We had more food in the American Adventure from the American Holiday Table. Whenever I write about Epcot’s food festivals, it always sounds like we are eating loads, but we are sharing the dishes, and they’re not that big. I had heard that portion sizes were a lot smaller for Festival of The Holidays than previous years too.
Festival of The Holidays – American Adventure
American Holiday Table
Slow-Roasted Turkey – with Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Cranberry Sauce ($5.25)
Chocolate Pecan Tart – with Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce featuring Green Valley Pecan Company Pecans ($4.50)
Shipyard Eggnog White Porter – Clearwater, FL ($4.25)
No photo of this I’m afraid. It was just a cup of standard looking beer!
American Holiday Table » Festival of The Holidays
Total Paid: $14
There was a large tree in the American Adventure which was very pretty with garlands of poinsettias, lanterns with candles, and swags of fruit and foliage.
Just opposite is the American Gardens Theatre (where they hold the Candlelight Processional during the Holiday season) which also had a gorgeous traditional tree, decked out in red and gold, and lots of gift boxes piled underneath.
We by-passed Japan and Morocco completely, although I did stop to take a photo of this Hidden Mickey in Morocco!
Just before reaching the France Pavilion we stopped to watch Mostly Kosher,
Mostly Kosher, a Los Angeles based indie-global-collective, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural musical roots. Through ravenous post-klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains, Mostly Kosher is a musical feast that explodes into a global food-fight of Jazz, Latin, Rock, Hip Hop, World and Folk. These fearless soundsmiths highlight the architecture of heritage music and yet raze it to the ground. – Facebook
who performed a variety of Hannukah and Klezmer music.
Hanukkah
A GREAT MIRACLE HAPPENED THERE
Hanukkah, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is an eight-day celebration honoring the trials and tribulations that the Jews living in Israel faced in 166 B.C.
A small band of Jews known as the Maccabees, named after their leader Judah Maccabee stood up against a large army to protect their land and the holy temple. Beating all odds, the Maccabees successfully reclaimed the Second Temple from their enemies who desecrated and destroyed it.
Following the battle, Judah lead the Maccabees in cleansing the Second Temple, rebuilding the altar, and lighting the menorah, a seven-pronged candelabra that is supposed to burn bright every night. However, they only found enough oil to last one night. Miraculously, the menorah remained lit for 8 days, allowing the Maccabees to cleanse the temple and find more oil.
Today, Jews around the world celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah with family, food, and fun. At sundown on each night of Hanukkah, families and communities light menorahs, share a feast of foods cooked in oil, such as fired potato latkes, exchange presents, and play games with a dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters on it that translate to “a great miracle happened there.”
The night is highlighted with singing and dancing to festive music – like that performed by Mostly Kosher. These joyous celebrations of laughter, song, and storytelling help us remember the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of Hanukkah.