FROM: Disney P.I. Published As Uncovered

The Stuff Dole Whips Are Made Of

It seems like such a little thing. Like a certain black bird: the stuff that dreams are made of. But this stuff, this Dole Whip, is made of - what stuff? That's what I'm going to find out. Armed with magnifying glass and plastic spoon, I'm on the case.

- by Debra Peterson, June 30, 2011

There I was in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland, on my latest case involving... well, explanations will have to wait until I close the books on that little investigation. But I was staked out at Aloha Isle, blending in with the crowd by savoring a Disney cult food favorite: the dependable Dole Whip.

Maybe it's the heat, but I began to wonder: what in the (Disney) World is a Dole Whip? It's a mini-mystery all its own.

DIScovering the Dole Whip

I know the basics like any good flatfoot. Dole Whip is a frozen non-dairy dessert at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I sat staring at my snack of choice: the pineapple soft serve, served neat. Just the way I like it.

With my long Disney snacking history, I know Dole Whip is more than one signature flavor. I'd flirted with the pineapple-juice float and gotten mixed up with a pineapple-and-vanilla twist. I've experimented with the orange, chocolate, and vanilla flavors that stretch the boundaries of what some fans consider the Dole Whip - even if they are official flavors.

On my beat, I've stopped at Aloha Isle and the nearby Sunshine Tree Terrace. Once I'd even ducked into Captain Cook's at the Polynesian Resort, only to discover the guest I'd tailed knew about the food court's secret stash of the straight Dole Whip experience.

I've even eaten the Dole Whip at Disneyland's Tiki Juice Bar, where the dessert tasted subtly different. Nothing I could put a finger on, just a tongue. But decidedly different. Maybe it's the little umbrella in the floats.

And I realize the Dole Whip is considered such a Disney treat - even though it's also available in Hawaii and other places - that it practically has its own fan club.

But none of that knowledge really answered my question about what is a Dole Whip. For that, I needed my investigative skills.

Dole Whip - Non-Dairy, but Not Vegan?

What I discovered surprised me, although perhaps it shouldn't have. Dole Whip is billed as a non-dairy dessert, meaning it's not ice cream. A quick and virtual visit to Precision Foods, which boasts of supplying Dole Soft Serve to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, explains:

"Dole Soft Serve Mix is a lactose-free dry mix that is reconstituted with tap water and frozen down in a soft serve machine. Marketed under the popular Dole brand name, this unique product delivers an intense, natural pineapple fruit flavor, yet is fat free and cholesterol free."

Lactose-, cholesterol- and fat-fat? Natural pineapple flavor? The description made me feel immediately healthier. That is, until I looked at the pineapple Dole's ingredient list:

Sugar, Dextrose, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Stabilizers (Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean, Karaya Gum, Pectin), Maltodextrin, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking), Corn Syrup Solids, Citric Acid, Sodium Caseinate (A Milk Derivative), Artificial Flavor, Potassium & Sodium Phosphate, Mono & Diglycerides, Artificial Color (Yellow 5 & 6), Soy Lecithin.

I'm not a dietician or achemist; I'm a detective. So I don't know precisely what maltodextrin or silicon dioxide is. But I do know sodium caseinate is a protein derived from milk, but so altered that the FDA no longer considers it dairy.

That's why Dole Whip is "lactose free," but also why people with a high sensitivity to lactose, dairy allergies, or celiac disease should use their discretion before trying one. Sodium caseinate ingredient also means Dole Whip is a lacto-vegetarian, Kosher Dairy, and gluten-free dessert, but not a vegan dessert.

And Dole Whip is mixed with tap water. Tap water? Well, that explains why my taste buds, doing their own detecting work, noted a difference between the Walt Disney World and Disneyland versions.

Ah, the plot thickens, as does the mystery of the Dole Whip. My simple Disney cult food had turned out to be more complex than I first thought. It's lactose free but not dairy free. Vegetarian but not vegan. Pineapple juice and artificial flavor = natural flavor?

Re-DIScovering the Deliciousness of the Dole Whip

But because I'm not vegan and don't have allergies, the more compelling question for me isn't what a Dole Whip is or isn't. Instead, I'm curious about the dessert's appeal in light of its odd ingredients. I ordered my next Dole Whip, hoping an old-fashioned taste test would unlock the mystery.

Examining the treat, rationally and with knowledge of its ingredients, my Dole Whip wasn't quite the taste sensation I'd previously described to others. I found myself staring at the sad sight of a half-melting cup, with a strange desire for fresh pineapple spears.

I admitted to myself that if I hadn't first tried one at Disney, the Dole Whip experience would be a dud. Unless I had been in Hawaii, I thought, where it would be part of a welcome vacation from the everyday. Where simple treats become special by association and in memory.

Aha! The answer lies, as with most mysteries, in looking at clues in context. I shouldn't separate the Dole Whip from its physical and emotional associations. I eat them only at Disney, as a break in my case and from the heat. I identify myself as an insider when I do, as a fan who appreciates Disney's (semi) unique offerings. And every time I eat another Dole Whip, I'm reaffirming that identity.

Mini-mystery solved. Eating a Dole Whip in Disney is a major part of its appeal. Dole Whip is a bit of consumable magic associated with the parks and people's personal meanings. It's fantasy, nostalgia, and expectation all served up in a frozen dessert and sold for under $5.

So I set aside my questions to finish what had transformed, once again, into a surprisingly tasty treat. For me, the Dole Whip is best defined not by its ingredient list but by its promise of a new Disney experience.

And for a Disney P.I., that means a new mystery to solve.

Until next time, consider me on the case.

More: DISNEY, P.I.