Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food

November 15, 2019 - Comment

Two decades before the California food revolution, Walt Disney was planning a revolution of his own. Walt knew that food could be more than nourishment – it could be entertaining, too. The concept of families eating and playing at the same time was an innovation in mid-century America. Food in Disneyland wasn’t gray or humdrum.

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Two decades before the California food revolution, Walt Disney was planning a revolution of his own. Walt knew that food could be more than nourishment – it could be entertaining, too. The concept of families eating and playing at the same time was an innovation in mid-century America. Food in Disneyland wasn’t gray or humdrum. It was full of fantasy and color!
Eat Like Walt is a culinary tour of the park’s six lands. Every attraction has a story, and so do many of the menu items. Disneyland’s food transports us as much as it satiates us, or as Walt declared, “The food is as fabulous as the fun, too.”
Although Disneyland opened in 1955, its culinary history dates back to 1923 when Walt first arrived in Hollywood. Walt was a simple eater yet a big dreamer.  By 1934, four years before his first feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be released, Mickey Mouse had made him famous enough to have a recipe published in Better Homes & Gardens magazine. And although Walt never set out to be a restaurateur, he became one, with four restaurants opening at his state of the art Walt Disney Studios in 1940.
From humble beginnings to becoming one of the most famous men on the planet, Walt was more of an everyman than a pampered celebrity when it came to eating. With food as the lens, Walt’s private and work life are explored – including recipes from his home, his studio and his Magic Kingdom – ensuring anyone can Eat Like Walt.

Comments

Anonymous says:

Pure joy I was skeptical when I first heard that a book was coming out entitled “Eat Like Walt,” because as everyone knows Walt only ate hamburgers, hot dogs and chili. I’m so glad I went ahead and preordered anyway. What an incredible work. It’s decidedly in my top five favorite Disney history books, maybe even top three. There’s wealth of information here–even the most serious Disney nerd will learn something new–and at the same time it’s a very fun, engaging read. I know it’s cliched, but…

Anonymous says:

Not a cookbook, but a history. Lots of history, and information, but very little in the way of park recipies. A must for the hardcore fan, but not a reference for cooking.

Anonymous says:

Make the Monte Cristo! This is one of my favorite cookbooks, and certainly a stand-out Disney history book. The majority of the book contains history of Walt Disney’s philosophies on food, dining, and restaurants, and includes delightful ephemera like menus and photos from Disneyland restaurants past and the studio dining spots. Last night I attempted two of the recipes from the collection, the Blue Bayou Monte Cristo sandwich and New Orleans Gumbo. Definitely worth the purchase price just for these two recipes! They…

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