#39) The Very Official & Quite Serious Donut Debate of 2020 ~

*Part of - Bean’s Coffee Shop Challenge - series

Is it me, or does everyone debate EVERYTHING nowadays?

We have:
Flip or Flop
Who wore it better?
Kate vs. Meghan
Netflix vs. Hulu
Disney vs. Universal
Coke vs. Pepsi
What came first… the chicken or the egg?
Who played the best James Bond ever?
Jelly vs. Jam
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
Paleo vs. Keto
Do plants have feelings?
Blake or Miranda?
N’SYNC v. NKOTB (wow, that’s a tough one)....
Oh wait, I think I’m starting to date myself over here… Moving onwards… pay no attention to me sitting in front of a square box tv watching NKOTB. Wait, they are still really together!

Yes, the list could go on forever… Because, guess what? Everyone does seem to debate everything nowadays. Ha, would who have thought?

We even debate on Twitter if an award show was totally awesome? Or was it horrible and the worst award show that ever aired on network television? In fact, now we debate not only who the host of the award show should or should not be, but if there should be a host at all? Huh?

And we have all this before even mentioning politics. The dreaded word. Lest we all forget the upcoming presidential debates ahead of us this year - yes, an official presidential election year. It looms ahead of us, taunting us all. Ahhhmmm… whether we like it or not, it’s all coming, and it’s all coming for us.

Yes, we are alive during a very interesting time… Or wait, is this time period actually interesting? Maybe we’re not even really alive? Maybe we live in a simulation. You’ve heard about that one, right? Or maybe we’re living and breathing inside an alternative universe - right now. And yep, you can easily fall into a YouTube rabbit hole on that one… Do we live in a UNIverse or do we live in a MULTIverse? THAT - is the question. Or do I have too much time on my hands? That - might be the question also.

But any way you shake it, if you are in need of a debate topic for a school project, the list is nearly endless. NO ONE should fail debate class nowadays. It should be a minute and mere impossibility.

Or should it?

So with most everything and anything up for debate today, I’m throwing my hat in the ring.

With all the seriousness going on everywhere, how’s about a good old-fashioned and silly and completely useless and utter waste of time and ridiculous debate. A debate that no matter who wins and who loses, the world won’t end. The loser won’t cry. And the winner didn’t actually even win anything? Cause, guess what else? I Don’t even have a trophy to present.

So to the loser, I say here and now: No hard feelings. It’s all just for laughs… Well - and to give me something to do...

So earlier this week I decided to go on a couple of outings, all involving donuts... I wanted to conduct a taste test and experiment of my very own. So, my husband and I played out my first ridiculous challenge of 2020. And I am hereby calling it:

“The Very Official And Quite Serious Donut Debate of 2020”

Nope, I’m not here to talk politics. Nor the Golden Globes. Nor the Oscars. Nor the Twitterverse. Nor even the Universe V. Multiverse theory. I’m simply here to talk about donuts.

Got it?
And to make matters even more nonsensical and useless and to waste even more of everybody's time and efforts - I was completely biased going in, and I had many preconceived notions... How dare I?

I thought I knew who was gonna win, and I was overly confident in who I thought would lose. Yes, I was completely biased. And bias is allowed. Cause guess what? It’s all for F.U.N.

I mention my bias, my preconceived notions, etc. because at the end of the day the winner actually surprised me. Honestly. Yes, I was wowed by one, and I was under-wowed by the other. And the winner was NOT at all who I thought it was going to be.

Here’s my bias:
First of all, I LOVE donuts. Yes, I love donuts so much that people have made fun of me about it many times in the past. I am the donut girl. Long story. Not relevant. No big deal.

But, anyways, I love donuts. So, naturally, I love Dunkin Donuts. Or, ‘Dunkin’ as they are calling themselves nowadays. I know and love their coffee, and I know and love their donuts. I know how many calories are in their donuts and how to plan their donuts into my day no problem without gaining a bit of weight. Cause since we’re talking scientific theories today, weight maintenance is all about the Calories IN V. Calories OUT theory.

And, here’s my preconceived notions:
I always assumed Krispy Kreme was THE BEST. And I have NEVER ever, once ever, been to a Krispy Kreme. Did I mention never?

I know, I know…. How does someone who loves donuts not once have stepped their feet inside a Krispy Kreme?

It’s possible. Because I have never been to a Krispy Kreme until this week, for this challenge.

And, again, I just assumed through my preconceived notions and probably through their very good marketing strategy throughout the years that reflected upon me a highly sought-after and nothing-like-it-on-this-Earth quality donut.

