The LA landscape used to be dotted with larger-than-life hot dogs and donuts, parked atop stands or wheels...
ending, by contrast, at Disneyland, where castles and iconic Swiss peaks (Matterhorn) were scaled-down.[Incidentally, my homespun theory about high diabetes rates among American ethnic groups - at least in the second generation - is that they often double-up on both native and host country dishes; eg we had rice AND mashed potato for Thanksgiving; gravy on the latter.]
So I was intrigued to discover Stan's Doughnuts near our home - a father/son establishment with "world famous" donuts. The shop was built around these
peanut butter filled chocolate delicacies...although the cherry & blueberry danish are equally fine.
I sometimes buy 2 dozen and bring to class or the office. Unlike break-rooms in the corporate sector, where treats are common, hungry academics inhale anything I bring. It's given me more freedom to experiment with recipes, because the leftovers will always nourish a language instructor!BTW, Stan shines with specialty doughnuts, but their regular glazed, cake, etc - while good - are not (I feel) as wonderful as neighboring stands, such as Brad's or this new one below:
Like Pao's in Tacoma, all of these shops are run by Cambodians or Vietnamese (see the Buddha figure on the counter), who seem to have cornered this market, as Koreans do with dry-cleaners. Pao's still ranks as my overall, all-time favorite.
I sometimes tell my students that these communities (and their shops) are the only places you find a hat tip to religion in America (unless you count outdoor garden statuary which seems heavily weighted toward Eastern iconography - that Zen = gardens equation). I note now that donut shops may be our patisserie, where people sit and enjoy a moment of sweet rest.
News flash: Stan's is featuring their seasonal pumpkin doughnuts, again!
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