My First Little Krispy Kreme

Here she is. My first Krispy Kreme doughnut...right before I devoured her, hole and all.

Actually, being unschooled in what doughnut reproductive organs look like, I'm not sure if she was "she" or a "he". But I digress.

I've been hearing people talk about the amazingness that is the Krispy Kreme doughnut ever since I moved to the U.S. in the balmy August of 2000. There were no Krispy Kreme stores near Boston at the time, but I had college friends who, once they began reminiscing about Krispy Kremes, would begin to drool, their eyes glazing over like the doughnuts they were describing to me. My best friend in Los Angeles told me that her cousin not only drove two hours to the nearest Krispy Kreme, but also stood in line for another forty-five minutes to bring three boxes of them home for the family Thanksgiving dinner.

This inundation of Krispy Kreme propaganda has continued up through this past year, when I interviewed for a job at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, a faculty member proudly informed me that Winston-Salem was the birthplace of the very first Krispy Kreme store. And finally, when I visited my father in Indonesia this summer, lo and behold, Krispy Kreme had made it to the basement of the shopping mall near my father's apartment building.

But incredibly enough, despite the best efforts of the universe to get me to taste Krispy Kreme's wares and acknowledge it as Doughnut Deity of the Universe...I never tasted a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Until this past Wednesday.

It wasn't an ostentatious occasion, conspicuously bereft of sprinkles or powdered sugar. It had been a really long day at work, and I was completely exhausted.

"I'm completely exhausted," I complained to my fiance.

"Let's go get Krispy Kremes for dessert," he replied.


And so we drove to the Krispy Kreme's, pulled into the empty parking lot, and entered the store which I had heard so much about. It was practically empty, except for a quartet of elderly folks who sat chatting over doughnuts at a table, enjoying their little late night snack. The staff were taking the opportunity to unwind, talking and laughing, and eyeing us somewhat warily as we walked in...customers who, unfortunately, had to be attended to.

"Can I help you?"

"One chocolate glazed custard filled doughnut and..." my fiance looked at me....


"Erh. One glazed french cruller."

We sat side by side at the counter near the window, facing the parking lot, the neon Krispy Kreme sign to our right enveloping us in a strangely comforting red glow. And we consumed our doughnuts.

"I'm completely exhausted," I sighed, polishing off the last bite of my cruller. "But I must say, this was a good doughnut."

My fiance nodded. "You should try them when they're fresh out of the oven."

There are just some things in life which are capable of soothing one's weary soul with unassuming simplicity: a late-night Krispy Kreme doughnut might very well be one of them.

-Dr. Tiff