# What "nations" should be added to Epcot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207 "2008-04-13T21:26:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/41 "2008-04-14T12:37:20Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] (only adding in Thailand for sex club shows and child prostitution: lost children from Disney and Epcot are sent to Thailand to work until their parents find them! ) [/QUOTE] Wow. And I thought _my_ joke was tasteless and evil. Way to raise the bar! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/42 "2008-04-14T12:44:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*I have no idea how Morocco got in. Not much goes on there. Threā€™s no restaurant and a couple of mediocre shops. **CaerieD** has already mentioned this, but thereā€™s a big restaurant in the Morocco section. We ate there, using the Disney Dollars vouchers we got for listening to a TimeShare pitch. The food was good, and they had a musician and a Belly Dancer there. Iā€™m sure they ā€œgot in thereā€ in the name of cultural diversity. Iā€™ll bet they wanted to have a Middle-Eastern marketplace. Maybe somebody saw the second version of **The Man Who Knew Too Much** and decided it would be a good ā€œsceneā€. In any event, it came ion handy, years later, when Disney seemed to be self-consciously trying to seek out new cultures and settings. On our second visit the Morocco section, which on our first visit had no tie-ins with animation features, now bristled with ā€œAladdinā€ stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/43 "2008-04-14T13:30:05Z")
[QUOTE=HeyHomie] Itā€™s pretty austere. Thereā€™s a series of columns and marble floors and whatnot, supposedly reminiscent of the US Capitol, and thereā€™s some paintings around the exterior. The last time Mrs. Homie and I were there, there was also a US flag that had been pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center, with a little plaque explaining how it was found. Brought me and Mrs. Homie to tears, it did. Thereā€™s also a HUGE audio-animatronics show back in the main theater. I donā€™t really know how to describe it - itā€™s sort of a history lesson going over some of the high points and low points in US history, and how they collectively shaped our national character. People either love it (touching! inspiring!) or hate it (dumbed down! patriarchal! sycophantic!). YMMV. [/QUOTE] Itā€™s both. Every time I go I roll my eyes until I get a little misty there at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/44 "2008-04-14T13:52:52Z")
Yugoslavia sould be added. Every day at 11 it could break up into Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovinia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. All the staff could dress as UN troops. Tangentially, the funniest museum restaurant name I ever encountered was the cafe at the Royal Armored Corps museum in Bovington. The name of the cafe was _The Gauntlet_. Hungry from looking at tanks? Well, run your tummy through _The Gauntlet_. Itā€™s a fist full of flavor right in your belly! ---
**Author:** ![Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intravenus_De_Milo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/45 "2008-04-14T14:02:22Z")
> [@Einmon](#): > > Thereā€™s actually an ā€œAfrican Outpostā€ which is a small hut-like edifice plus vendor cart next to the German Pavilion and is staffed by Germans in need of overtime plus Winston, who I think actually hails from some African nation, at the vendor cart. The African aspect of the Outpost could have been improved, though, apart from the vaguely African-themed exterior of the hutā€¦it used to sell soft ice cream, fruit salad, empanadas, and Jamaican Red Stripe beer (not in that particular order). Also, ginger beer and root beer, which was fun to foist on unsuspecting German tourists (we always pretended we were from South Africa and did not understand them). Actually, from what Iā€™ve read, the ā€œoutpostā€ was the half-hearted end result of an effort to design a pavilion for a sub-Saharan African nation. FWIW, here is the succinct version as noted on Wikipedia (although I have seen the story related elsewhere: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Pavilions for Russia, Spain, Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, and Israel never made it past the planning phase. An Equatorial Africa pavilion was planned but was never built. It would have featured a large African presentation film hosted by Alex Haley. A small African themed refreshment stop is now in its place, known as the Outpost. After Disneyā€™s Animal Kingdomā€”an African-themed animal preserve and parkā€”opened, any plans for an African Pavilion were dropped. Speaking of Red Stripeā€¦perhaps a pavilion honoring some Caribbean culture would be neat. The only problem would be choosing one sovereign nation, as opposed to a territory, but all of the other ingredients are there: distinctive architecture (Spanish-style a la Old San Juan, the colorful buildings of Curacao, etc.), cuisine (Jamaican-Puerto Rican-Cuban with lots of roasted meats, beans, plantains, beer, and Ting), entertainment (steel drum bands, calypso, G-rated Carnival dancers), and Disney can always think of something to sell, so gift shops are of course no problem. Throw in a ride or a CircleVision show, and weā€™ve got ourselves a deal. At the least, it would be nice to have a ā€œrealā€ Caribbean counterpart to the Anglo-dominated ā€œmovieā€ Caribbean represented by the _Pirates_ film/ride oeuvre. