EPCOT center: An exploration of the senses (Part 1 of 2)
Claire Hach
EPCOT Center : Touch and Taste Edition
EPCOT Center features the unlikely marriage of Future World and World Showcase and is nothing short of a celebration of the five senses. This careful “conscious coupling” of the two worlds is a result of Walt’s careful planning and imagination. Embark on part one of a “Journey Into Imagination” with us as we visit our favorite EPCOT senses--- purple, winged dragon optional.
Touch: With enough surfaces in EPCOT Center to make Purell an unofficial sponsor, the “touch” category is a competitive one. But when dreaming of a day at EPCOT in all of its tactile glory, only one surface gives us “all the feels”. Surely you agree, nothing compares to plopping a digit of your choice (toes discouraged) on the smooth, glass, Biometric Finger Scan pad at the entrance of the park. The anticipation and excitement build exponentially as you move forward in the queue, allowing early glimpses of the granite slabs of “Leave A Legacy” or the Parisian Seine riverside, depending on your hotel budget. Finally, it’s your turn and you’re face to face with enough pink, sparkly, granite to make an HGTV House Hunter weak at the knees. Upon approval -- receiving the literal green light-- your first few paces into the park are the closest feeling to leaving school on the first day of summer that exists in adult life. It’s a feeling so rare, yet so nostalgic, that the notion of paying $100 to give away your fingerprints--one of your last nearly unique attributes (Thanks Pinterest…)-- is completely irrelevant. Oh well, where first? Test Track?
Taste: EPCOT Center offers a smorgasbord of food and beverages from around the world as well as from the future! Our favorite taste is located in the sticky floored establishment known as Club Cool. Admittedly, the name is one of Disney’s less clever appellations and sounds like it was named by an exclusive fifth grader in 1994. EPCOT’s Club Cool has about five soda stations where you can sample as many and as much Coca Cola products from around the world as your insulin levels can handle. Additionally in Club Cool, Coca Cola products are available for purchase, presumably per the business plan of that same clever fifth grader who named the joint. If you’ve already sampled the beverages that Club Cool has to offer, you know exactly where we are going with this and will SURELY agree. Our favorite taste in all of EPCOT Center is the non alcoholic aperitif from Italy called Beverly. If you’ve yet to sample this sweet nectar of the gods, add it to your bucket list. With just one sip, Beverly transports you to a Michelin Star restaurant along the Amalfi Coast where it is typically served between courses during a fine dining meal in place of the melon flavored sorbet ball for ants. It’s like having a lemon party ball in your mouth! We suggest you REALLY commit your taste buds with a huge guzzling gulp. Make it a priority on your next trip to “pop” over to Club Cool and wash your mouth out with soap… we mean cleanse your palate. Divertiti! Povero Scema!
Next week, join us for Sight and Sound. Any guesses on what our favorites are? Think we missed a major one? Tell us below! I'd ask you if you had ever "gotten anyone with Beverly" but I think we all know the answer to that...