Saturday, June 11, 2005
Field Trip! Cadbury World
Ooomah, Loompah, doompadee doo…I went to Cadbury World today! How fun is THAT? Since I got shut out of visiting Prince Charles' organic farm, (which made me very pouty) I thought this was an excellent second choice. (See earlier posts about THAT) We had the best time too. It’s the closest thing to Disney this neck of the world has, and I could not have been happier. (I know they are the true evil empire, but I still get nostalgic for a little Disney magic here and again, what can I say.) Through sights and sounds, a 3-D movie, a tour of the a real factory, animatronics and short films, in less than 45 minutes we learned about chocolate, how it is grown, how it is manufactured, the history of the Cadbury chocolate company and Bournville, the factory town they created. It was super-extra-cheezy-wholesome-family-fun. With chocolate.
We went through the funniest paper mache rainforest to see where the beans come from, and 1800’s Birmingham to see what the original Cadbury Tea and Chocolate shop looked like. (Yawn) We saw commercials from the 50’s and 80's (A touch risque if you ask me. A woman in a tub gorging on chocolate.) and a set from a recent commercial. We got to dip our own piece of caramel in chocolate, and rode a bean-mobile through Chocolate Wonderland. (I kid you not. I SO wish they hadn’t said no photos, because this was like It’s a Small World times 10. Tacky, yet compellingly adorable. Totally crazy stuff.) We saw robots making candy and machines wrapping it, people doing quality checks (wow they must hate chocolate) and learned how come their most popular product is called Dairy Milk (1904, they were going to call it Dairy Maid, but at the last minute changed the name so they wouldnt seem sexist. Awww.)
But best of all? The worlds largest Cadbury store? No. They give out lots of free samples! Wow did that rock. It cost a small fortune ($20 for adults) for the actual (self guided) tour, and as hard as they try (and they DO) it is a little bit too educational to really interest small children, (not that they notice) but man oh man, I thought it was the best thing ever. I was especially intrigued (by the smell of chocolate everywhere? It was like a dream) by the history of the company and how they built an entire town with houses, recreation, stores and more in the (essentially) middle of a field to accommodate their workers. (It’s a super cute town too. Lots of parks and playing fields and cute shops) And how during WW2 they created Ration Chocolate. And, (this rocks) I saw Cadbury Eggs being made! (How? I’ll never tell). There really was a lot to learn, and I for one am super stoked I went. So, if you are ever in Birmingham England, pop by.
Cadbury World. Bournville, Birmingham, B30 2LU, England. 0121 451 4180
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Oompa Loompa doompadee doo, I've got another puzzle for youOompa Loompa doompadah dee, If you are wise you'll listen to meWhat do you get from a glut of TV? A pain in the neck and an IQ of threeWhy don't you try simply reading a book? Or could you just not bear to look? You'll get no commercialsOompa Loompa Doompadee Dah, If you're not greedy you will go farYou will live in happiness too, Like the OompaOompa Loompa doompadee do
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Theaters July15th
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Oh, queen of chocolate enlightenment! I didn't even know this existed. Something new to add to my "must see" list. Yum, yum, yum!
Wow you're in England! Lucky you to just pick up and go. Have such a blast, I've just spent the last fifteen reading through your past entries trying to figure out how the heck you ended up there and enjoyed reading all your reviews, can't wait to read more!
All I could eat free ice cream was why millions of years ago, I quit a summer job at Ben and Jerrys after three days. Free chocolate would be the death of me! LOL
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