The "hot doughnut experience" has arrived with the opening of the first Krispy Kreme in Massachusetts in my hometown. Dave took notice, and apparently someone took offense. I found myself up at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning to make sure my wife had doughnuts before heading off to work. Fifteen minutes later, I was watching doughnuts roll along the assembly line contemplating why I was there.

I've been on the road for several months and the only chain restaurants I've been in in New York City are Krispy Kreme and Starbucks—the latter only for the wireless internet access. It's been partly something I've done because of taste—I can no longer stomach most fast food—but also something philosophical. I want to eat good food made right there in the kitchen by someone I can look at. It's taken me to lots of little ethnic place in NYC where I've eaten far better (and for less money) than I would at the "safe" chains that I know from home.

On the ride home, I thought about the locations that Krispy Kreme has chosen for their move into the Bay State. The Medford location, at Wellington Circle, is about a mile from Mike's Donuts in Everett who make the best doughnuts in the area in my opinion. Next up is Saugus, the home of Kane's, which many on the Chowhound Boston Message Board recommend. Forget Dunkin Donuts, the target of these first two moves can only be the little guys.

I wanted to be strong enough to resist the call of "Hot Donuts Now", but I'm not. I'm a little bit of a hypocrite, but I can count myself in good company—in Fast Food Nation Eric Schlosser acknowledged that he ate lots of fast food while putting the book together and it "tasted pretty good". So do those "hot donuts".

9:25:28 PM