Sunday Brunchies and Crunchies: Marshmallow Kabobs!
July 31, 2011

We end this rollicking, activity filled month of July with taste of a colorful treat found at the Confectionary on Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom (a sweet spot in Disney World I will be covering in later Sunday Brunches). The Marshmallow Kabob, a sweet treat that's really'sweet. If you like sugar, this confection is for you because it is comprise of sugar'and sugar!!

Two fluffy marshmallows on a lollipop stick, dipped in chocolate and coated in rainbow sprinkles

The rainbow or chocolate sprinkled marshmallow kabob is also found at the Board Walk Bakery as well, but it comes with 4 marshmallows on a Mickey Mouse shaped straw. For some strange reason, we don't have a sign for it. I am assuming it's one of the newer offerings at WDW and area attractions as I've also seen them at Islands of Adventure in the Seuss Landing candy store. Guests always ask me, is that a banana or what? I wish it was a banana, because it would be so much better. Yes, finally, your Sunday Brunch author has something he found not so good at the Disney Food factory. True, I was a bit critical with Wolfgang Puck's Chinois chicken salad, but the Marshmallow Kabob is a horse of a different color'or rather a marshmallow of many colors.

Have a bite?

As I said before this treat is just sugar. There was no balance, nothing in the treat to counter the sweetness save for the paper stick it was on. Sure, it's dipped in chocolate, but it was definitely not quality chocolate. Quality chocolate lists cocoa solids or something similar to that effect as the first ingredient. When sugar is the first ingredient (in chocolate or anything), you know you have some cheap chocolate because sugar is the main ingredient and not chocolate. I've had that cheap rabbit shaped dollar store Easter chocolate before, and this marshmallow was dipped in it. Not to say I expect the Confectionery or Board Walk Bakery to throw down the big bucks on high bar chocolate for these little treats. The colors and concept is enough to make one realize this treat was surely meant to appeal to children. As I mentioned before, at the Board Walk Bakery, kids go wild when they see it and that's all they want. Forget the rich decadent slice of carrot cake or the classy fresh fruit tart; pretty colors, chocolate, and sprinkles covering a marshmallow is enough to get their mouths watering.

As a young man on a quest to taste the world, this treat was disappointing. If I were a kid though, I know I would love it because it's all sugar. And we can't really blame children for wanting sugar, it's a natural instinct. Sugar = calories = energy and as a growing child, energy is what you need to grow, develop, and survive. We learned in my Food Sensory class, that the instinct dies down and as you grow older your desire for sugary foods starts to wane. Some people find sweet things too sweet, even though they did not think so in their youth. In addition to natural human body progression, changes to your taste buds can also account for a desire for less sweets. I've certainly found myself feeling the same and I'm sure many can attest to having such feelings, though it varies when in your life you start feeling that way. Horrifying at first, but it feels right, because it is right. You don't need those high calorie foods anymore.

I have to say the first bite was good, but after that, I had so little desire to finish it, but as my mother says, 'food is the grace of God,' so we shouldn't waste it. I guess if the creators of the marshmallow kabob wanted to appeal to adults (though there's no need to as there are better confections out there), they could coat the marshmallows in a semi-sweet or dark chocolate, then roll them in nuts, berries, dried fruits, or any other assortment of interesting toppings more appealing than plain sprinkles. Food technologists have already developed vitamin and nutrient enriched sprinkles, so perhaps using those could help. Disney has been on a health kick for the past few years and this could help make these purely sugar treats more worthwhile. Overall, though I was disappointed by this delicious looking treat, its concept has a lot of potential: dessert on a stick, dipped in chocolate and then in more yummy things.