It's been 45 years since Disney Parks first took intrepid thrill seekers into the darkest corners of outer space. We're talking, of course, about Space Mountain. And while it's true that the iconic indoor roller coaster opened first at Walt Disney World in Florida on January 15, 1975, did you know that it was first dreamed up, at the

The world is in an uproar right now over Donald Trump's Cinco de Mayo gesture toward "Hispanics": posing with what he called a "taco bowl" but what most people call a "taco salad." It's a notorious Mexican dish: a giant fried tortilla shell shaped into a bowl upon which ingredients such as ground beef (or shredded beef or chicken), lettuce, sour cream, olives, tomatoes

Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue Restaurant in Frontierland Disneyland fans who have enjoyed the park numerous times might say they too "grew up in Disneyland." But my family's story is a bit different. Our Mom loved to quote us kids saying, "gee, do we have to go to Disneyland again? Such was the case in the early years of the Park when Dad owned a restaurant in

Doritos are a ridiculous product just taken at face value. But when you learn that they were born in a Disneyland dumpster, they become an absurdist allegory of the American consumer condition. Shortly after Disneyland opened in 1955, the founder of Frito-Lay got permission from Walt Disney to open a restaurant in Frontierland with a Mexican-ish theme. "Casa de

Upright piano on the stage of the Golden Horseshoe. I spent 75 minutes on the phone last night with Disneyland's annual passport services purchasing a ticket for the park's Golden Horseshoe salute. That amounted to 70 minutes listening to Christmas music and longer than the loop of tunes. I was fortunate when the customer service rep came on the line because I

Gracias, Disneyland? Over the weekend, I gave my short history of Mexican food in Orange County at the Segerstrom Center's Samueli Stage as part of its hosting of the awesome, ribald Chautauqua! show. Since I doubt I'll ever grace any stage at the Segerstrom again, I decided to focus my 10-minute lecture on OC's two greatest contributions to Mexican food in the

It's no secret that Disneyland is my happy place. It is, therefore, a pretty good bet that you can find me at the Happiest Place on Earth each July 17 celebrating Disneyland's anniversary. This year, my daughter and I took a detour on our way to Disneyland's 55th anniversary celebration, stopping by a Garden Grove hotel to view a slide presentation by an entertainer

Whatever you wish - quick snack and refreshments or a delicious dinner - you'll find "good eating" at Disneyland. Located throughout the Magic Kingdom's five "lands" are 20 distinctive restaurants and refreshment centers. And directly across the street from the Park is the beautiful Gourmet Restaurant, composed of Coffee Shop, Cocktail Lounge and Dinning Room, in the

Our need for nourishment is never far distant and Disneyland visitors have been known to work up a handy man's appetite touring the Park. The mouth watering aromas drift from the 20 restaurants and refreshment centers located throughout Disneyland's sixty acres of entertainment make a combination that is almost irresistible. "Let's eat," is a good two word