So, I decided that I wanted to finally try Krispy Kreme, and see if they measured up to my beloved Dunkin. My forever faithful, my forever reliable, my delicious, and my heavenly, Dunkin.

So, naturally, step one of my challenge meant that I needed to go to Dunkin. Because it all starts at Dunkin. I needed to purchase their plain original glazed Dunkin Donut to try before trying the exact same at Krispy Kreme.

And yes, we ate a lot of donuts this week, and all for the sake of the written word, or for science. My tummy thanks you for the opportunity to present this completely educational and very scientific information to you.

So off we went to Dunkin. One large hot latte for myself at 130 calories (my favorite drink of the moment), and one large iced latte for the hubby - who doesn’t need to count a single calorie... so none will be listed here.

We each tried one original glazed, which clock in at 260 calories per donut. Good. Great. The best ever. According to me.

Hubby thinks they are just fine - he is not at all passionate about donuts like I am, so this answer was exactly what I expected from him.

Dunkin is busy. Always. Very busy. We always wait in a line - during the morning commuter rush. No complaints, just mentioning because they seem to have a large fan base. There are always customers. And, most all of the tables are taken inside the small shop on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. As just as many people sit and linger, and talk, or work on the WiFi, as they do take their orders and run out the door with them. After all, American Runs On Dunkin, right?

Up next - Krispy Kreme. The next morning - same time of day. To finally try my first original glazed, fresh out of the fryer. The original. The classic. Since 1937.

So there we off and went, and actually left the island… “Over the Ditch” as the locals say.

So over the river and through the woods we went. Or over the Intracoastal and through the swamps. Same thing. Until I had finally arrived for the first time in my entire life at a Krispy Kreme. Specifically, the Krispy Kreme in the city of Jacksonville, Florida - the one on Atlantic Boulevard.

They were busy but not too busy. There was always someone placing an order, but only one table out of all the many was actually taken. Almost the entire dining room area was empty. Most everyone took their orders to go, and no one stayed, or lingered, or worked or conversed, even for a second. It was buy and run. And most ordered a box of a dozen - Just as we did.

We asked for two coffees and a dozen original glazed @ 190 calories per specimen placed atop the Bunsen Burner.

They immediately proceeded to inform us their coffee machines were broken and they could not serve us any coffees, lattes, espresso, or even any of their delicious and temptation-filled-looking frozen drinks - etc.

I was crushed. I can’t even tell you how crushed. If there’s anything I love more than donuts - it’s coffee. My laboratory might have well just exploded in my face. Ouch!

So, minus our coffee, we proceeded to sit at the counter overlooking the bright and sunny day outside the window. And we took our dozen shiny specimens and tried them hot and fresh, straight out of the fryer, and straight off the belt.

They were good. But that’s just it. They didn’t wow me! They were simply good. Immediately I was completely shocked at myself. I was expecting to be blown away. I was expecting to tell myself that these were the best donuts I ever ate and that I would be needing them in my life, every single day. For the rest of my life. But, Nope. They were just “fine” to me.

And not only were they just fine, they had a strange aftertaste. In each bite. I naturally attributed this taste to the donut coming straight off the conveyor belt? And I thought I’d wait it out before trying another one. To see if that taste went away?

So after I ate one whole donut very, very hot, and had this realization, I immediately decided I would try my next one well after they were cooled off. To taste the difference based on the temperature of the donut. All for research purposes, of course.

So we went home, and I placed the donuts delicately on top the kitchen counter.

And there they sat… thumbing their fingers at me... just waiting… yep, begging to be devoured. And still fresher-than-fresh mind you. They were just letting off some steam, I guess.

So, later that day I succumbed to all temptation and tried my next specimen, my room-temperature Krispy Kreme original glazed donut. And to my sincere shock and great surprise, that donut utterly and completely WOW - ed me. It really tasted a literal THOUSAND times better than the first one!

Ok…..? So, I just don’t like HOT donuts? I asked myself. I guess I like ‘normal’ temperature donuts?

And without even mentioning as much to the hubby… he then came along and tried his second donut. And he said the same exact thing. Wow! They are much better cooled off.

So, there ya go. We were both in agreement as to the fact that we did not care for the hot donuts. But we both loved them cooled off, after they had a chance to breathe fresh air before consumption.

And then…

Turn the page, will you?

The very next day came along.

And we both tried ‘day-old’ donuts...

Even better, yet again. 1000% better than the previous 1000% upgrade! Wow!

