Weekend Wrap-Up

So we didn't end up getting to Queens for the Czech restaurant/beer garden. Maybe another time. I was slightly disappointed, but the place isn't going anywhere (or so we hope), so we're taking a raincheck.

Checked out a pretty cool bar on Saturday night though - "The Park"- which you'd think had a parking lot theme from the neon "PARK" light with the arrow on the outside. Rather, it was park theme (i.e. Central Park) with an outdoor patio downstairs and upstairs, trees, park-like tables and chairs. It was quite a zoo there, and way too crowded upstairs where all of the dancing was going on. Of course, my scene is more geared toward the "Let's sit down at a table and hang out" style, and since we were able to do that, it all worked out. Plus, we had a good time making fun of Alexis while she was drunk and her voice was higher-pitched than normal!

I've had this craving for a Dunkin Donut for a couple of weeks now. And since each weekend we go there and get the Iced Coffee that I've mentioned in a previous post, I see all the donut, yet resist because we know that aren't exactly the best thing for you. Anyway, I gave into temptation today and got my favorite: Bostom Kreme. You cannot beat a Boston Kreme donut from Dunkin Donuts. Just not possible. I won't hear anything on the contrary. And of course, this will be my big segue-way into a Krispy Kreme rant:

I was first introduced to Krispy Kreme in the summer of 1999. As you may or may not know, I spent two summers working for one of Corporate America's finest: Starbucks. At the time, Starbucks had just cut a deal with Krispy Kreme and their doughnuts (note the difference in spelling) would be sent to each store in the early morning as a part of the rest of the pastry order. They started off small, by ordering maybe a dozen or two per day. Now, I didn't know Krispy Kreme from anything else. In the Philadelphia area, it's all Dunkin Donuts, so of course, I had been partial (and still am). Krispy Kreme is more a southern company and began to infiltrate farther north.

Anyway, on with the story. So I'm doing my training with Starbucks in the first week on the job, learning the ropes, trying not to burn myself or anyone else - standard stuff. I noticed that the addition of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the pastry repertoire was catching many customers' eyes. And many of them commented on it. One lady exclaims, "Oh my goodness, you have Krispy Kreme! I'll take a half-dozen chocolate glazed! I grew up in North Carolina and you can't find them anywhere in this area!" So she was ecstatic and I was pretty much indifferent. Made it easy for me because all I had to do was give her the whole box and ring her up. Many others came in and seemed excited and bought one or two.

Well, the best part was this older gentleman (about 6 feet tall, grayish hair, mustache), who was moseying around the store and after making his way to the pastry case, glared at each shelf, seemingly studying each piece of cake and each muffin. Then he saw the doughnuts and those unmistakable white boxes with the green and red logo on display. I politely asked him if he saw anything he liked. The guy glared at me for a moment and with his raspy, deep voice (think James Earl Jones style) says, "No, son, I see something I don't like. Seems as though Starbucks is beginning to carry those Krispy Kreme donuts. Those awful things are a sign of white trash! The white trash love Krispy Kreme!" I didn't really know how to respond to that one, just kind of shrugged and stayed quiet. The guy was pretty annoyed at this whole ordeal, but proceeded to order a cup of coffee and was on his way. This was a great introduction to Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, and working with the public. Not to mention the fact that I had co-workers who were gay, bi-sexual, lesbian, and possessed several body piercings and tattoos. It was a colorful group...all nice people though.

After trying a couple of these Krispy Kreme donuts, I came to the conclusion that Dunkin Donuts were far superior in all facets of the donut business. Krispy Kremes were smaller, greasier, too sweet, and didn't have the shelf-life that Dunkin Donuts had. KK were rock hard by the end of the day, and you can get 2 days max out of DD. Overall, I just didn't care for them. People always give me the whole, "But you have to go to one of the stores and eat a freshly-made, hot doughnut". Let me tell you something - that's nonsense. Who would want to eat hot dough? That has stomach ache written all over it. It's like eating bread that's too hot; the dough will just sit in my stomach. Doesn't sound all that appealing to me. I prefer fresh donuts that are back to room temperature. Anyhow, moral of the story is that I boycott Krispy Kreme as much as possible due to my loyalty to Dunkin Donuts. I enjoy DD's products much better and will always stand behind them in an argument. And believe me, you have to stand tough on your choice of donuts because when it comes to several hundred calories and many grams of saturated fat and carbohydrates that you're about to intake, you best be making the right decision.