience it again but don't expect to.

 

I posted this review to share an experience we had, plain and simple. I did not anticipate creating a controversy. Sorry I posted it. 

 

I'm glad you posted it. It's awesome! And you even turned around TCD. :) 

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Let me point out one more time that INC and I did not seek out this meal. We were invited by the Chef to come dine with him when we saw him at the Hoop De Doo. For every other meal out during our vacation, I had taken the time previously to investigate menus at the various Disney restaurants to make decisions on where to eat. I chose restaurants that offered meatless entrees that appealed to me, so that we never even mentioned our dietary choices to the restaurant (the one exception being California Grill because I knew they had a modification they could make based upon my research). We appreciated the experience we received at Trails End. We didn't ask for it. I'd love to experience it again but don't expect to.

 

I posted this review to share an experience we had, plain and simple. I did not anticipate creating a controversy. Sorry I posted it. 

 

Dave,

 

I'm glad you posted it and I think it's great you got such an awesome experience!  Don't be sorry you posted it, as lots of us have said, pixie dust is great and one of the main reasons we go to Disney as often as we do!

 

I'm still curious about your bad Disney experience though? 

 

WBI

[alexwyattmommy 181]

I'm not sorry you posted it.  I liked reading the different things that stemmed from it.  I am sorry if you thought anyone taking a poke at you.  I didn't read it that way.

 

Even with all the different opinions and interpretations, I think we as a group are more respectful to each other than some places I've seen.

 

But I will confess I thought TJ was the TJ from TopChef until I saw this thread.

[Beckers 1,136]

I don't think you should be sorry for posting it either. It's not like you said "hey INC, I heard this guy makes personalized meals so let's pretend we don't eat what they serve and see what kind of special treatment we get". You went to HDDR and he offered that he can make you foods that work for you.

[castaway 1]

I am not sure if you're a brand new member, or an old member who created a new account, but that's a great post, and I gave you an up arrow for it.

 

After my post that you quoted, I thought about what others were saying, and I then posted that I understood what others were saying.  See my post #40 above.  It appears that Chef TJ is doing what Disney expects him to do, and is doing it well enough that he has been recognized as an exemplary castmember.  As I said above, I am glad that guests with special dietary needs are being accommodated in a way that most other businesses would never do. 

 

I am glad that Disney gives its castmembers the leeway to take the initiative and create magical moments for guests.  And I hope that it continues.

 

Another thing that crossed my mind is that the Chef is actually bringing in untapped revenue to Trail's End.  He personally invited DIT to dine at Trail's End.  I doubt Dave would have bothered to go absent that invitation.

 

One thing I really like about our discussion board here is that we don't have to always agree with each other.  We wouldn't have anything to discuss if we did.  In this thread, I expressed some of my opinions, and the posts from others, like yours,  pointed out some things that I wasn't looking at.  I truly appreciate that, and I hope that you keep on posting.

 

TCD

Hi TCI,

Thank you for responding to my post. I am new to the board and I am glad you did not take my comments as bashing. All I was trying to do is explain why I understand the reasoning behind the special meal.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hi TCI,

Thank you for responding to my post. I am new to the board and I am glad you did not take my comments as bashing. All I was trying to do is explain why I understand the reasoning behind the special meal.

 

Well, welcome to the board!

 

I didn't consider your post to be bashing at all.  You had something to say, and you said it. And you did a great job getting your point across.  We can use more members like you around here!

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Yes I read your full post but in it you state that there were surely many other things on the buffet they could have eaten and then gave an example of cheese pizza being acceptable to a vegan. That is not acceptable for a vegan but would be for some vegetarians. All I was doing was correcting the incorrect information.

Lol!

Keith please don't ever take me serious or literal.

I know vegans don't eat cheese. And the cheese pizza was referenced as a joke because of TCD calling it the crappy cardboard pizza. Or something close to that.

To me anyone that doesn't eat meat is basically a vegatarian. And yes I know there's a difference.

a vegan friend of mine calls me a carnivore. Am I a carnivore? No I'm an omnivore. But who cares.

I don't know if Dave's a vegan, a vegatarian, a flexitarian, or a tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy that spreads pixie dust where ever he goes. Again who cares.

Dave and Inc had a wonderful meal and a great experience. That's all that matters.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Dave and Inc had a wonderful meal and a great experience. That's all that matters.

:)

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

I don't know if Dave's a vegan, a vegatarian, a flexitarian, or a tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy that spreads pixie dust where ever he goes. Again who cares.

 

 

Technically we follow what's called a Whole Food, Plant Based diet.  I reference Vegan at times because it approximates what we eat, but I don't consider myself Vegan because I don't eat this way for ethical reasons, I do it for health reasons.  Also, many Vegans (but not all) will eat anything that does not contain animal sourced foods but will eat processed foods....for example, Oreos are technically vegan.  We don't eat processed foods.    Regardless, it doesn't matter what you call it.  I eat what I eat.  Most people find it weird, and I don't really care.  I'm used to the raised eyebrows and jokes.  And besides, beer, wine and scotch are plant based, so it's obviously the proper way to eat.  LOL. 

 

And "tofu farting, tree hugging fairy"?  Now I'm REALLY sorry I ever posted this. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I'm glad you posted it. It's awesome! And you even turned around TCD. :)

 

^THIS^

 

Keith please don't ever take me serious or literal.

 

Best sentence of the day.

 

 

I don't know if Dave's a vegan, a vegatarian, a flexitarian, or a tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy that spreads pixie dust where ever he goes.