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/46 "2008-04-14T14:08:01Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] Wow. And I thought _my_ joke was tasteless and evil. Way to raise the bar! šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] I live to serve! If India is added, then **monkey brains** must be put on the menu. Cause all I needed to learn about India I learned from **The Temple of Doom** and Bollywood. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/47 "2008-04-14T14:14:24Z")
There should be at least one country from Sub-Saharan Africa represented; probably South Africa, itā€™s more prosperous ā€“ and a safer tourist destination ā€“ than any other. Definitely India, Definitely Russia. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/48 "2008-04-14T16:07:48Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Why donā€™t they do the Philippines or a southeast Asian country like Thailand or Cambodia? [/QUOTE] Because the [_ahem_] industry for which they are best known is [_cough_] not exactly Disney-showcase material. :o ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/49 "2008-04-14T16:09:07Z")
Another gastronomic vote for Belgium: beer, chocolates, mussels, waffles, and _[frites](http://www.visitbelgium.com/frites.htm)_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/50 "2008-04-14T16:16:49Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] World Showcase has not been changed in a while, but the Future Showcase is virtually all-new. Mission to Mars, Test Track, Energy, Imagination, The Living Seas, and The Land much upgraded. Horizons and World of Motion are no more, however. They wanted to make Epcot a little more exciting, and course science marches on. They may be planning to start work on World Showcase in the future; I donā€™t know. [/QUOTE] If this really is a park devoted to The Futureā„¢, they ought to have a pavilion or two on the potential impacts of future technologies that currently are only in the gleam-in-the-eye stage: Space elevators, nanotechnology, strong artificial intelligence, full-immersion virtual reality, direct neural-electronic interfaces, genetic engineering, etc. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/51 "2008-04-14T16:21:52Z")
Doesnā€™t WDW already have a Jamaican thingā€¦only itā€™s a bus that travels around Epcot and not a ā€œcountryā€? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/52 "2008-04-14T16:41:16Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] If this really is a park devoted to The Futureā„¢, they ought to have a pavilion or two on the potential impacts of future technologies that currently are only in the gleam-in-the-eye stage: Space elevators, nanotechnology, strong artificial intelligence, full-immersion virtual reality, direct neural-electronic interfaces, genetic engineering, etc. [/QUOTE] Have they changed Epcot so much since I was there (I think it was 1991) that they no longer do that? When I was there, that was what they did. Not in the pavilions area, but in the rest of Epcot. It was a bit dated, but itā€™s clear that thatā€™s what they were trying to do. Of course, things like that get dated very quickly, because predicting the social impact of future technologies is notoriously difficult. Science fiction writers often manage to predict some technology or other. Itā€™s much rarer for them to accurately predict the social ramifications of a future technology, or even of an existing technology as it becomes cheaper or more widely available. And then thereā€™s the additional problem that some of these things or some of their potential applications (like genetic engineering) are controversial. Controversial stuff makes people boycott parks, and that means less money for Disney. They donā€™t want that. ---
**Author:** ![Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intravenus_De_Milo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/53 "2008-04-14T16:48:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Doesnā€™t WDW already have a Jamaican thingā€¦only itā€™s a bus that travels around Epcot and not a ā€œcountryā€? Huh, Iā€™ve never heard of that (or seen it, but itā€™s not like I go to Epcot every day or whatever). I know that Epcot did have a temporary pavilion set up right around the turn of the millennium that had a plethora of craft/gift/food booths featuring countries not represented in the WS - I bought a Thai rope dragon there, so Thailand was definitely one of them šŸ˜ƒ Perhaps the Jamaican bus was part of that whole promotion and I missed it. It also would not surprise me if Disney added the bus to commemorate some celebration that is big in the West Indies, like Carnival. While the Jamaican bus does soundā€¦interesting, I donā€™t think its existence right now would preclude a Jamaican/Caribbean pavilion from actually being built, if Disney wanted to (I havenā€™t heard any plans fielded for such). Again, with India and Africa, there is the issue of redundancy with AK. Although this might not sound appropriate to bring up in the ā€œyeah, but what new pavilions do you WANT?