This post is sponsored by the letter D. D is for Disappointment. In my younger days when I would run full speed to kick the football of success but found it pulled away at the last possible moment I did not recover so well (ref: Brown, C.). After disconnecting from the world for months on end, I would eventually find myself and my backpack somewhere in Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere roaming the backroads. What I eventually found in my travels is that there are some events I will never understand and very little of what may or may not happen on the big scale can be controlled.
D is for Distraction. I also found the best way to recharge myself and get back on the playing field is to find something to obsess about other than why what I wanted to happen did not. The first time my obsession led to action, I made a binder of mini-restaurant reviews called the Good Food Guide which I pushed onto friends, acquaintances and strangers. My next obsession was ice cream. I wrote my first “big” magazine article about the best ice cream stands places in our state for Ohio Magazine (May, 1998). Then I created a web site about ice cream so I could figure out how HTML worked – Ice Cream Ohio. You may have also read about a few Taco Trucks in Columbus. I blundered into directing my obsession into things I could learn about as a distraction and in return I was saved from roaming the world like an Ancient Mariner trying to figure the unfigurable. I still roam the world as often as I can but for different reasons (mostly to step back from my day to day life in order to find something or someone to inspire me to the next big thing).
D is for Donut. Reading this blog for the last few months you might get the impression that I love donuts. Such is not the case. However, I have found some donuts that I do love. Donald’s Donuts, Voodoo Donuts and Donut World each served as sites for major epiphanies on the repeated ass kicking 2010 gave me. Loosely connecting those dots and observing the power of the D-O-N-U-T on people, I decided that some additional research and discovery was needed. At this juncture, readers, we are at the midpoint of the donut chronicles as I plot out the Ohio Donut trail. My favorite donuts so far hail from Auddino’s, Bill’s and DK Diner.
In the process of donut discovery, I had a donut tasting party at Fortress Gourmand. Here are a few trends that were noted. Few donuts are good after more than a few hours out of the kitchen. The best donuts are still great up to a few days after purchase. Maple glaze seems to be an Ohio thing. Most of the best donuteries seem to offer the maple option. We had an Ohio maple donut challenge and the winner was Bill’s. We had the first Ohio Apple Fritter Throwdown. The results here were mixed. The most memorable comment concerned the DK Diner apple fritter – “Is that a loaf of bread?” It was not but it is clearly the mother of all apple fritters. DK Diner tied for first among fritters with Auddinos which was noted to be the most “applely.” We also decided that the best donuts have a bit of crunch on the outside and a lot of fresh and chewy on the inside (Auddino’s, Bill’s and DK Diner as exhibits A, B and D).
A donut tasting might sound decadent, because it is, but it is more fun than people should be allowed to have. There will be another donutpolooza. There may also be a March Maddness of Donuts where my donut detectives and I will pit the best against the best to determine the finest donut in Columbus and Ohio.
There seem to be a lot of special memories connected with donuts as well as special connections to people and place. College and donuts seem to pair well. Late night dining and early morning road trips line up nicely with these doughy treats. There is always a certain camaraderie connected to donuts. Maybe because donut counters are the great equalizer of the masses just like diners are. Maybe it is because the lowly donut is cheap and fast and easy to share. There is a reason boxes of donuts pop up at any office. A box of donuts offers diversity and democracy to everyone – grab a donut and pass the box on. There seem to be a lot of reasons that donuts do us right.
The D word…… The final question to think about. Is it Donut or Doughnut?
CMH Gourmand - Eating in Columbus & Ohio 