The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[TP2000]

Yup, that was the costume. Another reason I was happy to move to the kitchen and wear whites.

On second look, I'm pretty sure I recognize the people. Thanks for the link.

On third look I'm pretty sure that this is me on the left!

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Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a Miscellaneous Thought Thread Grand Prize Winner! @Parteecia has found a photo of her younger and very charming self working at Casa de Fritos in July, 1978, wearing the orange bandana on the left assessing the plate situation!

I am absolutely tickled to death to think we got that on record. It's just so... awesome!

See? Magic can still happen!

P.S. I love the big pile of bags of Fritos at the end of the serving line. So funny!

I will work on my Nixon story...

Please do. And if you ever get caught, tell them a volunteer docent at the Nixon Library and TP2000 made you do it.

Edited to add: I was a Lead that summer but wasn't allowed to wear the men's chef's coat and toque. I chose my battles.

Isn't it funny the little rules society used to have? Some of them were cute and harmless, and then there's ones like "girls can't wear the Chef's hat" that just seem so stupid and pointless decades later. Good for you for being smart enough to choose your battles!

 

[Parteecia]

serving up soda pop with a big smile no less!

That was Staci. I'm in the back in whites and an orange bandana assessing the plate situation.

 

[TP2000]

That was Staci. I'm in the back in whites and an orange bandana assessing the plate situation.

Fixed it for you, even though you weren't allowed to wear the Chef's hat.

 

[Parteecia]

I need to ask that site for royalties.

 

[TP2000]

I need to ask that site for royalties.

You should!

Honestly though, it's a great site, and I've read some of those posts where people recognize themselves in the photos from decades ago and they write in to tell the site owner more about the photo. The guy or gal who runs that site would probably love to hear from you, and it would be funny for you to fill in some names and that you were the Lead assessing supply issues, but you weren't allowed to wear a Chef's uniform like the boy Leads because you were a young lady.

You were really owning that orange neckerchief though.

 

[TP2000]

As we've been talking about this photo, a few other things popped out at me...

1. Portion Sizes! Look at the plate the teenage blonde girl is taking from the buffet. It has one taco and one burrito, but they are about two thirds the size of tacos and burritos today. There is no rice or starches on the plate. The drinks Staci is serving are about 16 ounces, or close to a "small" today, with 12 ounces of soda and 4 ounces of ice. Our teenage friend has also opted for two 8 ounce cartons of Carnation milk (from contented cows) instead of soda pop, and she'll probably pick up a 6 ounce bag of Fritos. The calorie total for her lunch in '78 is probably half what the average calorie total is for a taco/burrito/megaCoke today at Rancho Del Zocalo!

2. Plating and Presentation! Look at the taco and burrito sitting alone on the plate. No side dishes, but also no cosmetic touches or accoutrement. This is a lunch that is definitely not made for Instagram! I must say now that I typed that, there's something that's improved in the 21st century. Restaurants now make a much bigger effort at prettying up the plate and getting it ready for Social Media. This was unheard of in '78. I also noticed the packets of sacharinne on the counter next to the Fritos, and '78 was about the time of peak freak out over sacharinne causing cancer. There was no such thing as Splenda or Nutrasweet back then. Just sugar or cancer, your choice.

3. Prices! I zoomed in on the menu at the back, and the prices for luncheon platters like our teenage friend got run from about $2.25 to $3.00. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $8.50 to $12.00 in today's money. Portions have increased in size by 25% to 50%, but prices went up by 100%.

4. Decor! This is such a great example of what most Disneyland interiors used to look like. And while I can crab about Kim Irvine's latest wallpaper fetish with the best of 'em, I must admit that the interiors of Disneyland's shops and restaurants are mostly a huge improvement over their appearance in the 20th century. Much of that is broader social change, where themed decor and fanciness is now found at lower price points than it used to be. But the Disneyland interiors often looked just like that '78 photo; light themeing, a few key architectural elements or a single big furniture piece, surrounded by simple painted murals and then just off-the-shelf salad bar setups and fast food heat lamps. With big clunky NCR cash registers like you found at KMart. We'd scream bloody murder if Disneyland opened a new Mexican restaurant today and it looked this basic on the inside.