ā€ discussion, chances are that if Disney went ahead and squeezed an India or Africa into one of the Epcot spaces, I would prefer their AK counterparts anyway. Not that this is a slam at Epcot, itā€™s my favorite park, but they just have more space to work with at AK. How can you top that tiger trail, anyway? Or the safari? Or Expedition Everest? (technically Nepal, not India, but still) Not at Epcot. [This article](http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/01/08/the-russians-are-coming-the-russians-are-coming-to-epcot.aspx) might lead some to believe that a Russian pavilion is actually in the advanced planning stages at WDW, although itā€™s by the sometimes over-enthused Jim Hill so take it with a grain of salt. The notion that Imagineering DID develop plans for a mini-Russia/USSR at some point seems pretty plausible, however. It certainly wouldnā€™t be as hard as designing a new country from page one, if Disney decided to go ahead with mini-Russia. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/54 "2008-04-14T16:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] Have they changed Epcot so much since I was there (I think it was 1991) that they no longer do that? When I was there, that was what they did. Not in the pavilions area, but in the rest of Epcot. It was a bit dated, but itā€™s clear that thatā€™s what they were trying to do. [/quote] Not that I recall, and Iā€™ve been there several times. Never seen anything about nanotech, neural-electronic interface, or a space elevator. (Strong AI is a matter simply assumed whenever you have funny robots, but never seriously explored.) [QUOTE=Anne Neville] And then thereā€™s the additional problem that some of these things or some of their potential applications (like genetic engineering) are controversial. Controversial stuff makes people boycott parks, and that means less money for Disney. They donā€™t want that. [/QUOTE] Maybe so, but **Walt** woulda dug it! šŸ˜ƒ (Megalomaniac control freak that he was. Are you familiar with his [**original**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Prototype_Community_of_Tomorrow_%28concept%29) concept for EPCOT?) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/55 "2008-04-14T16:57:36Z")
The bus that travels around Epcot with the characters is (or maybe was) called the Junkanoo bus. At one time there was also (and may still be) the Joyful Junkanoo Junk band. That is, AFAIK, as close to adding anything Caribbean to Epcot has ever come. Besides, thereā€™s no need - stroll over to the Caribbean Beach Resort for your Caribbean fix. Technologies that are currently on the cusp of being useful are currently presented in the two Innoventions pavilions. The presentations are a little scattershot - some things are crowd-pleasers, and others go ignored. But Innoventions is, at least in theory, Epcotā€™s nod to emerging technologies. And itā€™s designed to be updated accordingly, so nothing becomes dated (in theory). ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/56 "2008-04-14T19:22:54Z")
They still have large and ever-changing sections of new technology bits and the East and West pavilions around Spaceship Earth. Itā€™s usually a bit more practical than ā€œspace elevatorsā€, but they do different stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/57 "2008-04-14T20:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Not that I recall, and Iā€™ve been there several times. Never seen anything about nanotech, neural-electronic interface, or a space elevator. (Strong AI is a matter simply assumed whenever you have funny robots, but never seriously explored.) [/quote] I didnā€™t mean they had those things specifically. I meant they had technologies that somebody thought would be in use in the world of tomorrow. I think I was thinking specifically of the Horizons attraction, which is now gone. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/58 "2008-04-14T20:47:55Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] They still have large and ever-changing sections of new technology bits and the East and West pavilions around Spaceship Earth. Itā€™s usually a bit more practical than ā€œspace elevatorsā€, but they do different stuff. [/QUOTE] Those would be the Innoventions pavilions: Innoventions East and Innoventions West. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/59 "2008-04-14T21:57:09Z")
Italy has performers in Venetian Carnival costumes & masks. Gorgeous costumes. The rest of itā€“forgettable. And overpriced. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207/60 "2008-04-14T23:35:18Z")
How about the Borg? They could replace the big globe thing with a cube. (We now return you to your regularly scheduled Disney Channel selections). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nations-should-be-added-to-epcot/445207.md?page=4)