I Don't Run on Dunkin

Donut shops around New England seem like they'd be everywhere as Dunkin Donuts' competition. Not so. Surprisingly enough, I saw more independent shops in Texas. Spike and I used to make fun of these places because the name of the business was simply "Donuts". If the name was just "Donut", we'd made fun of them even more for being too cheap to buy an "S" to show that they sold more than your standard glazed.

Dunkin Donuts is everywhere here in Maine - even in Wal-Mart. It's easy to get your sugar fix in the morning - or late afternoon for that matter. That's the other thing about this chain. They're open long past any other donut shop I've ever seen. Maybe that's why the independent places can't survive. That and people are loyal to their Dunkin Donuts like they are to the Red Sox (see the previous blog posting to understand).

I've been to Dunkin twice, and I can't say that it's impressed me all that much. It's better than Krispy Kreme, which is just plain disgusting if you ask me. But nothing beats Texas' own Shipley Do-Nuts. They literally melt in your mouth. They're not dense like Krispy Kreme...they're light and airy like I think a donut should be. Shipley has more than donuts. They have kolaches, warm bagel-like bread enveloping ham and cheese or sausage and cheese. It's a step up from a pig in a blanket, and I'm often torn on whether to get a a donut or a kolache when I go to Shipley.

All this talk might make you think I'm a donut fanatic. I'm really not. Donuts are those things that are saved for special occasions. Plus if you know me, I love salty more than sweet. I can only take so much sugar before I hand everything off and am looking for some popcorn. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wallow in sadness because Shipley doesn't exist in Maine.