Coffee

A new Dunkin' Donuts opened up today in Germantown. It makes me think about how we can be so loyal to things we grew up eating or just things we got used to because they're locally available. For example, I think McDonald's hamburgers are heaven. Would I think that if I hadn't grown up eating them and been pulverized by their massive advertising campaigns? I'm not sure, because I can't imagine not loving them. Intellectually, I understand that they're full of nasty non-beef filler. I hate pickles, and they always come with two. Stick two of them in front of me, though, and you'd better clear your hands out of the way before you lose one.

The same argument can be made of coffee. Until recently, I never noticed Dunkin' Donuts in the South; growing up, the only thing I knew about them were their funny commercials. I know a ton of East Coast transplants that live and die by this coffee. When they went home to visit (before it became local), they took an extra suitcase to stock up. It was shipped in bulk to their homes. I honestly do not understand it because their coffee is...let's just say it's not my favorite. Although their doughnuts are awesome.

I was weaned on Starbucks and have since downshifted to Ugly Mug in a french press at home. Would I like Dunkin' Donuts coffee if I'd grown up in, say, Philadelphia? According to my McDonald's hamburger hypothesis: Likely.