Korean Curio #4: the real WWIII—Doughnuts!

Dunkin’ Donuts has taken its battle against Krispy Kreme global! Yes, even here in little Migeum, KK and DD are facing off for global domination using such weapons as sugar, dough, and lard. Both sides have taken up locations across Seoul. DD pursued the Grant strategy of winning a war of attrition and has outnumbered KK (there are two DDs in Migeum alone; one on my block and one on the next). KK counterattacked with its trademarked “Hot Now” tactic, distributing free, fresh doughnuts to civilians drawn to the illuminated red light. To complicate matters, DD allied itself with Baskin Robbins which flaunts its arsenal of 31 flavors next to almost every DD in Seoul (they have ice cream fondue too!). And this doesn’t even take into account the Starbucks contingent which is fighting DD on the coffee front.

So what’s the good news? First, we’re talking about donuts. And second, well, for a sweet tooth like me there doesn’t need to be a second. Personally, I prefer the doughnuts at KK and the coffee at DD. And while I initially felt guilty about patronizing a US chain, there’s so many donut places here it’s like part of the Korean experience. So, once a week, I have “doughnut day” and traipse on down to the local Krispy Kreme. Mmmm, doughnuts…