Do You Like Donuts?
Me too. When growing up, my mom would often give me $1.50 or so on a Saturday to go get a box of donuts for the family. Our closest donut shop was a Winchells Donuts, located in the Willow Glen Plaza at Almaden Road and Curtner Avenue. At ten cents each for most donuts, that meant a pretty full box. I'd put the box on my ten-speed bike rack, one of those with a big spring clamp. I recall one time on the way home, I turned around to check on the donuts only to discover I'd been leaving a trail of them the down the street (the box had collapsed and they were falling out the side). I have a lot of favorites, but I guess my very favorite donuts are glazed old-fashioned.
In late 1973, the United States experienced an oil import shortage which resulted in gas rationing. During that period, people would line up for gas before work on their ration day (there was an odd/even system based on license plate numbers). The Willow Glen Plaza had a gas station at each end, and lines would begin winding their way through the large parking lot at about 5 am. I got the idea from a friend to sell coffee and hot chocolate to the folks waiting in line (many of whom were neighbors). I usually made a few dollars before school, which wasn't too bad at the time for a ninth-grader. One day, I got the idea to supplement my menu by offering donuts. While scanning the selection at the donut shop, I asked if they had any chocolate old-fashioned. They’d just pulled some old fashioneds out of the fryer, so right in front of me they poured chocolate all over a fresh, warm donut. Even though glazed old fashioned donuts are my favorite, the chocolate old fashioned they made for me that day stands out as the best donut I ever ate.
What’s your favorite kind of donut?
Add a comment to: Looking Back: Ye Olde Doughnut Shoppe