As a reminder, this is what the interior serving area of Rancho Del Zocalo looks like today, almost in the exact same spot where Staci was serving drinks and @Parteecia was plotting sweet revenge over the Chef's hat back in '78...

 

[TP2000]

I'm trying not to watch the TV news. It's quickly becoming like 1983 or 1962 all over again. But here's a reminder when you go out to replace the Russian vodka in your liquor cabinet...

Stolichnaya is not Russian vodka. It's made in Latvia, a former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea forced to concede to Communism after World War II. They broke away immediately when the Soviet Union collapsed in '91 and regained their independence, and Latvia is now a Capitalist, pro-Western, democratic, dues paying member of NATO.

Of course, there's plenty of very good American vodka's we can buy now too; Tito's, etc. But I always keep a bottle of Stolichnaya on the bar cart in honor of Patsy Stone. Cheers to Latvia, not Russia!

 

[mickEblu]

Feel like I'm a broken record every time I do a mini trip report, I apologize! But I did come back from another longer trip to Disneyland today and I had a few thoughts:

• Genie+ unfortunately is the status quo now. After being at the parks from 8am to 4pm, we managed to ride 13 rides today (11 at Disneyland, 2 at DCA). We wouldn't have managed half of them without Genie+, as we had quickly learned from our trip this past Sunday. Genie+ sells like candy, which means it's all too easy for Lightning Lanes to back up quickly and for CMs to start pushing towards the more egregious 40:1 ratios (as was the case at Big Thunder, Astro Blasters, and Soarin' when we went).
• Sad to say a lot of rides need some TLC desperately. Soarin' looked bad; the mesh screen had what looked like dirt on it that was especially distracting in bright scenes, and the projectors were misaligned so towards the center-bottom of the screen it looked out of focus.
• Saw a bunch of folks carrying pretty large cardboard boxes around the park today—turns out we went the day that a new limited edition lightsaber dropped. Asked a couple about it, they had spent $400 for the hilt alone (no blades).
• As a heads up, not many people are wearing masks anymore. When we went on Sunday, it was about half and half; now, it's closer to 80% of folks not wearing masks. Obviously, do what makes you comfortable.

Yeah we were there yesterday too and bought Genie +. Being that we only go once a month or so I anticipate buying it every time we have a full day trip. It’s unfortunate but only makes sense to make the most out of our investment. Genie + has doubled standby waits. The interesting thing is that it doesn’t seem to have had any effect on non Genie + rides.

Also Lightning Lane is tough name to live up to. There is nothing “Lightning” about waiting 15-20 minutes. Fastpass was named appropriately and it was free.

 

[DrAlice]

My first trip to Disneyland was in October of 1978 for my 4th birthday. Perhaps I encountered @Parteecia when my family was getting a meal in Frontierland. That's a fun thought.

Wait... I'll follow the advice of @TP2000's friend, and fix that story. When I was 4 I had trouble reaching my burrito from the counter at Casa de Fritos. There was a very nice lady that helped me. We had a nice chat about whatever 4-year-olds chat about, and I'm quite certain she was the chef (even if they wouldn't let her wear the chef's hat).

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm trying not to watch the TV news. It's quickly becoming like 1983 or 1962 all over again. But here's a reminder when you go out to replace the Russian vodka in your liquor cabinet...

Stolichnaya is not Russian vodka. It's made in Latvia, a former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea forced to concede to Communism after World War II. They broke away immediately when the Soviet Union collapsed in '91 and regained their independence, and Latvia is now a Capitalist, pro-Western, democratic, dues paying member of NATO.

Of course, there's plenty of very good American vodka's we can buy now too; Tito's, etc. But I always keep a bottle of Stolichnaya on the bar cart in honor of Patsy Stone. Cheers to Latvia, not Russia!

While Stoli is made in Latvia by SPI Group, that is true, but its still partially owned by FKP Soyuzplodoimport which is a Russian state-owned company out of Moscow. Also it still uses products that are derived from Russian, such as Russian wheat.

So if you're trying to make sure nothing you serve even monetarily has ties back to Moscow, you best ditch Stoli too.

