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How do you SHU?

Friends, People are not great at putting large numbers in perspective. Take spicy food. I think most folks would agree with me that a 5,000 Scoville Heat Unit Jalapeño pepper is pretty spicy. Follow it with a Rocoto pepper at 250,000 SCUs and you’ll probably say it’s hotter, but I doubt you’d tell me it takes 50 Jalapeños to get the same burn. Now say, hypothetically, someone received a bottle of Ají Escorpión hot sauce for their birthday last month (names have been omitted to protect the guilty). Say also they were foolish enough to spread some over their meal without reading the label (you’ve tried one hot sauce, you’ve tried them all, right?). Given this particular brand is made with Trinidad Scorpion peppers and clocks in at nearly 1.5 million SCUs, that person might go running for a leftover Salt Donut and then proceed to discard the remainder of that otherwise delicious fried rice. Needless to say, it’s going to take a while to finish that birthday gift. Happy Friday!
Recent posts

Donut or Lifebuoy?

Friends, When confronted with a sea of work it's tempting to dip your toe rather than take the plunge into the deep end. The prospect of the monumental swim can be paralyzing. But once you're in, the water is brisk and the dip invigorating. Granted, distractions can make it so your attention and the tasks you're trying to accomplish are two ships passing in the night.You skim the surface and struggle to reach the depths you were meant for. But if you hold your breath and just keep swimming, joy awaits at the shore. Like they say, drain the ocean one teaspoon at a time (okay, maybe they don´t say that, but maybe they should). And with that, it feels appropriate that I head out to the Salty Donut. They recently opened a beachhead in Colorado. I hear good things. Ahoy mateys! Happy Friday! P.S. Peek-a-boo!

Travel Donuts

Friends, There's nothing like travel serendipity to spark new ideas. The unexpected mile-long line at mile-high airport. The clear choice of a last-minute sign-up for Clear or missing your flight. The rush of rushing to the furthest gate in terminal B. And, finally, boarding at final call for boarding, You settle in 39D (prime restroom seating) and start the free form association... When did safety announcements start including "if a strap appears pull the strap..." sounds like bad advice between teenagers. Why did they need to get so specific? Surely, common sense dictates the oxygen mask will come down if you pull the strap. Probably the same folks who added the "if the bag does not inflate, oxygen is flowing". Common sense, schommon sense... And on it goes. Speaking of travel (or perhaps on account of it), I decided to get a little adventurous and try Mochinut. Kai, our Japanese exchange student this year, informed me that "mochi" means chewy. Delic

Dehydrated Donuts?

Friends, Dehydrated foods are practical. They have a long shelf life, save space and pack the same nutrients. Some you eat as-is, like the “juicy” dried cranberries you see at Costco (BTW, can they truly be both juicy and dried? -- seems to me they want to have it both ways.). Others you reconstitute by adding water. On that note it seems someone beat me to the punch selling dehydrated water — just add water . Although my idea was to make it a clever water bottle. O well. I wonder if there’s a market for dehydrated donuts? Better yet, decaffeinated donuts … just add coffee! Happy Friday!

Luck or Lack Thereof

Friends, Friday the 13th gets a bad rap. They say getting married or beginning a journey on a day like today is ill advised. Sure, you could sit there and blame numerology, superstition and Hollywood for conspiring to mar this good day’s reputation and unjustly give it an unlucky status. I on the other hand see it as an opportunity to embark on a new adventure and grab a baker’s dozen donuts. And if you’re worried 13 may be an unlucky number of pastries, rest assured I’m going to Winchell’s, home of the 14 donut baker’s dozen. Happy Friday! P.S. Here's a lucky angel just to be on the safe side. ;-)

Plain and Simple

Friends, You know that sense when you drive by an unpretentious donut shop. A hole in the wall with a “Donuts” sign outside. No fancy name or broad selection of goodies. Just donuts and coffee. And if the building it’s in happens to be a repurposed gas station that no longer has pumps, well, you have to turn around and try them. That’s just what I did and let me tell you, the donuts at Donuts on York and 29th were well worth the detour. I realize too often I use donuts as a metaphor or a pun, but sometimes a donut is just a donut. Happy Friday!

Saints and Heights

Friends, Ever walk by a church and notice a saint precariously perched on a ledge or niche? The calm expression on their face belies no trace of any fear of heights. Seems odd, don’t you think? Seriously! If I were eighty feet above street level, there’s no way you’d see me standing so close to the edge without a railing or handhold. Then again, I’m no saint. And, since being deceased is a prerequisite to canonization, surely they're not suicidal. I must say, though, that the halos on their heads do make me crave a donut. If only Holy Donuts had not gone out of business during covid. I guess I’ll just have to settle for some Dunkin’. Happy Friday!