I’m a foodie. I’ll travel for some donuts similar to voodoo donuts (or Dunkin) – not Krispy Kreme.
There used to be an actual Voodoo donuts at one of those creative parks in Taipei or New Taipei, but it’s long gone now (as of a several years ago). They always had long lines of customers, but the rent in that creative area must’ve been huge - fancy restaurants were all around them. Great location, but not for the price.
I’d drive as far as TaiZhong for donuts similar to Voodoo and make a fun trip surrounding it I’d surely feel stomach pain and regret on the drive home, but ah - it’d also taste like victory.
Btw, just for fun, here’s Taiwan vs USA Krispy Kreme - I swear looks and tastes different:
Krispy Kreme was never my favorite, but I did crave them every now and then. Taiwan’s KK is a bit sad - tiny and dry - and the frosting feels “sweaty” instead of “Krispy” like American KK donuts are on the outside (partially crispy on the outside, soft on the inside). Since you can’t order KK off the belt, it means they have a centralized factory where the deliveries are less fresh (you ever order a box of KK, then the next day, it’s a bit sweaty looking? Yeahh… you need to eat KK donuts the same day it’s made only).
However! Their vanilla old-fashioned cake donut looks/tastes almost identical to the USA variant! I usually will grab that one every now and then.
The TianMu one closed down (they would always have “leftovers” anyway - I think they struggled hard). However, the BanQiao station one is great. They sellout fast, though. I’d go in the morning.
One of the highlights of traveling by HSR for me was coming home and getting Krispy Kreme at the HSR station in Taoyuan. And–of course!–it shut down within a couple of years. Now there’s a Mr. Donut there and we all know how that doesn’t compare with KK at all.
I didn’t know Voodoo shut down. I’d been there only once and I guess that was a number of years ago.
I agree, yet they’re almost always out of them, at least in the locations near my house. The ones they do always have–those pon de mochi whatevers–are a big disappointment.
I never understood why people waste calories on desserts like mochi green tea type treats. Same calories as a dessert that doesn’t taste like sugared sawdust. Much like the folks that explicitly choose fish head vs fillet (shocked fish head is pricey here when America just tosses em in the trashcan).
It’s the utter fakeness of the donut version that I find repulsive.
And the cynicism too, as if a marketing department hit on this brilliant plan to sell stuff to Taiwanese, no matter how terrible the actual product is.
I’d surely feel stomach pain and regret on the drive home, but ah - it’d also taste like victory.
