Sign from Frosty's of Brunswick
I admit I am a bit of a donut gourmand. It is fairly obvious as my belly lingers (ok, I like beer too), even after these many weeks of cycling.
Rule: I brake for donuts.
Tim Horton’s “always fresh!” is ubiquitous in Nova Scotia and, as far as I know, the rest of Canada. Nearly everyday, I end up at one of these joints having a small cup of coffee and a donut. Like the Dunkin’ Donuts around Boston, I’ve never been to one where I did not have to wait in line, no matter the time of day. They are swarming and often seem the center of the small town life, with old guys and teenagers loitering in different corners of the parking lot.
Tim Horton’s are cleaner and fancier than Dunkin’ Donuts, the coffee is better and less bitter, and they even make “healthy lunch”, but my god, the donuts are terrible: an extremely limited selection and lacking delight of palate. I’d say the cake donuts are too soft and like most commercial donuts, the glaze much too sweet. They are also small. I hate small donuts.
Yesterday, I took the ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor. I’ve not passed a Dunkin’ Donuts yet, but by the end of the day I am sure I will. I’ll not deign to drink the evil coffee, but I am screeching to a halt for a butternut donut.
Let’s face it, Dunkin’ Donuts aren’t that great either. And I’m not saying that because I’m a Krispy Kreme shareholder. (Krispy Kreme destroyed my future financial security and their donuts are gooey, nasty puffs of sugar, almost as bad as pink cotton candy). Perhaps on the ride back to Boston, I’ll get to stop in Amesbury for some cider donuts , and in my near future, I’ll be savoring the powdered sugar doughnuts at Top Pot in Seattle over a big latte.
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7 Comments
Oooh, those Amesbury donuts are to die for. Hope I can join you for that!
(signed) Carb Boy
My first ever organized bike ride was in Seattle, and featured a rest stop sponsored by Top Pot donuts. After something like 35 miles, I pulled into a rest stop, lied on the grass, and ate a german chocolate cake donut that had been warming in the sun all morning.
Sometimes I have dreams about that donut.
If you’re ever in Portland, I’ll take you to Voodoo Donuts (“The Magic’s in the Hole”); you’ll plotz.
Man, how come all my comments on your blog are about food?
(signed) Fatty Boom Batty
Tim Hortons is absolutely awful stuff, their doughnuts (and timbits) have an effect similar to hydrochloric acid on my stomach, and the coffee is vile. I don’t know what the attraction is, but there’s persistent rumours going around that they put everything from chocolate to nicotine in the coffee.
Second Cup is my coffee outlet of choice. They have a good range of coffees, provide raw sugar as well as white sugar, and their food is from local bakeries (as opposed to the Tim Hortons food, which is partially cooked, frozen, trucked over from the distribution point, and re-cooked at the final destination).
Tim Hortons. *shudder*.
My mother, over the course of several months is getting used to calling the blog a blog and not a “book”. It appears that mother is still having problems adding a comment and is instead sending me a link to my own blog with motherly, and I might add choice, commentary.
Here are her comments on this post:
“Welcome back! Pretend I am standing on a 50lb bag of white flour as I say – so this “doughnut” thing. Dad and I have been having a discussion for over a month about WHY is donut spelled just like that! DONUT – it’s doughnut!!!!! Look it up – donut – it says DOUGHNUT.”
My mother is a perfectionist and never says Xmas (taking Christ out of Christmas) nor does she drink her bourbon at the “Nite” spot.
Weighing in on this debate with my extra donut belly, I too prefer when Doughnut is spelled out correctly, like the folks at Top Pot do it. However, one can spell nearly anything in neon, and if it looks pretty, I’ll buy into that spelling. Even “Nite”, which I hate.
ah… Krispy Kreme!
the fuel of Cyclocross racers
and well
Clydesdales like myself do not wait for cyclocross season for donuts
guess that is the Homer Simpson in me
I guess that it could be the donuts that make me the perpetual “Clydesdale”.
Ooooh, I can abide by this designation at the races, though I keep eating donuts.
Actually, before my first and only “Half Iron Man”, I read that one should not significantly alter a training program/diet on the day of the race. I woke up, had some donuts, got on my borrowed wet suit, smoked a couple cigarettes with my morning coffee, and I was off!
When it was over seven hours later: I drank plenty of refreshing beer and smoked some more. Donuts for the drive home.
I keep feeling like I am a real shitty role-model.
Knox you were spoiled by those donuts that funny guy gave you in Kedgie 🙂
How can people say such things about Timmys ? Granted, the donuts & cookies were awful. But the bagels – where else can you get a toasted bagel for $1 ? You bring in your own filling, crack open a can of tuna & some good cheese & Bobs your uncle. If I learned anything from getting paid $8 in a cafe it’s that staff don’t give a shit if you break the rules, so long as you don’t annoy anyone else. If I’d had another few weeks of THs, my aim was to get my order in sync with the cash register buttons, so it’d be left to right, top down. Everything Bagel. Butter. Toasted. Coffee. For Here. Milk. Cream. Half. (half milk half cream always confused ’em,the poor devils)