Can we talk about this for a second:

That’s right, it’s Wayne Potash’s 2005 album Don’t Forget the Donut!. Old friends and Charlottesville DJs R and D sent me a copy they found while rummaging through radio station promo CDs. I’m guessing the station must have had two copies or something.

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Just a heads up that Blognut will be taking this coming week off as Mrs. B and I head to California in search of tacos, In-N-Out burgers and –of course – pantloads of Donuts. After all, with over 1800 Donut shops, greater L.A. is the undisputed Donut-capital of the world. But before we leave I have a bit of protesting to do.

Over the weekend we visited the Blognut-in-laws for some tasty Portuguese BBQ and to drop off our cat (he goes by Dominic). When we got there Mom-in-law handed me a pile of newspaper clippings she’d saved from the local daily. “Thought you might be interested in these,” she said. I read them over a glass of water and an oatmeal cookie and was outraged:

CARMEL - Homer Simpson wouldn’t want to grow old in Putnam County.

Doughnuts, his deep-fried favorite, have been deep-sixed at Putnam’s senior centers because officials say they are bad for the old folks’ health and could be dirty.

Not surprisingly, some of those same seniors don’t like the doughnut police telling them what to dunk in their coffee.

“I really don’t eat those things, but don’t think at my age I need to be told I can’t,” said Joe Hajkowski, 75, of Putnam Valley, who got 250 signatures on a petition protesting the doughnut ban. “I don’t like the way seniors are being treated by Putnam County.”

Hajkowski’s petitions included such sentiments as: “We want our donuts back. We are old enough to know whether we should eat them or not”; “Please replace donuts. We are not bad people” and “We are senior citizens. We are not senile citizens.”

The great doughnut debate began Aug. 2, when William Huestis, executive director of Putnam County’s Office for the Aging, sent a memo to the senior nutrition centers in Carmel, Mahopac, Putnam Valley and Cold Spring that the practice of accepting free, day-old pies, cakes, doughnuts and other baked goods had to stop.

Seriously, what gives?! These people can think for themselves and evaluate the potential health consequences of enjoying a Donut. Plus, when you’ve made it that far you should be able to eat whatever the hell you want. Now Heustis has valid - and I’m sure well-intentioned concerns. He states later in the article, “There are people (seniors) with chronic conditions who were eating three or four doughnuts a day and cakes and pies. We were concerned about wellness and diet.” And if someone’s a severe diabetic or has cardiovascular disease then sure, they should probably avoid sugary, trans-fat-laden Donuts. And maybe someone like my grandma - who has a severe self-control problem around sugar - should be monitored to see they don’t polish off a dozen at a time. But banning them altogether? Can’t center employees instead bring up their concerns to the seniors cramming the Donuts. Or approach the families and/or friends of the offenders?

Plus, psychological well-being is just as important as physical health right? So if the average, relatively healthy senior with intact mental faculties draws pleasure from eating the occasional Donut, who’s to say they can’t but them? As CG-72 points out, maybe it’s something to do with insurance liability. Maybe the senior center’s insurance plan states they must provide health-promoting food or something. Who knows. But until I see a viable, documented reason why these folks can’t have Donuts, I – alongside Joe Hajkowski, 75, of Putnam Valley - will continue to fight this asinine regulation.

If you agree that the seniors of Putnam should be able to enjoy their donuts, please join me in filling out this e-petition which I will present to Putnam County’s Office for the Aging. By “e-petition” I really just mean comment on this post with your name and a brief statement of support. Sorry for going all political on you, but I feel this has to be done.

See you in a week.

-Blognut

The Simpsons’ PR push continues.

