donut bandstand

I guess it takes some doughnuts to get me writing here again. Today Krispy Kreme opened their first franchise here in London and I felt like I just HAD to go down there and get some. The shop is located in Harrods, just a small concession in their massive foodhall. Since it's not very far from where I live my plan was the walk the 2 and a half miles down there, get a donut and then walk home. But the weather today was just crappy, and I was in a lazy donut-eating mood, so I rode the scooter down instead. I got about a block and a half away when I noticed the sweet sugary scent of those little fluffy treats oozing its way into the stale ashtray-ness of Sloan Street. The scent made me feel giddy as I parked the bike and walked down to the shop. I had expected it to be crowded, but the line wasn’t too long.

As one of the smiley-faced employees showed me where the stand in line, I noticed Dick Clark standing against the wall near the door, and did a double take. He was wearing a denim jacket and he looked very casual and relaxed, his tanned face just watching the whole scene. The woman standing in front of me giggled and also did a double take. She asked her friend excitedly: "do you know who that is?" Her friend, being English had no idea. The woman laughed and then turned to me because she noticed I was also giggling and I said: "yeah, I know who it is!" We had this moment of "Wow! Whats he doing here?" and the obligatory "how old is he now?" conversation. The woman was trying to tell her English friend who this Icon of American entertainment was, but wasn't getting very far. It is moments like this when I am reminded that I am living in a foreign country. I can sometimes forget this little fact, due mainly to the massive amount of American culture that they happily import, Krispy Kreme doughnuts being only one tiny example. Sometimes the opposite also happens, where there is some celebrity or icon on a nostalgic TV show, and I have no clue who they are.

So I paid way WAY too much than I should ever have to pay for a dozen doughnuts. I took them home and ate way too many as well, as is only right. They were good, but they're not something I would find habit forming. Maybe I am becoming more British than I would like to think. I still prefer coffee to tea though.