 

[waltography]

Yeah we were there yesterday too and bought Genie +. Being that we only go once a month or so I anticipate buying it every time we have a full day trip. It’s unfortunate but only makes sense to make the most out of our investment. Genie + has doubled standby waits. The interesting thing is that it doesn’t seem to have had any effect on non Genie + rides.

Also Lightning Lane is tough name to live up to. There is nothing “Lightning” about waiting 15-20 minutes. Fastpass was named appropriately and it was free.

Hope you had a great time yesterday, Genie+ notwithstanding! We might've bumped elbows at some point haha.

Genie+ is making the calculus hard; early on in the program, Lightning Lanes were relatively easy to pick up even later in the day, so it made sense to hold off until the afternoon to start redeeming them. Now, with the uptake being closer to 50% of guests purchasing, you're pretty much forced to start redeeming Lightning Lanes at the beginning of the day or risk losing out entirely. It's especially bad at DCA, where I found that when I parkhopped at 2pm the earliest Guardians LL was at 8pm (we got lucky at around 3 when someone likely canceled their 3:30pm LL, but otherwise it looked like a mess there).

In contrast, we didn't have to deal with this at all when we rode the Fantasyland attractions. Snow White was practically a walk-on.

 

[TP2000]

While Stoli is made in Latvia by SPI Group, that is true, but its still partially owned by FKP Soyuzplodoimport which is a Russian state-owned company out of Moscow. Also it still uses products that are derived from Russian, such as Russian wheat.

So if you're trying to make sure nothing you serve even monetarily has ties back to Moscow, you best ditch Stoli too.

There's already two degrees of separation, plus a parent company I can't pronounce, so I'm going to have to ignore it.

Plus, you try and tell this woman that there's no Stoli available. It won't go over well...

 

[TP2000]

Also Lightning Lane is tough name to live up to. There is nothing “Lightning” about waiting 15-20 minutes. Fastpass was named appropriately and it was free.

Wow, what a great point.

Anything called "Lightning" had better be darn fast. Faster than just "fast", like really fast. Almost like... lightning.

 

[Disney Irish]

There's already two degrees of separation, plus a parent company I can't pronounce, so I'm going to have to ignore it.

Plus, you try and tell this woman that there's no Stoli available. It won't go over well...

Well forget the company ownership side, just the fact that they still source their ingredients from Russian companies right there shows ties still to Russia.

And I would tell Patsy (Joanna) that your Swedish produced vodka of Absolut, or even the American made Skyy is better.

 

[TP2000]

Well forget the company ownership side, just the fact that they still source their ingredients from Russian companies right there shows ties still to Russia.

And I would tell Patsy (Joanna) that your Swedish produced vodka of Absolut is better.

Sorry, no. As a Swede, I am proud of Volvo and Saab and even IKEA, plus SAS business class, also Swedish Fish and ABBA.

But Absolut is the type of vodka that can only really be mixed with cheap tonic water and served after midnight to already drunk 24 year olds about to endanger their future.

 

[Disney Irish]

Sorry, no. As a Swede, I am proud of Volvo and Saab and even IKEA, also Swedish Fish and ABBA.

But Absolut is the type of vodka that can only really be served after midnight and mixed with cheap tonic water to already drunk 24 year olds about to endanger their future.

I updated my post to include American Skyy as well.

But I take issue with your assessment that only drunk 24 yr olds should drink Absolut, as I happen to enjoy Absolut in many of my vodka drinks and I'm far from 24. But just for the record I drink Skyy, Grey Goose, or Ciroc mostly in my vodka drinks, but then again I don't frequent many high end bars where I would get Belvedere or Chopin if I could.

 

[TP2000]

I updated my post to include American Skyy as well.

But I take issue with your assessment that only drunk 24 yr olds should drink Absolut, as I happen to enjoy Absolut in many of my vodka drinks and I'm far from 24. But just for the record I drink Skyy, Grey Goose, or Ciroc mostly in my vodka drinks, but then again I don't frequent many high end bars where I would get Belvedere or Chopin if I could.

I love it! You do you, my friend.

