Doughnumbers

Friday, October 14th, 2011

   You know, we've talked a lot, you and I, about the nature of a donut. What it is, what it means, and what it might mean to us, as a group someday.  What we haven't discussed is how donuts became what they are.  For example, you probably dab your dough circle delicacy in coffee nonchalantly without really knowing why.

   The answer, as is always the answer for us, is, of course, MOVIES. Twasn't till right around 1934, when Clarke Gable famous dunked his donut into a warm cup o' joe in the film 'It Happened One Night' that it really caught on. However, this may not, in fact, be true.*  The first recorded official dunking of a donut may have been actress Mae Murray in a New York City deli, who apparently dropped a fresh dough pastry into her hot coffee. Either way, just before the second world war, magic was born in the form a coffee/donut dunking pairing.  Life has never been the same.

  Donuts are, in fact, the Hit food of the Century of Progress.  Which was, according to the World's Fair, over in 2000, unfortunately.  Know, they are the hit food of the next decade, says I!  A perfect union of fresh ingredients and automated preparation!

   Just how popular are they?  Well, that depends.  The average weekly donut sale for the southwest is about $595.  That's not bad, eh?  However, in the north, like Chicago, where it's cold and coffee needs company for those icy cold mornings, the average bakery sells $1284 worth of donuts.  That's a lot of donuts.

   By the numbers, donuts are  generally purchased as follows:

47%     Assorted

31%     Yeast

9%      Donut Holes

8%      Cake

4%      Filled

1%      Other

Please note that I included these facts as a list. Because placing donut facts in a pie chart would be absolutely insane.

I don't know about you, but the donuts I eat are so awesome, they defy category, and fall into that legendary 1% other category.

In any case, its Friday, something 1980's and awesome is happening today**.  So enjoy!  Have a fantastic day! And enjoy the donuts!

*Because I read it on the internet. And also because there are facts to the contrary.

**Probably parachute pants.