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No longer doing Donuts

(This article first appeared over at the now defunct delaredo.Net in June of 2006. I was reminded of it by a recent post by BordertownBluesBlog) Read ahead.

No Longer Doing Donuts: by GAR


"Donuts are what holds the universe together and intact", my friend JPC would tell me each morning as he ate breakfast. He was an avid donut lover
and was the one that got me hooked on the sugary stuff. Every time I would see him he would be munching on a donut. One night however, I got a disturbing late-night
phone call.


"Did you see what happend" he called me upset one night from work.
"What are you talking about", I yelled back into the receiver of the phone, puzzled and surprised by his tone.
"Dunkin Donuts, its gone. It's being replaced by something called 'RiverCity' donuts".
That night of course was such a devastating blow to both of us.


Two Dunkin Donut locations existed in Laredo that I can recall. One was located on Guadalupe Ave. over by Guadalupe Flea Market south of the Heights neighborhood and the other was over on San Bernardo in front of what is now Kalaidascoopes. However, sometime in the late 1990's the
name of the two local Dunkin Donut shops were changed to "RiverCity Donuts". Not only did the name change but also the availability as well as the quality of the donut. Rivercity Donuts did not have the same selection of flavor donuts, they would run out very quickly, and worst of all the donut itself
was dry and the bread was not as soft and flaky as the the original Dunkin Donuts.
Rivercity tried their best, but it was just a cheap imitation. My friend and I lamented the loss of Dunkin Donuts. To put it simply, they had some really tasty and delicious donuts. In a city dominated by 'pan dulce', American style donuts would hold their ground quite well, going back to the days of the old Mister
Donuts. I do however love pan dulce as well. Local bakeries such as Perlitas, Quickie, Panos, El Mejor Pan and others all have their own long traditions and clientele. Still, my favorite pastry was donuts, and Dunkin Donuts had no peers.


Slowly, we adapted our aways and we put up with the new Rivercity Donuts. So they were not as tasty, nor as soft, and so they always ran out of chocalate frosted donuts during the middle of the day. We had no choice but to put up with it. So they were a bit hard and dry, and sometimes the same donuts would stay there for days, or so it felt like it when I ate them. Still, we had no choice but to adapt.
When Krispy Kreme came into town, it was all the buzz. By then I had grown to put up with Rivercity and I was hesitant to convert to the yuppy Krisy donuts. To say the truth they annoy me. Damn Korporate Kremes, I mean Kripy Kremes are overpriced and overrated. They seem to be another version, a donut
version of Starsucks, I mean Starbucks. But hey, thats just me. I tried out the Krispy Kremes and their high prices for a simple dozen donuts but they are just not my thing. KK is overfried and over-oiled donuts, so I turned to my saving grace, RiverCity if only because they still had an inkling of Dunkin Donut flavor left in them, so I was willing to overlook their defects.


But, a couple of days ago, I got another late night disturbing phone call from my friend JPC.
"Did you see what happend", he called me again one late night from his job. "RiverCity is gone. Its been replaced by some other
panaderia", he tells me in an angry voice.
It seems RiverCity Donuts has left Laredo. Both the Guadalupe Ave. and the SanBer location have closed down, a true crushing blow to both of us.
Now, with no more Dunkin Donuts, no Mister Donuts, not even a RiverCity donut shop, either we adapt to pan dulce or sell out to Krispy Kreme. Either that, or maybe I should listen to my significant other and stop eating so many hot damn donuts!

Eddie Macon's Run

"You didn't know that," my friend yells at me in a flabbergasted shock. "I'm sorry! I didn't live here in the 80s" I respond annoyed like always. It turns out that there was a certain movie by the name of Eddie Macon's Run that was, according to my friend, partly filmed here in the early 1980s. The movie starred John Schneider (from Dukes of Hazzard) and Kirk Douglas, and from what I understand there are certain scenes that were filmed downtown and at the lake. I wanted to at least check the movie out, so I looked for a VHS copy on Ebay and lo and behold, there were several copies on VHS, but they were on sale for a whopping $20.00! Ouch! I don't think that movie is out on DVD yet, but I could be mistaken. Anyone our there alive when this movie was shot in town? Share the memories! Or at least pass me a copy of the movie!