So basically, I came to the conclusion that the hot ones tasted like fried dough, from a carnival booth, which I love, but also with some strange and funky aftertaste. And the older ones tasted like a real, normal donut. A really good donut, an amazingly good and delicately frosted donut. And the older the donut got, the farther away that aftertaste was in my mouth.

So after all that, I really was genuinely surprised. I challenged myself to try Krispy Kreme for the first time. I sincerely thought that after one bite I would fall in love and tumble into and under a terrible spell and never to be awakened. But alas, that was not the case.

I still loved Dunkin better. Yes, even though Krispy Kreme did WOW me. I guess it’s all because they didn’t WOW me right away. I went all the way there to truly be wowed by their donuts. But that didn’t happen till much later on. And let’s not forget about the coffee - although I understand they can’t help that their machines were down. But Dunkin - omg - I love their every donut, I love their coffee selection. And I love that they are just about anywhere and everywhere you need them to be. And I love that their coffee machines have never been down on me once. I just - LOVE them.

And even though I loved the Krispy Kreme better the older it got, I still favored Dunkin after all that. After all said and done. And eaten.

Of course, I’m being completely biased, and to be completely fair I totally understand that I may have arrived at a Krispy Kreme for the first time in my life on the very day their coffee machines went down, and much to my detriment. However, the donuts just weren’t that ‘special’ to me. They were normal. They were not “leveled up” as I sometimes say. They did not wow me in any way - except - in the act of comparison to itself as it changed temperature - the thing that did WOW me was the difference in taste between a hot donut and a room temperature donut. That was the only real and true wow Krispy Kreme gave me.

I did like them enough that I will go back though. In fact, we purchased the dozen this week on a coupon they sent us in the mail for $5.99 per dozen. And our receipt revealed that deal gave us $3.00 off. And then, so ironically and only one day later after our scientific experiment concluded, and after never receiving Krispy Kreme coupons in my life until just this past month, yet another coupon arrived in the mail. Giving us a few dollars off a future dozen.

So, I’ll be back. And I’ll get that coffee I missed out on too. And I’ll be sure to try some other flavors in that dozen… like some frosted, and some sprinkled. And I’ll fill you in, if you want to be filled in on my future findings? After all, what’s a scientific experiment without repeat trials?

But for now, I’m sticking with my reliable and consistent Dunkin Donuts.
Dunkin - who is never far away from me.
Donuts - that always wow me with every bite.
Latte - that is my drink of choice for the time being.

All in all, and to summarize my findings, I hereby present and give to ‘Dunkin’ the award for best glazed original donut - over Krispy Kreme, coming in a not-far-behind second place, with a very doughy taste. Both were wonderful. But Dunkin is my go-to, and like I said... I guess I’m just completely biased.

I went into it all thinking Krispy Kreme was going to win, hands down. Thinking I’d be awestruck by them. To go over the moon for them. But that did not happen. And Dunkin it was for me, and still is. And that shocked me too.

So while this was all for fun, and our tummies consumed much deliciousness and many calories all for nothing really except this herein stated conclusion, maybe we all can take something away from this today.

Maybe we all can just laugh at ourselves more… and hate ourselves less. Maybe we all can be nicer to one another… and more forgiving of one another... Maybe we can all sit atop the counter for a while… and let off some steam before taking our next bites. After all, things might taste very different after some time has passed.

And so to conclude today’s task at hand, while I can tell you which donut I like better - please, please, PLEASE - don’t ask me to choose between Kate and Meghan. I’m begging you. That’s much too serious a topic; and I just can't do it. I love them both equally... There are some things in this world that just aren’t up for debate. ~

Hey! You there -
​For more stories like this one above, check these out while you’re at it, why don’t ya:
21) Cinottis ~ And Why Life Is Too Short To Not Eat Donuts
17) Fall Flavors ~ Six Simple Steps I’m Taking This Fall To Maintain My Massive Weight Loss
7) My ‘Before & After’ ~~ How A Single Act Of Kindness, Lime Bubly, And MyFitnessPal Helped Me Lose 77 Pounds In One Year

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Author:

Christine Pieper is an Artist and Lifestyle Blogger, living, writing, and painting in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, with her hubby and eight year old puppy. She made a major life change in 2017 by uprooting and moving from Illinois to the Sunshine State, and has been living her best life in Florida since - detailing all her many and varied adventures living and traveling the Deep South to share with you. Her mission is to help you live YOUR best life - by getting out there, going for it, and making that big change you always dreamed of. Christine will inspire you to get over yourself, show up for yourself, and get out of your own way. The only one stopping you - is YOU.

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