I'm really just a Scotch-or-Rye-or-Gin kind of guy, but I keep a bottle of Stoli for folks who say "Oh, I'll just have a vodka tonic". Also because the label looks nice. Also because of Patsy Stone. It's a good product, you have to admit.

Fun Fact: Someone once brought me a handle of Tito's vodka as a host gift, a legitimately wonderful vodka. I thanked them graciously, then after they were gone I got out a funnel and filled up an old Stoli bottle with it. Just in case Patsy dropped by.

 

[Disney Irish]

I love it! You do you, my friend.

I'm really just a Scotch-or-Rye-or-Gin kind of guy, but I keep a bottle of Stoli for folks who say "Oh, I'll just have a vodka tonic". Also because the label looks nice. Also because of Patsy Stone. It's a good product, you have to admit.

Fun Fact: Someone once brought me a handle of Tito's vodka as a host gift, a legitimately wonderful vodka. I thanked them graciously, then after they were gone I got out a funnel and filled up an old Stoli bottle with it. Just in case Patsy dropped by.

I think there are far better looking bottles than Stoli. I prefer the clear or colored bottles that have name printed right on bottle rather than the stuck on label, such as Skyy (made in San Francisco BTW):

Or Ciroc:

Or even Chopin:

The etched and printed on bottles just look cleaner and more presentable than a stuck on label. Heck if Stoli just printed their stuff on a clear label instead of the paper one they use it would look a whole lot better from the presentation aspect.

 

[mickEblu]

Hope you had a great time yesterday, Genie+ notwithstanding! We might've bumped elbows at some point haha.

Genie+ is making the calculus hard; early on in the program, Lightning Lanes were relatively easy to pick up even later in the day, so it made sense to hold off until the afternoon to start redeeming them. Now, with the uptake being closer to 50% of guests purchasing, you're pretty much forced to start redeeming Lightning Lanes at the beginning of the day or risk losing out entirely. It's especially bad at DCA, where I found that when I parkhopped at 2pm the earliest Guardians LL was at 8pm (we got lucky at around 3 when someone likely canceled their 3:30pm LL, but otherwise it looked like a mess there).

In contrast, we didn't have to deal with this at all when we rode the Fantasyland attractions. Snow White was practically a walk-on.

Thanks! We did. Hope you had a great time as well. Haha maybe we did. Even with Genie + we ve reached a point where only 1-2 attractions on a given day are Must Dos and we kind of just let the day come to us. For example yesterday we just found ourselves hanging out at Snow Whites wishing well for 15 minutes while we fed our daughter a snack and my son looked at the ducks. We find ourselves taking numerous breaks like that and still always find that we get on 8-12 attractions. With or without Genie +.

Oh I didn’t realize you could grab LLs for Genie + rides if someone cancels at a specific time. I thought if the window was gone it’s gone. Good to know.

Yeah Genie + is terrible at DCA and yet necessary if you re not starting your day there or didn’t Rope Drop. We spent most of our day at Disneyland and just went to DCA at night to ride Incredicoaster, MICKEYs Fun Wheel and Gaurdians. Man, I’ve been sleeping on sitting on the back of Incredicoaster. We usually ask for the front row but we were pressed for time so I just sat where we were assigned- row 11. Definitely faster and felt it a couple times in my stomach. The front still has its perks but I think the back is more thrilling. Either way, It really is a great coaster, especially at night.

Also any tips and not tensing up on that first drop after the initial shot up on Guardians? It didn’t used to happen but now I start spazzing out like I’m about to have convulsions. I think it’s mental but I’m not sure. Lol.

 

[mickEblu]

Wow, what a great point.

Anything called "Lightning" had better be darn fast. Faster than just "fast", like really fast. Almost like... lightning.

Lol yeah and and I’ve heard stories of some Lightning Lanes taking 45 minutes which is ridiculous. Will they start capping the sales? Yesterday seemed like the maximum number that could be sold while avoiding standbys from being astronomically long and Lightning Lanes from averaging 30 minutes +.

I can’t imagine how this works in the long term. Will people just renew their passes knowing getting Genie + becomes the status quo? If their is anything I’ve learned is that Disneylands product is so unique that people will seemingly put up with anything and pay anything.