"Hoy no hicimos cook en class"

Spanglish in Laredo is sometimes just a matter-of-fact, everyday thing. I overheard some h.s. students the other as they were walking from school and one of them said this little nugget. "Hoy no hicimos cook en class." It's golden. Laredo doesn't get any better than that.

Laredo Broncos and Tecos

I'm not much a sports follower anymore. Pro sports just doesn't do it for me much these days. I especially don't follow the Dallas Cowboys anymore for reasons to insignificant to list here. Baseball, however, is still something that I at least half-way enjoy. So when my dad invited me to go watch the Tecos vs. Broncos all-stars, I jumped at the chance. We had a good time, and the game was great, in especially the Bronco's right fielder. He has a cannon of an arm. What I did not expect to see there, though, was Laredo's dignitaries: everyone from Mayor Salinas to Judge Danny Valdez and Sheriff Cuellar (even Shariaffa was in the house). It was a good game and a decent turnout. Maybe the stadium won't be such a bad idea after all.

Free Hugs in Laredo

Spread the love Laredo. I first ran across this video on youtube several months ago. A bunch of highschool kids go to mall del norte and give 'free hugs'. Its such a simple concept. In a town with such violence and bloodshed (especially across the border in Nuevo Laredo) lets give more hugs, less drugs. Come on people! Let's give peace a chance.

Mexico's Drug War to Spill to US?

Everyone seems to be talking about it now. It's just a matter of when. Mexico's drug war seems to be creeping closer and closer to the US side. It seems inevitable that it will reach our doorsteps soon. El Paso seems to have it the worst (read article here). Many people don't even go and venture into Nuevo Laredo for they fear the danger. Let's continue to hope that things get much better soon. Viva la paz!

Spanglish in Laredo

Dialogue overheard at the IHOP:

"When I see him, me pongo bien red."

Freaking golden! Just so sweet. Everywhere you go in this town, this is the way people speak. It's just the inevitable of living on the border and having a clash of two cultures. Over at the blog of Laredo Speaks, they seem to be doing a fun job of chronicling overheard conversations where the speakers intermingle and mix both languages in such a skillfill way. Its great! It is, depending on whom you ask, Laredo at is best or at its worst. I personally think its just plain genius.

Milk in Vienna

I first met the local band Milk in Vienna back in 2007 when their EP was about to be released. At the time, I was trying to get a a now defunct website (DeLaredo.Net) up and off the ground with a business partner. I recalled that I was really impressed by the music of MIV and their electrifying vibe. After an interview and a short music set at their practice place, we posted the videos on youtube for all to see. Unfortunetly, those videos and that interview was lost in the translation after delaredo.net ceased operations. I didn't much keep up with that scene, so I lost track of them. I do remember one of their songs quite fondly, "It ain't love". It says "swallow my love, drink it slowly". For some reason, that song stayed in my mind. Hear more from Milk In Vienna at their myspace page.

Looking 4 Writers

Do you think you have what it takes to join the ranks of the fastest growing blog on the Rio Grande? We blog about everything, anything and nothing at all. Drop us a line and let us know about your writing skills, your wit or your appreciation of all things Laredo. We are looking for some daily or weekly contributors and columnists. Let us know if you are the right person for the gig. Write to us here.

Restaurant Review Project

Sometimes, every now and then, I get struck by a golden idea from the heavens. This afternoon, that was the case. I am going to start a project/experiment by reviewing different local eateries and promising these establishments that I will put up my comments on my blog regarding their food and service. The only catch will be that I have to eat for free at these restaurants. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Where is the integrity and the unbiased attitude?" But that's not the point. I will be doing the places a favor by giving them free promotion and publicity on my ever expanding and growing blog. You see, yesterday I had a record high of unique hits! Thirty nine people logged on to my blog on just one day. Yepee for me. Thirty nine in one day is the most ever for my blog. I know its a very low number, but I'm ecstatic. So when I approach these restaurants I can take them my numbers so that they will jump on the bandwagon and give me the free food. Anyone who is anyone is seemed to be tuned in to my blog lately. I have to take advantage of this new found fame! The first place on my list of high profile local eateries...Tacos Ravi. Let's see how it goes and we shall see in the next few days if they go for my plan. I will keep you posted.