I used to work in one of those offices with a common kitchen and donuts would just magically appear from time to time. Sometimes old and half-eaten refugee donuts from another area, and sometimes fresh ones. It takes experience to tell the difference. I miss donuts but going into a store to buy a single donut is just sad. Donuts are social creatures. They come in 12’s, furnished by anonymous benefactors. Now we have perma-WFH and the idea of never eating another donut is weighing heavily on my psyche.
How are donut stores staying in business with offices shut down for a year? Are you all getting your fix some other way? I include maple bars and apple fritters in the donut category.
Doughnut shops are alive and well in Hawaii. Take-out only, of course. One of the best I’ve ever had is Mister Donut downtown. No, it’s not one of THOSE Mister Donuts, they’re not in Hawaii. This one is an independent shop, take-out only even before Covid, owned and operated by a Salvadoran and a couple of compatriot helpers. Really, really good. His apple fritters are the best I’ve ever had, no contest. Being downtown on Hotel Street, there’s a mob of homeless people camped out everywhere, and the owner routinely feeds them.
Waaaaaah. You just had to mention 2 of my three favorite donuts. The other one is French Crullers. None of which are available here. There are some bakeries who offer something which looks like a donut. It’s just bread in another shape, with icing. And bakeries are considered essential businesses, so they’ve stayed open the entire time. But they aren’t doing as much business as before, so they’re doing more take away lunches and even bread delivery.
Just went to the bakery yesterday to get almond croissants for breakfast. I think we haven’t been going as often, mainly because the weather has been colder and it’s dark in the morning. Now that it’s warming up and the sun’s coming up earlier, we’ll probably go more often.
Also we just had fastnacht, so all the bakeries were making schenkeli, which are similar to buttermilk bars. Now the Easter baked goods are available.
I am certain that the bakeries are selling fewer baked goods. August 1st, December 6th and January 6th are all special days for baked goods, wherein the office is often overflowing with buns, stutenkerl (called Grittibänz in Switzerland) and 3 kings cake.
I didn’t buy any of them. Nada. I know some people bought them for home, because for them this is tradition. But it’s not mine.
Also, I normally bring in something homemade about once a month. My coworkers are looking forward to getting homemade stuff, because many of them don’t bake at home, so they are stuck with what they can get at the bakery.
This reminded me of something we did back in May. It wasn’t super successful, but I’m glad we made the effort.
My twins turned 7, and had been looking forward to a party with classmates. Not having school was still pretty new. They had a little celebration with classmates at lunchtime over the internet through school. But they had been wanting to bring treats in.
So, there was a doughnut shop that was open for takeout, and we asked them to let us run a tab for a few days, and then had their teachers let the parents of their classmates know that they could go pick up a doughnut for the kids (including siblings).
We had guaranteed that we’d pay for at least, I think, 3 dozen, and we wound up picking up a dozen at the end, but it was fun to find a way to get birthday treats to kids.
I probably haven’t had a doughnut for 20 years. Even though I used to pick up boxes for other people on the way to work. For whatever reason doughnuts, champagne and sausage rolls, all of which I really enjoy, give me furious heartburn. Nothing else does.
I don’t recall the last time I had a donut. There’s a small local grocery chain that used to have really good ones, but I don’t normally shop there, and the last time I went, they had a much smaller selection of individually packaged donuts (thanks, COVID.) It just wasn’t the same, and I passed.
Eons ago (circa 1990) I had a supervisor who had a donut rule - if you came to work late and brought 2 dozen donuts, you weren’t charged with time off. (Definitely not IAW HR regulations, but he was an ass in so many ways.) One day, four people were late. That meant 8 dozen donuts!!! Supervisor was going to other groups, begging them to come eat donuts, as our group had maybe 14 employees. I expect some ended up in the trash that afternoon.
A client at work drops off donuts every so often. Thing is, he has an arrangement at the donut place. They save him the old stock they’d otherwise throw out. Who likes old, dried out donuts? Wildlife.
Back in the Back When, my church had a coffee-and-donuts social time after mass. Drop a couple of bucks in the donation basket, and a pair of donuts was my Sunday morning breakfast, eaten in the company of other parishioners. I’d usually get one custard-filled chocolate icing, because that’s my favorite, and one of something else, because I like variety.
That hasn’t happened for… a while now. A couple of times since then, I’ve stopped by a shop on my way to church, to get a few to share with my mom and uncle (who go to the same church), just for old times’ sake… but it really isn’t the same.
For me, there are really only two types that I ever eat: Krispy Kreme glazed and those tiny powdered ones that come in a bag. The powdered ones (which are pretty cakey) were still okay the last time I had them, but the last time I had the KK (after a long hiatus) my taste must have changed because suddenly they seemed too damn sweet.
I like them, but I can never finish a whole one, they are so sweet. Used to be, when someone brought them into work, I’d take one, eat half, and save half for my son. Now that half a doughnut is one bite for his hulkingness, I sometimes bring one home for him, but I don’t eat any myself anymore.
One couple would set everything up during early service, so as you filed out the narthex was redolent with fumes of really good coffee (pastor got us a great brewing machine, and airpots, and got a local coffee roaster to make us our own blend… Reformation Roast).
But the real draw was a couple dozen donuts or an assortment of kringles (Danish ring pastry, very rich) (almond, pecan, apple or cherry, take one of each!). Everyone would chat over coffee and donuts, and old Bill would tell a fishing story that turned into a dirty joke and the kids would guffaw and then it was time for Adult Forum, so refill that cup and grab another pastry!
I’ve lost weight over the pandemic, but it’s a mixed blessing due to the donut deprivation.
There just aren’t any ‘real’ donut shops around here – the kind where you see them hot and fresh out of the fryer. The only donut shop in my town is Dunkin and they come in overnight from a town about 40 miles away.
Maybe one of these days I’ll go on a quest for a real fresh donut, but until then I just do without.
I don’t do donuts but had the same realization about chicken wings a few days ago. I’m a huge fan but haven’t had any fried wing (either battered or naked Buffalo) since Mid March in New Orleans.
I did make a few batches of jerked wings over the summer but grilled wings seem like a different thing.
I really miss little neighborhood bakeries. Growing up, I can think of three within biking distance. Now, we have three that I can think of in our whole city.
I discovered one while on a long sub-zero ‘socially distanced’ walk, and OMIGOD, the smell! Long lighted cases of crullers and frycakes and fritters, and… a bacon-covered maple-frosted long john!
Now, that was a two-hour walk away… but I might just have to do it again.
Krispy Kreme has doughnut shops in Thailand, and theirs are the finest glazed doughnuts I’ve ever had. They’re like crack. But in Hawaii, KK is only prepackaged and shipped from the mainland – pretty crappy, leaving locals rightfully wondering what all the hooplah is about.
My kids are doing their part to keep the West Michigan donut industry afloat. They forced us into a Saturday morning donut tradition, so our family rotates between Dunkin, a local gourmet donut shop, and Meijer’s bakery. Four donuts a week for…several months now.