Food Fight by Gay Yellen
I’ve been stuck in a vigorous debate over an important cultural matter. It’s a food fight, of sorts, only with cookbooks. It would be nice to clean up the mess once and for all. So, here’s your chance to weigh in on the silliness.
Are you familiar with the ongoing on-line debate over whether a hot dog is or is not a sandwich? Well, my beef (!) is similar, except it’s about doughnuts.
Let’s start with a bit of history:
Today is National Pastry Day. A reason to rejoice, because the list of pastries associated with this event is mouth-watering, and includes one of my favorites: doughnuts.
A Wikipedia entry defines the doughnut as “a type of pastry made from leavened dough,” which seems straightforward enough to begin with. Wiki continues to state that it may come in many shapes, which explains the latest popular spinoff, the cronut, a mash up with another delicious pastry, the croissant. Given short shrift in the definition is the one made of cake, which contains no leavening yeast.
Lovers of the knock-off seem as passionate about their choice as I am of mine, the addictive, puffy, sugar-glazed delight which has fueled me through many long days at the keyboard.
In my world, as long as the doughnut-adjacent sweet remains qualified by its “cake” modifier, it may be okay, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing.
A bagel is similar in shape, but at least it has the dignity not to call itself a “bread” doughnut.
I believe a cake donut is merely cake trying to pass itself off as a something more interesting. This doesn’t preclude other people from calling the doughnut-adjacent treat whatever they want. But it will never be the real thing for me.
Which brings us back to the hot dog debate.
If, as some skeptics claim, a hot dog is not a sandwich, I’d ask why the lowly sausage between two pieces of bread doesn’t deserve that appellation. If you slice a tomato, add some cheese, lettuce, and maybe a little turkey‚ then put it all between two pieces of mayo-slathered bread, is that a sandwich, or a chef salad?
I love doughnuts so much, I lent my addiction to the heroine in my Samantha Newman Series. Sam has been known to scarf down a few whenever she’s stressed. And in Book 3, The Body in the News, she manages to bond with a potential murder suspect over their shared appreciation of the glazed goodies.
Perhaps, one day all of us will settle our differences and agree on the same gastronomic appellation of a doughnut/pastry/cake thingy. Then, we could meet in the middle to share a baker’s dozen.
And from there, perhaps, move on to weightier subjects, like sharing Peace on Earth.
Where do you stand in the hot dog sandwich controversy? What about the doughnut/cake/pastry debate?
Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”
The Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller.
As a Canadian who pretty much grew up on “Timmy’s” (Tim Horton Donuts), I figure anything that more or less resembles a donut and is sweet (often with icing or a glaze) is a donut. I can’t post a pic here, but here’s a link to Timmy’s donut case. I personally love the old-fashioned plain! https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g499155-d8535677-Reviews-Tim_Hortons-Mill_Bay_Cowichan_Valley_Regional_District_Vancouver_Island_British_C.html
I’ve stopped into a Tim Horton’s for coffee, Judy, but somehow, I missed the donuts!
give me a glazed donut – hot off the press (we used to go t Krispy Kreme and get them as they came off the line). As for the hot dog…. let’s avoid the issue.
Ha! Sorry you recused yourself from the hot dog issue, Debra, but I do agree: glazed donuts are the best!
I never really thought of a hot dog as a sandwich. Although by definition, it should be. The same is true for a donut.
I think both deserve their own category. My pastry of choice is a kolache. In fact, I wrote a FB post today on kolaches in honor of National Pastry Day. Great minds think alike.
Ha! So funny, Kathleen. I’ll have to take a look at your post. Happy Pastry Day!
I think anything between two pieces of bread probably qualifies as a sandwich, especially if it also contains a condiment (mustard) and veggie of some sort (sauerkraut.) As for donuts, the last time I had one, it sat like a lead weight in my stomach. Not a fan.
My food beef is all about the macaron, one of my favorite desserts. Is it a cookie or a pastry? That’s a debate for another day. What bugs me is people who call them macaroons. A macaroon is a completely different animal that’s made with condensed milk and coconut.
Can I just call them maroons in a Bugs Bunny voice? What a maroon!
Good one, Bethany!
Lois, I’m with you on both counts. Sometimes I think we may have been separated at birth.
I’ve suspected that for some time now, Gay! ;-D