Personal Dork Assistant

The Day The Donuts Died

Like any true American, I like the occasional donut-and-coffee in the morning. The Friday morning free donut feed remains one of my fonder memories of Caltech life (see Resolution XIX). Thankfully, Taiwan isn't totally devoid of the holey pastry. Mister Donut" is tasty in it's own way, but the Japanese chain brings an Asian sensibility to the mix, making the donuts fluffy and chewy but not very sweet, light but not satisfying. There's also Dunkin' Donuts. The brand is American enough, but I wasn't a big fan in the States, and they've modified the formula for local tastes, which only made it worse, in my opinion.

I still remember the ridiculous lines from when Krispy Kreme opened up shop in the Bay Area. Even though the fad's passed (damn Atkins Diet), I still enjoy an occasional Original Glazed or three when I get the chance. But I figured there's no chance for the Southern original to ever come to Asia. That was why I was so excited when I passed through HKIA a couple of years ago when I saw a KK booth pop up in the Arrival Hall. Sure the donuts weren't hot&fresh by the time they fly home with me, but a few seconds in the nuker warm them up just fine. The booth didn't have the fresh fryer equipment anyway. The perfect omiyage present going home since it's not available in Taiwan which made it for a unique treat.

Wandered through the new Terminal 2 when I had a long wait before my flight and discovered a full KK shop, complete with deep-fryer and Hot Donut Now sign. Was happy to pick up a dozen and breeze through the deserted security lines in the yet-unfamiliar terminal.

However, this last time through HKG found the KK locations empty and shuttered. Didn't think too much about it at the time but I feared the worst. Finally bothered to google for news and it was worse than I thought. They weren't just closing a couple of unprofitable locations, but liquidating the entire business. I guess the glazed was too sweet for Asians after all.