 

I take it back. 

 

 I eat what I eat.  Most people find it weird, and I don't really care.  I'm used to the raised eyebrows and jokes. 

 

Um... that pretty much sums up our entire recent WDW vacation.  

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I'm sorry Dave that I didn't know what type of eater you are. But I do now.

Tofu farting, (Ohana), no Oreo eating, tree hugging drunk fairy spreading pixie dust and Green Death where ever you go.

[keith_h 420]

Lol!

Keith please don't ever take me serious or literal.

I know vegans don't eat cheese. And the cheese pizza was referenced as a joke because of TCD calling it the crappy cardboard pizza. Or something close to that.

To me anyone that doesn't eat meat is basically a vegatarian. And yes I know there's a difference.

a vegan friend of mine calls me a carnivore. Am I a carnivore? No I'm an omnivore. But who cares.

I don't know if Dave's a vegan, a vegatarian, a flexitarian, or a tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy that spreads pixie dust where ever he goes. Again who cares.

Dave and Inc had a wonderful meal and a great experience. That's all that matters.

 

After the bit about a previous life in the restaurant field I couldn't really tell and no emoticon. That's one of the problems with this whole internet stuff. You can't tell what inflection is being used.

 

As far as the whole vegetarian/vegan/tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy thing goes I went through it with two daughters when they hit their teenage years. Being the cook in the family it wasn't the most enjoyable phase for me. Fortunately it only lasted for about year. As I look back on that time I realize I still had it much better than Dave only having to deal with three women in the house.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

After the bit about a previous life in the restaurant field I couldn't really tell and no emoticon. That's one of the problems with this whole internet stuff. You can't tell what inflection is being used.

 

Very true! 

 

Around here I mostly just assume someone is being a :smartass:

 

 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Very true!

Around here I mostly just assume someone is being a :smartass:

Hello pot.

Kettle here.

Lol.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

After the bit about a previous life in the restaurant field I couldn't really tell and no emoticon. That's one of the problems with this whole internet stuff. You can't tell what inflection is being used.

 

As far as the whole vegetarian/vegan/tofu farting, tree hugging, fairy thing goes I went through it with two daughters when they hit their teenage years. Being the cook in the family it wasn't the most enjoyable phase for me. Fortunately it only lasted for about year. As I look back on that time I realize I still had it much better than Dave only having to deal with three women in the house.

 

The funny part is....our 5 daughters all eat meat....and 3 of them work at Chick fil A! 

[McMonsters..........Kelly 48]

Im glad you posted and I found others opinions interesting.  One of the reasons I fell in love with Disney World was how they accommodate people with dietary restrictions due to health reasons or choice.   My daughters multiple food allergies are severe enough to end in the ER or worse so we eat almost all our meals at home where I can almost guarantee her safety.  We shy away from processed foods due to cross contamination and mislabeled ingredients.  Years ago, before my children were in the picture, I became a vegan due to how dairy/meats made me feel and it has been a blessing in disguise as it helped me understand how certain foods were dangerous to our daughter.  I was scared to death on our first trip to DW but knew we had to give it a try after all the awesome reviews.   The chefs are beyond awesome and truly understand the severity of overlooking one wrong ingredient for someone with an allergy or health issue.  Its so nice to have a normal vacation like everyone else and its AWESOME to not have to cook 3 meals a day from scratch.  Most chefs enjoy the challenge to create a culinary masterpiece outside of the normal menu, chef TJ being the perfect example. 

 

That being said, I do worry that one day the special attention we receive will fall victim to abuse in a similar fashion the GAC cards were  subjected to. Until that point, I will continue to be loyal to Disney just so my daughter can sit with everyone else and enjoy the fireworks with a safe treat that I didn't have to go above and beyond to obtain.  She misses out on so many other childhood experiences and I feel blessed with  the experience Disney provides us on every visit.  Hoping chef TJ is available on on her birthday in a couple weeks, it will be magical!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

The funny part is....our 5 daughters all eat meat....and 3 of them work at Chick fil A!

I don't think your weird for choosing the way you eat. As a matter of fact I think it's awesome that y'all have the discipline to maintain your healthy lifestyle

There is no way I could do it with three kids working at Chic FIL A. I could eat there everyday and all day. And I would have my girls bringing me food home everyday. Lol.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Now that is my problem.  Discipline.  I don't have any.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Hello pot.

Kettle here.

Lol.

 

:wave1:

 

That's why I hang around this joint.  Y'all are my people! 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Now that is my problem.  Discipline.  I don't have any.

 

I try and steer our diet in a more healthy direction whenever I can. My problem is that every time I make some tasty, meat-free meal, DH always says, "This is great but you know what would make it better?  Meat."

 

:rofl2:

[keith_h 420]

I try and steer our diet in a more healthy direction whenever I can. My problem is that every time I make some tasty, meat-free meal, DH always says, "This is great but you know what would make it better?  Meat."

 

:rofl2:

 

I probably average 3-5 meat free meals a month. Mostly in the Winter and Summer. The cold weather lends itself to soups and roasting vegetables and during the summer the garden is actively producing so after a day of canning it is just easy to throw some of the extras together with pasta and call it a meal. Of course during deer season I set up a chair on my back deck, not to be confused with a parking deck, with a bit of refreshment and obtain the materials to refill the freezer.

[red...Susan 37]

I am happy to hear other people have what is considered different eating habits. I have had a lot of comments on my eating habits. No oils, butter margarine or any other fats. Very little meats but a ton of carbs. Works for me but probably not for others.