October 8, 2018

Food for Thought

The shape of a donut, I would imagine, was originally conceived as a way to cook faster and more evenly. Without the hole in the middle, some of them would be undercooked or even uncooked at the center. So, some baker who got tired of tossing or re-frying the uncooked dough said, “F**k it, let’s just remove the middle, so we wouldn’t have to worry about it.” It seems like a typical American move. The French, in contrast, would probably figure out a way to evenly cook the entire dough ball. Americans are pragmatists—they would simply remove the problem.

Pictured above are “Key Lime Pie” and “Berry & Cream” donuts from Federal Donuts in Philadelphia. My wife and I came across it on our way to my friend’s birthday party. The most obvious place to add a flavor to a donut is the center (inside) as a filling, but things evolve in history without taking into consideration how and why they evolved thus far. It’s somewhat awkward to eat a donut with so much stuff outside, but it’s visually more fun and great for Instagram

#donuts #doughnuts #phillyeats #phillyfood