May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Disney World is celebrating!
At Magic Kingdom, you can still see Mulan and Moana on the character cavalcades and at the train station.
In Epcot, Mulan is joining the Princess Promenade at the World Showcase.
In Hollywood Studios, Mira, from a Disney Junior show called Mira, Royal Detective, is joining the Disney Junior Motorcade from now until late June.
At Animal Kingdom, a Moana sand sculpture will be on Discovery Island in mid May. You can even learn how to draw Tuk Tuk from Raya And The Last Dragon and Pua from Moana at The Animation Experience at Conservation Station!
At Disney World Resort Hotels the Movies Under The Stars will come back. Movies Under The Stars lets you watch movies outside that show Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and cultures. These movies include Big Hero 6, Moana, Mulan, and Lilo and Stitch.
The Red Bean Ice Float can be found at the Lotus Blossom Cafe in the China pavilion all month long. This drink was originally popularized in Hong Kong and it is made with sweetened Chinese red beans, milk, crushed up ice, and vanilla ice cream.
Another thing you can get at Lotus Blossom Cafe is Char Siu with Rice. Char Siu in Chinese or Cha Shao in Mandarin means fork roast. This is a Cantonese style barbecue pork dish popularized in Hong Kong and in ethnic Chinese communities all over the world. It is an iconic item at Chinatown restaurants all over The United States. Just looking at this dish is making me hungry!
There is a calligraphy demonstration every Wednesday in May from 2 to 3 pm EST and 6 to 7 pm EST at House of Good Fortune. The House of Good Fortune is showing the history and significance of Chinese Calligraphy.
The Japan pavilion shares Japanese culture all year! Mitsukoshi Department Store has traditional Japanese architecture and design as well as Kimonos and Kawaii from Japan. This store has popular Japanese toys, clothing, incense, and snacks.
You should definitely check out this store because it is ginormous and you will find something in the store that you like.
While your in the Japan pavilion, don’t forget to check out Teppan Edo which serves sushi and hibachi and Katsura Grill that has miso-glazed chicken wings, okonomiyaki fries, ramen, sushi, and teriyaki chicken.
Disney Springs is celebrating in many different ways and one of those ways is with Chef Jessi Sudsa-nguan who is the pastry chef at Amorette’s Patisserie. Chef Jessi is from Bangkok, Thailand and has been working for the Walt Disney World Resort for over 30 years.
She has created a special treat for this month! The treat is a Jasmine Tea Cream Tart. It is a light dessert that has fruit gelee and a butter and nut cookie crust in honor of her favorite Asian teas and flavors with a twist.
Also at Amorette’s Patisserie, you can get the Mulan Petit Cake. The flavors are matcha chiffon, lemon chiffon, honey-ginger mousse, lemon curd, lemon-ginger streusel, and green tea simple syrup.
You can get the Matcha Yuzu Ganache Square at The Ganachery. The flavors are green tea and yuzu dark chocolate ganache.
At The Daily Poutine you can get Korean BBQ Fries. That is Korean-style bulgogi pulled pork and kimchi with Sriracha aïoli and topped with French Fries.
The restaurant Morimoto Asia, located in Disney Springs, is led by Japanese Master Chef Masaharu Morimoto. The menu at this restuarant has his take on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes. This month you can enjoy the following dishes at Morimoto Asia.
Lomilomi is a salmon tartare with tomatoes, onions, and scallions.
Loco Moco is a traditional Hawaiian burger rice bowl made with a blend of filet and A5 wagyu topped with an egg and teriyaki mushroom gravy.
Saimin is a Hawaiian style ramen with a dashi shrimp broth, thin noodles, and roasted pork. This dish is available at Morimoto Asia Street Food.
Halo-Halo is a Filipino shaved ice dessert with flavored jellies and fruit.
You can also go to YeSake to try some Japanese street food and Asian inspired drinks including Karaage, Taiyaki, Chicken Buns, Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls, Bubble Teas, Sake Sushi, and more!
Don’t forget to go see the artist spotlight series at The Art of Disney. This series is focusing on Asian Pacific American filmmakers, artists, authors, and screen writers who have or are working at Walt Disney Animation Studios. These people include Qui Nguyen, Mohit Kallianpur, Fawn Veerasunthorn, Willie Ito, Gyo Fujikawa, Milton Quon, and Disney Legend Tyrus Wong.
You can shop at Basin whose portion of sales go to the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Community Fund.
Over at Disney Springs West Side you should go check out the art piece that was inspired by Raya And The Last Dragon. This stunning artwork was created by Xiao Qing Chen outside of AMC Theaters.
The artwork is inspired by Raya’s Malaysian heritage and celebrates diversity.
You should definitely come to Disney World right now to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!