Too Much To Dream

Been to both, and I'd have to say both have great donuts. They taste different, but good. Saying that, no one can match the krispy kreme donut with the cream in them. And I'm not really even a sweets fan!

The best donut I ever had was a 'flavour of the month' that was a chocolate cherrry kreme donut. Since we don't have a KK near us, I may never get to taste one again [sniff]

(let's see how much time I can waste before making myself do some work)

I lived in Western Canada once upon a time, and had never been East till a few years ago. I was amazed at how in to donuts Eastern Canadians are! There were donut shops everywhere. (Including that chain that Schanke used to go to on Forever Knight) Everywhere I looked, donuts!

On another trip East, this time to NC to visit a friend, I was introduced to Southern Krispy Kreme mania. Tammy (my friend) was driving and April (who's from TN and is my housemate here in CA now) was there as well. Well, both of them saw the "hot fresh' sign come on, and there was this ungodly screech from the two of them as Tammy turned left across traffic, leaving me sure we were about to die. It wasn't until we were in the parking lot that they explained what the hell was going on! I learned to never get between a Southerner and their Krispy Kreme!

And one last donut note (yes, yes, I'm almost done) Tim Horton had one of the funniest TV ads I've ever seen.

The Krispies have recently invaded the North. They even have a case at a semi-posh grocery where I buy my goormay items. I admire the KK gang's efforts, but they're just a bit too sweet for me.

Never seen a Horton's in Chicago. When I've travelled in Canada, I've been surprised at the size of the portions; "Here, eat this, and then clear cut the next 5 acres."

Bah...

Krispy Kremes are over rated, and sucketh muchly. When they moved to town I could not believe the lines for them (4 hours?). My boss at the time brought in a box for us about a week later (a 1/2 hour wait at 5:00am). Foul, foul, it hurts our mouths.

La Mar's are much better...

KK is as much a religion with some folks as tent revivals and Amway. When KK came to our city a year or two back, it was like the Second Coming, only with longer lines.

Frankly, while eating a KK doughnut is a hell of a lot better than being poked in the eye with a sharp stick, they are by no means my fave (I'm an Old Fashioned and Buttermilk fan, myself, regardless of the bakery).

A hot KK glazed donut melts in your mouth like butter. There is no comparison to that feeling of hot, sweet and sticky sliding down your throat all at once.

Maybe.

I have not heard of your strange, alien baked goods places. Of course the point of long lines at Krispy Kreme are to get them while they are fresh. No donut should be eaten if it it more than five minutes old. So sayeth the Donut Goddess.

So sayeth the Donut Goddess.

April and Tammy were appalled to find me eating two day old KK donuts.

Hey, they were there, they were food...

dunkin donuts. They're worth the trip.

(at least when you don't have a privately owned German bakery right up the street. mmm jelly donuts with crystalized cinnamon...Meier's Bakery)

Krispy Kreme's tend towards too sweet--and Horton's tend towards too dry

Too dry?? Infidel.

Oh my. I think this is one of those religious things, and I am proud to say I'm an atheist or agnostic or something. Heh.

I've never been anywhere close to a KK. My brother in law had them once and was impressed. I've been near but never been in Horton's, but everyone I know who has loves them and figures they'll give DD real competition. DD generally has good donuts. Honeydew, the other place big locally, also has good but as far as I can tell less consistently good donuts. On the other hand, I know DD sometimes has had quality control issues with franchises in other parts of the country, especially California. But that was with coffee; people running water through the same grounds twice to get a second pot out of it. Ugh.

Disclaimer: My stepsister works for DD, I think currently as a regional supervisor of franchisees or that sort of thing. My cousin works there too, I think as a secretary.

La Mar's and Winchell's are my favorite donut hangouts. I've tasted KK on numerous occasions, but they're too sweet to my tongue.

I miss Randy's Donuts in Southern California, though. Now them's good donuts!

The thing I've noticed about KK, being a transplanted midwesterner living the near-south who just experienced KK for the first time a couple years ago, is that it appeals to the senses. KK is not just about tasting a donut--it's about the aroma and (as mentioned) that melt-in-your-mouth texture of a hot/warm one. As alluded to by Michele, it is a sensual pleasure.

I do agree they are exceptionally sweet. Perhaps that's a bit of a built in "protection" mechanism to keep the masses for consuming TOO many in one sitting lest they go into sugar shock or heart failure.

Growing up in Ohio...it was Spudnuts in which potatoes are a key ingredient. Now I find that, like good ol' Pavlov's puppies, when I smell that aroma or see the "Hot Now!" sign lit, I begin to salivate just a little.

I'm with Michele and Andrea: If you aren't eating a KK hot and fresh you aren't having them properly. Mmmmmmm.

There is certain kind of donut I crave and haven't had in umpteen years. I've never seen it in any chain shop. It's a cake donut that is entirely covered with fine coconut flakes. I'm not talking about those stupid donuts that have big strings of coconut along with some kind of white glaze/adhesive on one side. A local grocery store here had it, but the baker left before they sold out to a chain. It was made at a shop in San Jose, CA., but that shop seems to have closed years ago with no replacement. Finally, I bought some from a place in downtown San Diego about 18 yrs. ago, but it's probably closed down as well. Ah, coconut donuts!

Being from North Carolina, I don't really consider non-Krispy Kreme doughnuts to be doughnuts at all. Krispy Kremes are just what I think of when I think of doughnuts. It's frustrating being in a ridiculous backwater town like Ithaca, NY, where I am not only deprived of Krispy Kreme, but also basic commodities like Duke's Mayo.

[HOMER] Mmmm...Krispy Kremes. [/HOMER] I just had two about half an hour ago, and since having been introduced to them in the last four years, I really can't see how any other donuts can compare. Although I'm open to being proven wrong, of course.

Winchell's.

Aye, Winchell's -- are they still in business? They went through cycles in Sacramento where I grew up, and in the late '90s they came to Fairbanks while I lived there, only to shut both establishments fairly soon. I understood there were still Winchell's stores in Anchorage but alas, 360 miles is too far to drive even for a donut.

Besides, by then I had discovered what Fairbanksans already knew and was probably the reason for Winchell's sudden retreat: the supermarkets there had their own donut bakeries and were (1) just as good for (2) less money.

Here in subtropical west Georgia I would go to a Dunkin Donuts before a Krispy Kreme (can't stand the sticky slobbery glaze they put on everything -- if they served steak it would have glaze on it), but I just get 'em out of the supermarket donut case instead.