As you may have heard, the marketing minds behind the The Simpsons Movie (which just opened Friday) have transformed twelve 7-Elevens across the country into Springfield’s own convenience store chain, Kwik-E-Mart. And yesterday Blognut finally made it up to the NYC location in Times Square. I know it’s all one big ad campaign (which I seem to part of given my last four posts), but how can you resist eyeing, touching and eating an actual Sprinklicious Homer Donut?! Which they totally nailed. Unfortunately they were out of Krusty O’s. But we did score a can of Buzz Cola. Here’s a look:

And regarding our The Simpsons Movie soundtrack giveaway, thanks all of you who’ve submitted entries so far. The response has been great and my Inbox is bursting at the seems with Doughnuts. I never new the acai berry was so popular. You’ve still got until 5:00 PM next Tuesday, July 24th to submit so keep’em coming.

Blognut will be off for a few days to help celebrate Mr. Rod’s hitching in the Outer Banks (PULLED PORK at the rehearsal dinner!!). I’ll be back Tuesday to judge the contest. Until then…

As one of the last old-school Donut dealers in Dunkin-heavy Manhattan, it’s no wonder Visa chose the Donut Pub as the setting for their latest commercial. The ad depicts a bustling, well-oiled NYC morning, with pin-striped commuters making small purchases - like Donuts and coffee - simply by waving their credit cards in the air. I think the point is that Visa’s new swipe-free technology is becoming so universal it can even be found in typically low-tech environments like local Donut shops. But what the hell’s up with renaming the place The Donut Hub?!

I assume the decision had something to do with either, (1) saving Visa money by skirting product placement fees, or more likely, (2) avoiding the alcoholic implications of morning commuters shuffling into a place called a “pub.” Still, this disrespect will not stand. And as a result, I will from this point on be making all of my Donut Pub purchases with Mastercard!

In other Donut news, my friend Slim was up last weekend from Virginny. We kicked things off with lunch at - where else? - the Pub.

My lunch.

Slim’s lunch.

Later that night Slim stole the show at Sunny’s when he busted out the upright bass and thumped out some Carter Family at the old-time jam.

This month’s edition of the international food rag Saveur has a piece by food writer John T. Edge reviewing 7 US-doughnut shops worth visiting. We were happy to see our local favorite The Doughnut Plant on the list, and even happier when Edge referred to Plant-founder Mark Isreal as a “doughnut Don Quixote.”
Also on the list:

Butler’s Colonial Donut House - Westport, Massachusetts
Started by a former Dunkin employee and his wife, Butler’s is best known for its Long Johns - yeast-raised rectangles filled with black raspberry jelly and covered in real whipped cream.

The Donut Man - Glendora, California
This roadside stand run by Donut Man Jim Nakano churns out raspberry and peach varieties made with freshly picked fruit.

Shipley Do-Nuts - Oxford, Mississippi (although a Texas-based chain)
Simple yeast-raised doughnuts which Edge feels have the consistency of Wonderbread - Blognut visited their store in downtown San Antonio last year.

Tex Drive-In - Honokaa, Big Island, Hawaii
Hawaiian drive-in specializing in malasadas - holeless Portuguese doughnuts.

Top Pot Doughnuts - Seattle, Washington
Started by two Seattle brothers who have acquired trademark rights to the classic Doughnut Corporation of America, Top Pot serves glamorous doughnuts like the Valley Girl (lemon-filled with lemon icing) and the Pink Feather Boa (rose-colored, vanilla-iced with flaked coconut).

Zingerman’s Roadshow - Ann Arbor, Michigan
This trailer-based operation serves lemon zest and nutmeg-spiced doughnuts based on a traditional Dutch recipe.

John T. Edge’s book Donuts: An American Passion comes out this month (published by Putnam) as part of a 4-part series “celebrating American food icons.” Blognut can’t wait.

Thanks to Dr. Rod for letting us know about the Donut piece in Saveur.

Netflix movie recommendation from our friend Vogelish:

Donut Man: On Tour/Resurrection Celebration

Join that crazy Donut Man (Rob Evans) on tour for a sing-along adventure. Donut Man, Duncan the talking donut and the kids from the Donut Repair Club travel around fixing donut holes, teaching kids about God’s love and performing songs (”King of Kings,” “Praise Him”) from the Integrity Music Just-For-Kids series. In Resurrection Celebration, Donut Man and the kids help a friend deal with a tragedy while they rehearse for an Easter play.